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<br />10. 8708458788
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<br />PAGE 3
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<br />NOV-05-87 12.28 FROM. COLO RIVER DISTRICT
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<br />RESCUE: Squawfish need protection from predators
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<br />~ Continued from PIli a..
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<br />them 10 punue their various inter. has investlpted as potenllal ways of
<br />eslS along tlle liver, saving tlle endarIeeied species: stock.
<br />Tyus' work has yet to shake lhe irlI. habitat resloration. flows. con.
<br />world of tlle squawlleh. bUI the draft troUing nonnative&. and so on.
<br />of his report for the CoIol'ldo River Tyus' 00IlC8m& that importS now
<br />Water Cotuervatloo DIslrlct stt'IIl:k reiGn as SlIPmne pndaton threaten,
<br />the spark that prompted the distrtCl irlI the naliveflsh of the Colorado are
<br />L'Ist month to \Il'1ll! Ihe Pr'Olll'8lll to re- nothing new to them or to Tyus, ac'
<br />consider how 10 10 about living the oordIng to lheir published da~ Kelf.
<br />species. . ." saI4. ..
<br />And It won lkIIM respect fbr the. If anything. the federal agency has
<br />River DIatr\ct fO\" II!flIdIlI new sclen. been I'8IIlllI'kably compliant since the
<br />tIflt 1nf0000000lion abouUheiquawflah InCBptlClll dtbB lllCClVery pnl8I'lIIII in
<br />and other~ tIih In the Col. 19l11l. hesa14. .
<br />Cll'lIdo Rmr,':' ......,., . .' , "We've aI10wed 22lJ,OOO aae feet of
<br />, ,'"I'I1e ",ater dlMlloplrs are IOIng water to l\Il to development SinCB
<br />outoClhelr waytobr!nl'apeI1lse In. Illl11,. he saI4. "The proll'es6 for tlle
<br />to the debate:' said PJ!l8r ~ dI\> llsh In that time bas been relatively
<br />illY dlreclor d the ~ Wata!r. sllm.... . . " .
<br />Colll1ervatloDBosidl\lil,,~of The apIICY estimates lhe squaw.
<br />the recoVlr'y JlI'IIlll'JD\', ~t !Ish population In the upper Colorado
<br />colllll1lltllO, which looks after day. River at 800 to 650 rlSh. There is a
<br />t~y aIfairs, '"I'M'blologlsts are not small population of humpback chubs
<br />doirlllt." . in lhe Black Rocks and Westwater
<br />. Tyus' report Is "an lIIdIaltlon that lIl'llllS of tlle river and razorback
<br />tllore is stID a basic conIIkt between suckers are v1rtuaIly unknown now
<br />the water development conununlty in lhe upper Colorado. Tha last bony.
<br />and tlle bloIOl!lsts." Evans said. "I tallchubfOlllldinlheupperColorado
<br />don't lhlnk this really chan&es River was caught in the Black Rocks
<br />1hInlls, The unresolved qlltlitlClll Is area In 191M. '
<br />wllat role lnstnlaln flow wU1 play in Fish & WlIdIife Service blologlsl
<br />preserv1n1 Ihe Colorado River Dulli OsmWldson points to the main.
<br />tcllSYatem." tenanC1l 01' flows llIrough the Coil>
<br />'!be water conservation boanI bas rado as crttll:al to !be sW'Vival of the
<br />applied for wtrelllll flDw rishta llib. Millliddnc as much as possible
<br />throUgh the 16-mile reach of the river the natural pallem oC hiah, lIW1hin8
<br />8Il It nw Ihrollllh the GrwuI Valley Ilows in the sprinlJ cleans the cobble
<br />to beneflt endancem 5JlllCie5, at the in prepar.llion for squawflsh to lay
<br />request oCtlle Fish & WiId1lCe Service. !heir eas and often a_PI /lonlla'
<br />'n1at appllcatlon Is on hold whlle pro. ti'186 c\ownstl'Nlll. at lBa.st
<br />sram omcials wraIIIle about what lemponrily.
<br />wW someday reellhe aquawftah and Tha agency needs to protecllhose
<br />othen back fl'tlm near4ldlDctlan. now, to Dl'8l8l'Ve the species, Os-
<br />~ RAll1llllb. a '.wood mUM!lOI\Mid.
<br />Spl'ln8s altOm.y l'OprclIIlallbi \Ww ''If we thoughl the llsh could l'O
<br />develope1'$. said 1)1_" such as ~vel" witllllUlIlIstl'oalllllows, wo'lI
<br />lIuItexerted by the 1'Y1II ~ wW be supportlvo ofll," he said
<br />IOrce ChangIl, . "If you were 10 ask, even if all the
<br />. "11Ie recovery proeram is in a pe, nOlUlallves were lone, would we still
<br />riod of adJustment and refocuslng to nsed high 5JlrinI peak.llows, the III.
<br />become a better _ery Pl'OSl"IDl," swer is yea," Pt'tiler Wd.
<br />Dalcomb Mid. "My c1Ienlll want the Saving the squawflsh and Its ell'
<br />Dsh 10 be recovered" and whlle the dan8erecI brethren wW reql1lre more
<br />fish at WlIdl1Ie Service remains the than the $SO million to S55 million
<br />alll!ncv in cha!:le. "It Oualll to listen spenlsofar.saldEvsns. The recovery
<br />to n>ason." prosnun is searin8 up 10 spend about
<br />ReasofUlblc i& cXllctly what FIsh & SlOG mWlon on IIsh pasaages. rlSh
<br />WilcllJfe Se....ic. olllclols ...y Ihey've "....no. water 1I0w impl"ovelnent
<br />been. and other methods in the upper basm
<br />"Wo'w novoI' been one- of the Colorado River and on Ihe San
<br />dimensional on 110ws," said n-an.k Juan River in Uta/und New Mexico.
<br />Pfeifer. who h...d. lh~ Grand Jlmc. R<'Covel'y prograw ul1lclll1s "'"
<br />tlon alIke uf tllV FWl & Wildlife Ser. wOrking on leels1atlon that would
<br />vice. tickinll cC! llellli that the selvlee h3Vll the fcoder,)l IlDvemment and
<br />
<br />states spUt the enst oC those improve-
<br />ments 50-50. he said.
<br />Biologists haven't decided how
<br />many Dsh wOllld constitute a relnvig.
<br />orated species. bUllhe rlll:overy pro-
<br />gram is studying goals that oIDclals
<br />wW point the way to recovery, !>felfer
<br />said.
<br />"We're deciding tho. direction the
<br />program oUgbtlo be going so every.
<br />body can see theendpolnl."
<br />Resuscitating Ihe squawllsh might
<br />require nolhlng more rlght now than
<br />setting a li:w people loose 10 seine
<br />backwaters tor suckers and shln9l'll
<br />and encouraging C<J1nmerclal fisher.
<br />men to consider the Colorado River
<br />as a catn.h farming gn:>und, Tyus
<br />said.
<br />Setting loose commerdal Osher.
<br />men on the now ubiquitous channel
<br />catfish and Muoing the numbers of
<br />small /lonnative fish thaI feed on lar.
<br />va and young squawfish aren't exact.
<br />ly hlgh.tech solutions. but somethinK
<br />new bas to be tried, said Tyus.
<br />"We need to get some creativity
<br />and we need to make it more fun,"
<br />said Tyus, "One oftlle Ilrst tlllngs we
<br />need to do Is get 3 rag.tag ll'Uup out
<br />and hammer the backwater areas."
<br />l1;lllluvilli: lIUIUlaUve5. "I truJy believe
<br />that If "'" can Muce some 01' these
<br />areas with 9M5 pem>nt nonnalives
<br />to 10 or 20 percent, Itll1icht give the
<br />sqWlwtlsh a chalice."
<br />Morts already .u.. undBr way 10
<br />remove some lllvadors, !'Coifer said.
<br />BIOlollists !i'om tile Colorado Divi.
<br />slon of WUcllJfe and Colorado Slate
<br />University removed 6.000 bass and
<br />sunllsh from six backwater areas in
<br />recent weeks. he said.
<br />Anile... nood 10 nr.on.IMr Ih.!r
<br />view of squawfleh 3S lI'aSb fish. Tyus
<br />.said, and consider them in a new
<br />lilllll, "" du wUdlife oIllclll1s. 8ll a p0-
<br />tentially Valllable econom1c resource,
<br />"It's an idea. What if we could re-
<br />rover them well enough to wlu!re you
<br />COII!cI catch a 2(). or 3O-poW1d squaw.
<br />fiab?" And that from GO or 70 mUes of
<br />Iiverbank now used almOSt only to
<br />convey water out of the state. TYus
<br />said.
<br />Tyus Isn't alone in imagining an
<br />economle benefil from sqllllwtlsh.
<br />Conaider what might com. &om the
<br />squawn.qh eqUivalent or KoIQ.1J1t!<Ial
<br />troUt water Ihrollllh tourlsm-hUJl8l'Y
<br />wuI.m ColoradO, said Il.'vans.
<br />So far though. Tyu, ,",irl, ''11,.
<br />states haven't been V"I'V 1'llCOIlltive to
<br />the notion."
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