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<br />Water cuttJacks in the San Juan River tnreaten a tailwater trout fishery and the livelihood of Navajo Darn, N.M
<br />
<br />Phclo~b'JE10en\1)'ffiockyMountllJnNe..
<br />
<br />'!Wo weeks of
<br />extra low Dows in
<br />the San Juan River
<br />have passed, ap-
<br />parently with little
<br />or no harm done to
<br />the famous north-
<br />west New Mexico
<br />taiiWiltertroutfish-
<br />ery. But a.nglers
<br />and merchants
<br />dread the effects of
<br />a much longer water cutback sched~
<br />wed for next winter.
<br />"It's. very controversial," said
<br />Nadine Maes of Abe's Motel and F1y
<br />Shop in Navajo Dam, N.M., a village
<br />that relie5 almost entirely on trout.
<br />fishing tourism. "We'd like to get a
<br />minimwn flow agreement to protect
<br />lhe fishery, but unfortWlately trout
<br />have no jurisdiction."
<br />In mid-January the U.S. Bureau of
<br />Rec1arna.tion dropped the Sanjuan to
<br />250 CIlbic feet per second for ~'O
<br />weeks.lfbiologists determine the
<br />trial caused no significant Mrm to fish
<br />and wetlands, flows will be lowered to
<br />Z50 ct"s from NCNember to FebruaI'j
<br />1997 as part of the Sanjuan's
<br />"Recovery Implementation Plan."
<br />"RIP also stands for rest in
<br />peace," said Maes, who worries that
<br />prolongetllow 'Nate:- -may \til\ aquat-
<br />ic insects that trout eat and will con-
<br />CemI<lte trout in deep holes, making
<br />them vulnerable to disease, preda-
<br />tion and fishing pressure.
<br />Traditionally, wiMer flows from
<br />Navajo Dam seldom fall below 1,000
<br />cfs, while swnmer flows cane:xcced
<br />lO,OOOds.
<br />The water cutbacks are part of
<br />. (~denl. c!',vironrnental s~l.l<ties re-
<br />lated to the huge Animas- LaPlata
<br />water project. Following tests on
<br />extremely high spring flows, the
<br />Bureau of Reclamation now wams
<br />to e\'aluatc the effects of very low
<br />wincer flows on wetlands and en-
<br />dangered fish that li\'e far....her cJo\lm-
<br />
<br />
<br />Ed
<br />Dentry
<br />
<br />lin
<br />or wa er
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />River project threatens
<br />town's world-class fishery
<br />
<br />
<br />Anglers wade near the San Juan River Dam, The 4 miles of water
<br />Oelowthe dam hold 75,000 to 100,000 trout.
<br />
<br />stream in the San l'Jan.
<br />"Historically, there was grealer
<br />seasonal fluctuation In the basin,"
<br />said Don F'azzan, a water engineer
<br />with the bureau's Durango office.
<br />Before Navajo Dam I,l,'aS built
<br />nearly 40 years ago, the San Juan
<br />ntged with runoff in spring an>d
<br />dropped toa trickle in 'Nimer. Biolo-
<br />gists believe that if water flows are
<br />
<br />managed to ~mitate that natural
<br />cycle, endangered squawfish and
<br />chubs can Oourish again.
<br />But if the low /lows are extended
<br />to four months next winter, they
<br />could devaslLlte trout that are abun-
<br />dant in cool upstream reaches below
<br />Navajo Dam.. said Maes, wtlOse tam.
<br />l!Y has catered [oaIlgiers since h~r
<br />futher. Abe Chavez, opened the
<br />
<br />basin's first fly shop shortly after
<br />the dam was built.
<br />Navajo Dam is packed with fly
<br />shops and bllst!eg with guides and
<br />anglers from around the world. Its
<br />trout fishing economy has soared,
<br />particu.larly in the p;lst 20 years,
<br />since special fishing regulations
<br />resulted in world-cl.3ss trout fishing
<br />Ne..... Mexico fisheries biologisT
<br />Marc Wetherington puts the trout
<br />population iI1 the top 4 miles below
<br />Navajo Dam at 75,000 to 100,000
<br />"very healthy" fish. The population~
<br />are buttressed by stockings of 3~
<br />inch rainbow trout fingerlings, he,
<br />said, because crowds of.....ading
<br />anglers tend to disturb spa....'I1mg
<br />areas, often with fatal results.
<br />Brown trout, however, reproduc~
<br />naturally.
<br />"There are lots of rainb<.lws :.1", tht'"
<br />25-inch range <1nd bigg\::f," T:-: said.
<br />'i\nd there are 3D-inch fish in t:he
<br />river."
<br />The two-week trial, offered 2$ a
<br />concessio., t(J fishennen, didn'r
<br />seem to have much impact on tl'QU~.
<br />Wetherington said. Data are still
<br />beulg analyzed for effects Oil
<br />insects.
<br />"We'\'c had J lotof (:cncem trc.'T1
<br />trout fishennen," said Fazzan. "f\.(
<br />L'1e same time we would like to pr()-
<br />ceed Wll:h the test. [f there was on!v
<br />a smail impart on trout. ir probably.
<br />would not prevent !:he stud}:"
<br />No one rc.a11y expected tWo weeks
<br />of low wate.r tu ha',le much impact on
<br />trout. But it remains ~(J be 'ieen '^'i":tlt
<br />four months will da - ar.d wl~eth~r
<br />me New Mexico Game md Fish De-
<br />panTIlent may ha\'e to do~ the river
<br />to fishing r.~X\ 'Ii\nter tQ protect troUt
<br />from addltional :;Lress.
<br />'"How ni<ill.... times do th~y have
<br />to do this before they learn?" Mats
<br />saJd. "They tried this at Lees Ferry
<br />(on the Colorado Riv~r in Arizona),
<br />,md mess~d it up. Yet they're going
<br />wdo icagam."
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