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1993's high-water may prove benefit to endangered fish By Brent Stettler Information and Education'Manager Utah Division of Wildl~e Resources The Colorado River sUrged last year with .the highest flows observed sirice 1986. . ..' "We witnessed major changes in sand and sediment deposition," said Tom Chart, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources fisheries biologIst "A lot of material waS transported downstream, cleansing. the system. Although .results aren't in yet, we believe that high water years are'detri- mentarto non-native. fishes:and tolera- ble. or even beneficial to native. species." On July 30, 1991, two baby razor- back suckers were captured' at Mineral . Bottoms on the Green River. Not a sin- gle young-or-year razorback had been' found there in the last 20 years. Researchers believe the dearth of young fish is the result.of habitat loss and predation by non-native .fish. Biologists have launched' an effort this year to search for breeding adults. They will.targetthe confluence of the Green and San Rafae I rivers in hopes of finding the rare specieswith a sharp, keel-shaped back.. . Changes. are taking place. in research efforts. on the Green and Colorado rivers. The focus is changing from capture of adult fish to collection of juveniles. Researchers Tom Chart and Melissa Trammell will seek to learn more about the timing for the spawn, what habitats are selected by young fish and how water flow 'can be adjusted to. maximize spawn'ing and' nursery habitats. . The Utah Division. of Wildlife Resources' studies are part of the Recovery Program for Endangered Fish of the. Upper Colorado River Basin. . . . 'White salmon' among names once used for Colo. squawfish TALES, from 6 . "white salmon," "Colorado River . salmon" and "landlocked salmon." Looking at a razorback sucker photo, Bill Allen of Vernal, Utah, showed how confusing the identifica- tion p'rocess was 'back then. . ''Now that was the humpback," he said. "We'd still call them rowldtail, but we called them humpbaCk round- > tails ... squawfish.... kind of a hump- back squawfish sucker." Photos and detailed descriptions were used to verify which fish the seniors were referring to. The report also covers seniors' rec- ollections about the fishes'. decline. bams changed the river habitat, they said. . The fish swam into' irrigation ditches and' became trapp'ed or were flushed onto' fields, Some squaw fish were found dead with catfish lodged in their mouths, reportedly because cat' fish barbs punctured the squawfish's insides and killed them. And the chemical rotenone was used to reduce native fish populations so that non- native sport-fish could be stocked in and upstream of Flaming Gorge and. Navajo reservoirs. . For a copy of this report, contact: . Colorado River Recovery Program, V.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O: Box 25486/DFC, Denver, CO 80225, or call (303) 236-2985, exl. 227. . .... ~,' .', ~, '.;"': " .'~ : . . ". '~.' '; ~ .- -. ~. ,., ," '. ,. - . ~, : } -' '. . ',:.,'- ." . ;. ," ~.. . -.!~ ~.:(" ". .... Photo courtesy of Kathanne Rlnil:er Florence Barnes stands next to 8 large Colorado squawfish caught in Lily Parle in the .1930s. 7