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Climate change and its effects on water temperature may also alter the dynamics of parasite and <br /> disease transmission and host susceptibility, exposing immunologically naive native fish to <br /> outbreaks of pathogens. For example, thermophilic Asian tapeworm Bothriocephalus <br /> acheilognathi may become more widespread and increase its infection intensity due to higher <br /> water temperatures associated with lower summertime flows. Incidence of infection may be <br /> higher in small fish and infected fish may grow more slowly,prolonging their exposure to <br /> increased infection and predation, and potentially reducing the survival of native cyprinids <br /> (Martinez et al. 2014). <br /> Given the uncertainties, however, involved with climate change, including the possibility for <br /> both positive and negative effects on endangered fish,particularly at a local level such as the <br /> action area, it is currently not possible to predict with any confidence how endangered fish and <br /> their habitats will be affected overall. We believe, however, that the primary net effect is likely <br /> to be in an increase in the competitive edge for nonnative fish at the expense of native fish, <br /> including the four endangered fish in the upper Colorado River Basin. We also believe, <br /> however,that in the near term, over the course of the projected coal mining at the Foidel Creek <br /> Mine that is under review, climate change impacts will not be great enough to be readily <br /> measurable or have an immediate effect on the endangered fish. <br /> 4.0 EFFECTS OF THE ACTION <br /> In this section we analyze the direct and indirect effects of the action on the four endangered fish <br /> species and their critical habitats,together with the effects of other activities that are interrelated <br /> or interdependent with the proposed action, that will be added to the environmental baseline (per <br /> 50 CFR 402.02). Indirect effects are those that are caused by a proposed action and are later in <br /> time,but are still reasonably certain to occur. If a proposed action includes off-site measures to <br /> reduce or offset net adverse effects by improving habitat conditions and survival,the Service will <br /> evaluate the net combined effects of that proposed action and the off-site measures as interrelated <br /> actions. Interrelated actions are those that are part of a larger action and depend on the larger <br /> action for the justification; `interdependent actions' are those that have no independent utility <br /> apart from the action under consideration (50 CFR 402.02). Future federal actions that are not a <br /> direct effect of the action under consideration, and not included in the environmental baseline or <br /> treated as indirect effects, are not considered in this consultation. <br /> Analysis challenges <br /> There are many unique challenges to analyzing the effects of the proposed action. They are <br /> outlined below: <br /> • We have an estimate as to the amount of mercury released from the combustion of <br /> Federal Trapper Mine coal at the Craig Station, but there is currently a lack of specific <br /> information on the amount of selenium released during this process. <br /> • There is currently a lack of reliable information on how much of the emitted mercury and <br /> selenium are deposited on the landscape within the action area. <br /> 42 <br />