2013-03-06_REVISION - C1992081 (6)

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V 0 10 as 1949. In the Upper Basin, razorback suckers were reported in the Green River to be very abundant near Green River, Utah, in the late 1800's (Jordan 1891). An account in Osmundson and Kaeding (1989) reported that residents living along the Colorado River near Clifton, Colorado, observed several thousand razorback suckers during spring runoff in the 1930's and early 1940's. In the San Juan River drainage, Platania and Young (1989) relayed historical accounts of razorback suckers ascending the Animas River to Durango, Colorado, around the turn of the century. A marked decline in populations of razorback suckers can be attributed to construction of dams and reservoirs, introduction of nonnative fishes, and removal of large quantities of water from the Colorado River system. Dams on the main stem Colorado River and its major tributaries have segmented the river system and drastically altered flows, temperatures, and channel geomorphology. Major changes in species composition have occurred due to the introduction of numerous nonnative fishes, many of which have thrived due to man - induced changes to the natural riverine system. The current distribution and abundance of the razorback sucker have been significantly reduced throughout the Colorado River system (McAda 1987; McAda and Wydoski 1980; Holden and Stainaker 1975; Minckley I983; Marsh and Minckley 1989; Tyus 1987). The only substantial population of razorback suckers remaining, made up entirely of old adults (McCarthy and Minckley 1987), is found in Lake Mohave; however, they do not appear to be successfully recruiting. While limited numbers of razorback suckers persist in other locations in the Lower Colorado River, they are considered rare or incidental and may be continuing to decline. In the Upper Basin, above Glen Canyon Dam, razorback suckers are found in limited numbers in both lentic and lotic environments. The largest population of razorback suckers in the Upper Basin is found in the upper Green River and lower Yampa River (Tyus 1987). Lanigan and Tyus (1989) estimated that from 758 to 1,138 razorback suckers inhabit the upper Green River. In the Colorado River, most razorback suckers occur in the Grand Valley area near Grand Junction, Colorado; however, they are increasingly rare. Osmundson and Kaeding (1991) report that the number of razorback sucker captures in the Grand Junction area has declined dramatically since 1974. Razorback suckers are in imminent danger of extirpation in the wild. The specific causes of this species' continued decline are largely unknown at this time. As Bestgen (1990) pointed out: "Reasons for decline of most native fishes in the Colorado River Basin have been attributed to habitat loss due to construction of mainstream dams and subsequent interruption or alteration of natural flow and physio - chemical regimes, inundation of river reaches by reservoirs, channelization, water quality degradation, introduction of nonnative fish species and resulting competitive interactions or predation, and other man - induced disturbances