Minutes of the Business Meeting

Chairman's report on the Business Meeting of the Desert Fishes Council

20 November, 1992 1900 hours

Mesa, Arizona

Members present:

Phil Pister - Executive Secretary

Jack Williams - Outgoing Chairman

John Rinne - Chairman elect

and about 60 members in the audience.

A. Treasurer's Report - Phil Pister

31 checks written to date in 1992

Income for the year:

$1,400 in royalties from the "Battle Against Extinction"

$1,500 from each US Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service as per the MOU (below).

$2,000 from the late W.I. Follett

$16,975 is the DFC account balance as of the date of this business meeting.

FAX and photocopy machines were purchased this year for the Council's office.

A $750 contribution to the Council is anticipated to be received soon from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

B. Proceedings Update - Dean Hendrickson

All abstracts will appear in English and Spanish. Translations to Spanish will be provided by the Translation Subcommittee, chaired by Alejandro Varela and officially sponsored the Centro Ecológico de Sonora.

Dean proposed leaving OmniPress to use recycled paper and obtain higher quality through another printer. The membership agreed. Dean will investigate.

Dean will obtain an ISSN number so that contents of the Proceedings might begin to be picked up by abstracting services.

Printed Proceedings will be mailed every year in about March or April of the year after the meeting along with the announcement of that year's meeting.

It was the consensus of the membership present not to publish material which was not presented at the annual meeting.

The Proceedings Committee will formulate a publications policy that will be published in the Proceedings.

A 31 December deadline will apply every year for arrival of abstracts and full papers to the editor.

Dean will continue as Chair of the Proceedings Committee.

C. Miscellaneous items - Phil Pister

1. Bill Berg proposed a membership directory to be published every 5 years in the Proceedings, with annual changes noted every year in the Proceedings. There was general agreement on this, and Bill agreed to produce and maintain the membership list.

2. DFC assisted Trout Unlimited on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposals and listing petitions on Bonnevile cutthroat trout.

3. Goose Lake Fish Committee - Marty Brittan has represented DFC, and many DFC members are represented in agencies involved in this.

4. Landfill near Joshua Tree (see 10/10/92 L.A. Times) is seen as a potential threat to Desert pupfish. The question of whether a Biological Opinion has been completed was asked. DFC will write a letter to Fish and Wildlife Service (Ventura office) to see if written authorization or a Biological Opinion has been completed.

5. Chevron Conservation Award - DFC sent a letter to Chevron questioning conservation biology considerations in the administration of these awards.

6. Patagonia Inc. requested information about DFC.

D. Resolutions

Three resolutions were proposed for approval of the Desert Fishes Council at the business meeting. The first, from the Aquatic Conservation Network, was not approved, as noted below, while the other two were unanimously approved.

Mr. Rob Huntley, of Aquatic Conservation Network, 540 Roosevelt Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2A 1Z8 (tel. 613/729-4670; FAX 613/729-5613; CompuServe 71022,3537; Internet: Rob_at_pinetree.org) proposed the resolution printed below regarding the Aquatic Conservation Network. Considerable discussion ensued, the membership indicated that it was not adequately informed regarding activities of ACN, and this resolution was not approved, but tabled until next year. It was suggested that the ACN provide additional information to the DFC regarding its own membership and mission, and, after doing so, once again propose the same, or modified, resolution at a future business meeting. It was suggested that ACN might make present a paper at next year's meeting regarding their activities. Mr. Huntley agreed, and on Dec. 1, 1992, provided the ACN Statement of Principles, which is also printed below, at his request and with the approval of the Executive Secretary.

Relative to professional/non- professional cooperation in aquatic conservation / Relativo a la cooperación profesional/noprofesional en conservación acuática

KEYWORDS: Aquatic Conservation Network; aquarists; conservation; captive breeding

RESOLUTION (NOT APPROVED BY THE DFC - PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY)

WHEREAS the professional, scientific resources available for the conservation and captive breeding of aquatic organisms are sufficient to respond to only a limited number of aquatic biodiversity issues; and

WHEREAS there is an apparent shift towards financial support of conservation work in the field, leaving captive breeding initiatives insufficiently funded; and

WHEREAS under proper guidance, non- professional aquarists (amateurs and hobby industry) could become a significant adjunct to existing conservation efforts; and

WHEREAS there is a requirement for improved communication between professional and non- professional aquarist activities; and

WHEREAS the Aquatic Conservation Network has established itself as a non- profit corporation representing aquarists who are dedicated to the preservation of aquatic life; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Desert Fishes Council encourages the Aquatic Conservation Network to further enhance the exchange of information pertaining to threatened aquatic organisms and their habitats among professional and non- professional aquarists and fisheries specialists; and be it further

RESOLVED that the Desert Fishes Council supports in principle the initiatives of the Aquatic Conservation Network to advance non- professional aquarist participation in professionally guided programs in aquatic conservation.

RESOLUCION (NO APROBADA POR EL CONSEJO DE LOS PECES DEL DESIERTO)

CONSIDERANDO QUE los recursos profesionales y científicos para la conservación y reproducción en cautiverio de organismos acuáticos son suficientes para responder sólo un limitado número de asuntos de biodiversidad acuática, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE hay un aparente cambio hacia el soporte financiero del trabajo de conservación en el campo, dejando insuficientemente financiadas las iniciativas de reproducción en cautiverio, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE bajo una guía apropiada, los acuarístas noprofesionales (amateurs e industria de la afición) podrían ser un significativa auxilio a los esfuerzos de conservación existentes, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE hay exigencias para mejorar la comunicación entre actividades de acuarístas profesionales y noprofesionales, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE la Red de Conservación Acuática se ha establecido por si misma como una corporación no lucrativa que representa a acuarístas dedicados a la preservación de la vida acuática, y por esto queda

RESUELTO QUE el Consejo de los Peces del Desierto incita a la Red de Conservación Acuática a promover y mejorar el intercambio de información perteneciente a organismos acuáticos amenazados y sus hábitats entre acuarístas profesionales y noprofesionales, y especialistas en pesquerías; y queda además

RESUELTO QUE el Consejo de los Peces del Desierto apoya en principio las iniciativas de la Red de Conservación Acuática para encaminar la participación de acuarístas noprofesionales en programas profesionalmente guiados en la conservación acuática.

Aquatic Conservation Network

Statement of Principles

The Aquatic Conservation Network (ACN) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to conserving and preserving aquatic life, with particular emphasis on freshwater fish species survival. The organization provides a unique communications linkage between scientific, industry and amateur initiatives and publishes a quarterly bulletin "Aquatic Survival". In doing so, the ACN provides a single forum through which amateur and professional aquarists can share information and expertise, and where concerns regarding amateur and industry programs can be identified and addressed. Further, the ACN offers increased opportunity for the development of joint ventures between private individuals and the scientific community.

By working closely with technical and legal advisors, the ACN aims to develop professionally endorsed programs in species maintenance and conservation breeding; foster appropriate participation by private individuals; establish codes of appropriate behaviour; and make every effort to ensure that participating members operate in compliance with national and other regulatory processes and legal restrictions. The ACN is seeking to establish affiliations and consultative processes with scientific, industry and amateur groups in order to successfully carry out this mandate.

THE FOLLOWING TWO RESOLUTIONS WERE PASSED UNANIMOUSLY BY A VOTE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE BUSINESS MEETING

Resolution of the Desert Fishes Council, 1992-1: Relative to protection of inland freshwater fishes of the Los Angeles Basin / Resolución del Consejo de los Peces del Desierto, 1992-1: Relativo a la protección de los peces dulceacuícolas continentales de la Cuenca de Los Angeles

KEYWORDS: California; Los Angeles basin; San Gabriel River; Santa Ana River; management; habitat restoration

RESOLUTION - PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

WHEREAS seven species of inland freshwater fishes inhabited the Los Angeles Basin (Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and Santa Ana rivers, in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Riverside) until the late 1940s, whereupon four were extirpated, primarily coinciding with the completion of the major flood control projects in the basin; and

WHEREAS four taxa remain in extralimital areas: steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), Pacific brook lamprey (Lampetra pacifica), and the endangered unarmored threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus williamsoni); and

WHEREAS the three remaining cyprinoids, arroyo chub (Gila orcutti), speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus ssp.), and Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus santaanae), all endemic to the area, maintained themselves in all three river drainages until the late 1980s; and

WHEREAS despite continued development of the basin, only slight restriction of the habitat occurred until the mid- 1980s; and

WHEREAS the 1986- 1991 drought severely restricted their habitat and precipitated other human activities that eliminated many populations such that only the combined east, north, and west forks of the San Gabriel River hold large, stable populations that are not in immediate danger of extirpation; and

WHEREAS only two or three small, remnant populations of arroyo chub remain in the Los Angeles River, and widely scattered remnant populations of all three species exist in the Santa Ana River; and

WHEREAS the California Department of Fish and Game has designated all three taxa as species of special concern, providing an element of protection; and

WHEREAS the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1985 outlined the plan for recovery of these taxa in the revised recovery plan for the endangered unarmored threespine stickleback; and

WHEREAS given the plethora of agencies with designs that will continue to impinge on the Los Angeles Basin, all three species are in danger of being completely extirpated in their native range; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Desert Fishes Council, an international society dedicated to the protection of desert aquatic biota, urges the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the County of Los Angeles to immediately implement protective measures to preserve what remains of the endemic freshwater fish fauna, as well as restoring portions of the Los Angeles and Santa Ana river drainages for re- establishment of stable populations of native fishes.

RESOLUCION - APROBADA POR UNANIMIDAD

CONSIDERANDO QUE siete especies de peces dulceacuícolas continentales habitaron la Cuenca de Los Angeles (Río Los Angeles, San Gabriel y Santa Ana, en los condados de Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Riverside) hasta los últimos de 1940, donde cerca de cuatro fueron extirpadas, primariamente coincidiendo con la terminación de los proyectos de control de flujo mayor en la cuenca, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE cuatro taxa permanecen en áreas extralimite: cara de acero (Oncorhynchus mykiss), lamprea del Pacífico (Lampetra tridentata), lamprea de arroyo del Pacífico (Lampetra pacifica) y el en peligro espinocho desarmado (Gasterosteus aculeatus williamsoni); y

CONSIDERANDO QUE los tres ciprinoideos restantes, charalito de arroyo (Gila orcutti); charalito moteado (Rhinichthys osculus ssp.) y el matalote de Santa Ana (Catostomus santaanae), todos endémicos al área, manteniéndose ellos mismos en las tres cuencas hasta los últimos de 1980, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE a pesar del continuo desarrollo en la cuenca, sólo pequeñas restricciones del hábitat han ocurrido hasta mediados de 1980, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE la sequía de 1986-1991 restringió severamente su hábitat y precipitaron otras actividades humanas que eliminaron muchas poblaciones tal que sólo las bifurcaciones este, norte y oeste del Río San Gabriel mantienen poblaciones grandes y estables que no están en inmediato peligro de extirpación; y

CONSIDERANDO QUE sólo dos o tres pequeñas poblaciones remanentes del charal de arroyo permanecen en el Río los Angeles, y que poblaciones remanentes ampliamente dispersas de las tres especies existen en el Río Santa Ana, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE el Departamento de California de Pesca y Caza ha designado las tres taxa como especies de concepción especial, proveyendo un elemento de protección; y

CONSIDERANDO QUE el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos delineó el plan para recuperación de estos taxa en el plan de recuperación revisado para el peligro espinocho desarmado; y

CONSIDERANDO QUE dada la plétora de agencias con diseños que continúan tropezando en la Cuenca de Los Angeles, las tres especies están en peligro de estar completamente extirpadas en su rango nativo; y por esto queda

RESUELTO QUE el Consejo de los Peces del Desierto, una sociedad internacional dedicada a la protección de la biota acuática del desierto, apremia al Departamento de California de Pesca y Caza, El Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos, al Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos y al Condado de Los Angeles a implementar inmediatamente medidas de protección los remanentes de la ictiofauna dulceacuícola endémica, así como restaurar porciones de las Cuenca de los Ríos Los Angeles y Santa Ana para el restablecimiento de poblaciones estables de peces nativos.

Copies of DFC Resolution 1992-1 were sent to the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the county of Los Angeles.

Resolution of the Desert Fishes Council, 1992-2: Relative to translation of abstracts for the Proceedings by the Centro Ecológico de Sonora / Resolución del Consejo de los Peces del Desierto, 1992-2: Relativo a la traducción de resúmenes para las Memorias por el Centro Ecológico de Sonora

KEYWORDS: Proceedings of the Desert Fishes Council; México; Centro Ecológico de Sonora; translations; Spanish language

RESOLUTION - PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

WHEREAS the Desert Fishes Council is an international, professional organization of biologists interested in the conservation of aquatic resources of desert ecosystems, and

WHEREAS a large part of the deserts of North America is in México, and

WHEREAS many members of the Desert Fishes Council reside and work in México and other Spanish-speaking countries, and

WHEREAS the mission of the Desert Fishes Council, "to preserve the biological integrity of North America's desert aquatic ecosystems and their associated life forms, to hold symposia to report related research and management endeavors, and to effect rapid dissemination of information concerning activities of the Council and its members," clearly is best served by bilingual publication of its Proceedings; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Desert Fishes Council heartily thanks the Centro Ecológico de Sonora for its institutional-level assistance in coordinating the establishment and long-term administration of a translations subcommittee to assure that Spanish translations of all abstracts submitted to the Proceedings of the Desert Fishes Council are provided to the editor.

RESOLUCION - APROBADA POR UNANIMIDAD

CONSIDERANDO QUE el Consejo de los Peces del Desierto es una organización internacional y profesional de biólogos interesados en la conservación de recursos acuáticos de los ecosistemas del desierto, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE una gran parte de los desiertos de Norte América están en México, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE muchos miembros del Consejo de los Peces del Desierto residen y trabajan en México y otros países hispano-hablántes, y

CONSIDERANDO QUE la misión del Consejo de los Peces del Desierto, "preservar la integridad biológica de los ecosistemas acuáticos del desierto de Norte América y sus formas de vida asociadas, mantener un simposio para reportar estudios y esfuerzos relacionados al manejo, efectuar diseminación rápida de la información concerniente a actividades del Consejo y sus miembros" claramente es mejor servido por una publicación bilingüe de sus miembros; por lo tanto queda

RESUELTO QUE el Consejo de los Peces del Desierto agradece al Centro Ecológico de Sonora su asistencia a nivel institucional en la coordinación del establecimiento y administración a largo plazo del subcomité de traducciones para asegurar que las traducciones al Español de todos los abstracts sometidos a las memorias del Consejo de los Peces del Desierto sean proveídas al editor.

A copy of DFC Resolution 1992-2 was sent to the Dr. Samuel Ocaña, Director, Centro Ecológico de Sonora.

E. BLM/FS/DFC Memorandum of Understanding - Jerry Stefferud

A committee was established to investigate implementation procedures. On their committee, which will send recommendations to Phil Pister within 6 months are: Jerry Stefferud, Tina Tharalson, Tom Cain, Jack Williams, John Rinne, Jeff Simms, Roy Masinton and Cindy Deacon Williams.

F. Monitoring Committee - Jim Johnson

A committee was formed to investigate methods for monitoring fish populations. Jim Heinrich, Jack Williams, Salvador Contreras, Don Sada, John Rinne, Jim Johnson, Gail Kobetich, Paul Marsh and Steve Platania volunteered to serve on this committee.

G. Phoenix Zoo Award - W. L. Minckley

The Phoenix Zoo has proposed an award honoring the outstanding efforts of an individual in the field of desert fish conservation. W. L. Minckley will draft a letter for Phil in support of this award and offer the assistance of Desert Fishes Council in selecting the individual.

H. Program Committee - Phil Pister

Mike Douglas, Paul Marsh, Salvador Contreras (or anyone he might designate), Nadine Kanim, and Owen Gorman volunteered to serve on this committee to coordinate agency presentations, prepare the announcements of upcoming meetings, set deadlines for receipt of abstracts, assist those unable to provide electronic versions of abstracts, and schedule all paper presentations for all meetings. The committee will work with the Proceedings Committee.

I. Lake Havasu Fish Project - Chuck Minckley

Chuck Minckley will draft a letter and send it to Jack and Phil requesting that a native fish component be an integral part of this project.

J. Resolutions Committee

Walter Courtenay Jr. will continue as chair of this committee.

K. 1993 meeting

Salvador Contreras nominated Monterrey as the site, and the membership in attendance unanimously agreed. The 1993 meeting will be held at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, México.

L. Winner of the Hubbs Best Student Paper Award

The winner of this year's Carl L. Hubbs Best Student Paper award was Chris Altenbach of the Ichthyofaunal Studies Program, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico. There were no competitors for the Frances H. Miller award this year. The award was made immediately prior to adjournment of the general meeting, not at the Business meeting.

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