Upper Colorado Basin Area Report

Authors: Paul Badame

Year: 2018

Abstract

Activities continue in an effort to improve the status of many native fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin. These activities are guided principally by four programs: the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program, the Range-wide Conservation Agreement for the Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus, and the Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for the “Three Species” (Roundtail Chub, Gila robusta, Bluehead Sucker, Catostomus discobolus, and Flannelmouth Sucker, C. latipinnis). The two recovery programs, which collectively work towards the recovery of Colorado Pikeminnow, Ptychocheilus lucius, Razorback Sucker, Xyrauchen texanus, Bonytail, Gila elegans, and Humpback Chub, Gila cypha, use the protection of in-stream flow, habitat restoration, nonnative fish control, propagation, life history monitoring, and information and education to bring benefits to the four “big river fishes.” Both Humpback Chub and Razorback Sucker have been recommended for downlisting in the last year. Tasks to assist the species under Conservation Agreements included multiple remote sensing projects in tributaries throughout the basin; tamarisk control and watershed habitat restoration efforts are occurring; distribution and density monitoring throughout their ranges; and renovation of trout streams and reintroduction of the Colorado River Cutthroat Trout continue in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.