Preliminary results of radio-telemetry of razorback suckers in the Colorado River, Western Grand Canyon

Authors: Zimmerman, B., Leibfried, W.

Year: 1997 (xxix)

Abstract

In May 1997 fifteen razorback suckers (Xyrauchen texanus) implanted with radio transmitters were released at three locations below Diamond Creek (RM 225) in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. These fish were reared at the FWS Willow Beach facility where they were surgically implanted with 11-gram ATM transmitters. They were then flown by helicopter to Spencer Creek where they were acclimated to ambient river temperatures. Three lots of five fish each were released in the mainstem Colorado River at Separation Canyon, Spencer Creek, and Quartermaster Canyon. All fish were monitored for several days after release and then weekly to determine habitat use and movements. All locations were recorded on Mylar overlays of aerial photographs and entered into a GIS database. Fish held in their original locations for several weeks and then gradually moved toward Lake Mead. Several fish remained in the river and one fish remained in a flooded tributary mouth. Information from this telemetry study will be evaluated to determine if further translocation of razorbacks can be used in recovery of the species in the Grand Canyon. Resultados preliminares de radiotelemetría del matalote jorobado en el Río Colorado, en el oeste del Gran Cañon

Resumen

En mayo de 1997 se soltaron en tres localidades de la quebrada Diamond (RM 225) en el río Colorado en Grand Canyon quince matalotes jorobados ( Xyrauchen texanus) con radio transmisores implantados. Estos peces fueron criados en la Planta de FWS Willow Beach donde se les implantaron mediante cirugía transmisores de 11 gr ATM. Luego estos fueron soltados desde helicóptero en la quebrada Spencer donde se aclimataron a temperatura ambiente ribereña. Tres grupos, de cinco peces cada uno, fueron soltados en la corriente principal del río Colorado en la separación de Cañón, quebrada Spence y cañón Quartermaster. Todos estos peces fueron inspeccionados por varios días después de haber sido soltados, luego semanalmente para determinar el uso del hábitat y sus movimientos. Todas las localidades fueron anotadas en sobreimposiciones Mylar de fotografías aéreas y colocadas en una base de datos de GIS. Los peces permanecieron en sus localidades originales por varias semanas y luego se movieron gradualmente hacia el lago Mead. Varios peces permanecieron en el río y un pez permaneció en la boca del flujo de un tributario. La información de este estudio de telemetría será evaluada para determinar si las traslocaciones de matalotes jorobados pueden ser usados en la recuperación de especies en el Gran Cañón.

MINUTES OF THE BUSINESS MEETING / MINUTAS DE LA REUNION DE NEGOCIOS Executive Secretary Phil Pister called the Business Meeting to order at 16:00. The financial status of DFC remains good with an anticipated year-end balance of approximately $9,000. Phil will write a letter of commendation to the Japanese producers of the Cuatro Ciénegas production. Cindy Deacon-Williams reviewed the status of the Pacific Rivers Council -Desert Fishes Council Project. This will be a status review of all western fishes and the integrity of their watersheds. The American Fisheries Society will publish it in a special issue in Fall 1998. It will be organized geographically and the data base will be available for other uses as well. Chairman Mike Douglas reminded members that we will strictly adhere to the September 1 st deadline for abstracts for the 1998 meeting. As usual, presenters must be DFC members and must have pre-registered for the meeting. Late registration will be double the pre-registration price. Membership applications will be included in the Proceedings. Proceedings Editor Gary Garrett encouraged all presenters to consider submitting an abstract for publication in the Proceedings of the Desert Fishes Council. Deadline for receipts of manuscripts is February 1 st, by e-mail. This will allow two months for peer review. Leo Lentsch is head of the local committee for the 1998 meeting. It will be at Wahweap Lodge on Lake Powell. Rooms will be $45 per night. The meeting will take place during the 2 nd week of November and will feature a Grand Canyon symposium. A resolution on the use of spring water at Death Valley National Park was passed without dissenting vote. David Propst presented the 1997 student paper awards. The winner of the Carl L. Hubbs Best Student Paper award was Timothy Kim (Arizona State University) for his paper entitled “Resistance to exotic parasites in Gila topminnows” and the winner of the Frances H. Miller award for a paper by a Latin American student went to Angélica Daza (Instituto de Biología, UNAM) for her paper entitled “Morphological variation within Poecilia mexicana / Variación morfológica en Poecilia mexicana”. Francisco García de León offered Ciudad Victoria as an alternate site for the next meeting in Mexico in the event that things do not work out for Hermosillo. The membership voted unanimously to accept the offer. RESOLUTIONS / RESOLUCIONES RESOLUTION 97-1 - RELATIVE TO THE USE OF SPRING WATER TO SUPPORT VISITOR AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES IN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK WHEREAS, many of the springs in Death Valley National Park support unique and significant plant and animal species; and WHEREAS, all of these species are deserving of the same recognition and status as afforded to the Devils Hole pupfish; and WHEREAS, most of the larger springs in the vicinity of Scotty’s Castle, Cow Creek, and Furnace Creek were developed as domestic water supplies without adequate consideration of the environmental costs of such development; and WHEREAS, any waste of water from these diversion points will jeopardize the National Park Service’s ability to successfully challenge water rights applications filed outside the park boundary; and WHEREAS, the National Park Service has the discretion to reduce the amount of water currently being furnished to the private inholding known as the Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch; and

WHEREAS, Death Valley National Park has historically played a leadership role in preserving and protecting biological resource values at Devils Hole; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Desert Fishes Council, an international society composed of professionals from academic, government, and private organizations and private individuals, at its 1997 annual meeting, held in Death Valley, California, November 20-23, strongly recommends that the National Park Service implement measures to conserve the water being diverted from springs within the park boundary; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Death Valley National Park develop interpretive materials designed to educate the public about water dependent resources and how they can help to conserve water during their park visit; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the delivery of water to the Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort be reduced by a average annual amount of 130,000,000 gallons so that the total amount of water that they receive is limited to their legal water right entitlement; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that water delivery systems be retrofitted as necessary to place conserved water back into the environment at the point of diversion in order to maintain the natural plant and animal communities in the best traditions of the National Park Service. PASSED WITHOUT DISSENTING VOTE

HISTORY OF OFFICERS OF THE DESERT FISHES COUNCIL / HISTORIA DE OFICIALES DEL CONSEJO DE PECES DEL DESIERTO The History of officers of the Desert Fishes Council has never been published. With the intent of documenting this history, the Executive Committee compiled the document published here and on the DFC website (http://www.utexas.edu/depts/tnhc/.www/fish/dfc/). Chairperson Elected Assumed office Phil Pister 1969 1969 J.A. St. Amant 1971 1972 Robert Rush Miller 1973 1974 James E. Deacon 1975 1976 Peter G. Sanchez 1977 1978 James E. Johnson 1979 1980 Salvador Contreras-B. 1981 1982 W.L. Minckley 1983 1984 Gail C. Kobetich 1985 1986 Paul B. Holden 1987 1988 Jack E. Williams 1989 1990 John Rinne 1991 1992 Dean Hendrickson 1993 1994 Michael Douglas 1995 1996 Gary Garrett 1997 1998 Initiation of term Termination of term Executive Secretary Phil Pister 1969 Proceedings Editor Phil Pister 1969 1989 Dean Hendrickson 1990 1994 Gary Garrett 1995 1996 Dean Hendrickson & Gary Garrett 1997 1998 Dean Hendrickson 1999 Program Secretary Michael E. Douglas 1995 Membership Secretary Paul C. Marsh 1995 Area Coordinator Committee Chair Nadine Kanim 1995

AREA REPORT COORDINATORS / COORDINADORES DE REPORTES DE AREAS The following persons are responsible for coordinating agency and other input to reports presented on activities in each area during the year between meetings of the DFC. Contact them if you have information you would like to have included in Area Reports at the annual meetings. Oregon: Rollie White, U.S.F.W.S., Oregon State Office 2600 S.E. 98 th Avenue, Suite 100, Portland, OR 97266 Phone: (503) 231-6179, FAX: (503) 231-6195, Email: rollie_white@mail.fws.gov Northern California (north of the Tehachapi Mountains, exclusive of the east side of the Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe): Kristiana Young, U.S.F.W.S., California State Office 2800 Cottage Way, Rm. E-1803, Sacramento, CA 95825 Phone (916) 979-2749, FAX: (916) 979-2723, Email: kristiana_young@mail.fws.gov Southern California (south of the Tehachapi Mountains and the east side of the Sierra Nevada to Lake Tahoe): Darrell Wong, California Department of Fish and Game 407 W. Line Street, Bishop, CA 93514 Phone: (619) 872-1128, FAX: (619) 872-1284, Email: 70752.3421@CompuServe.com Northern Nevada (North of Tonopah, except for the White River Drainage): Donna Withers, U.S.F.W.S., Nevada State Office 4600 Kietzke lane, Bldg. C, Room 125, Reno, NV 89502 Phone: (702) 784-5227, FAX: (702) 784-5870, Email: donna_withers@mail.fws.gov Southern Nevada (including Ash Meadows): Jim Heinrich, Nevada Department of Wildlife, State Mailroom, Las Vegas, NV 89158 Phone: (702) 486-5182, FAX: (702) 486-5133 Bonneville Basin (northern Utah and southern Idaho): Paul Holden, Bio/West Inc., 1063 West 1400 North, Logan, UT 84321 Phone:(801) 752-4202, FAX: (801) 752-0507, Email: pholden@bio-west.com Upper Colorado River (upstream of Glen Canyon Dam, including Green, Gunnison, Dolores, and San Juan rivers): Frank Pfeifer, U.S.F.W.S., Colorado River Fishery Project 764 Horizon Drive, South Annex A, Grand Junction, CO 81506 Phone: (970) 245-9319, FAX: (970) 245-6933, Email: R6FFA_GRJ@mail.fws.gov Lower Colorado River (including Little Colorado, Virgin, Bill Williams, and Gila rivers): Chuck Minckley, U.S.F.W.S. Parker Fishery Resource Office 60911 Highway 95, Parker, AZ 85344 Phone: (520) 667-4144, FAX: (520) 667-4015, Email: R2FFA-PRKR@=2AL~MAIN Texas: Gary Garrett, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, HOH Research Station HC 7, Box 62, Ingram, TX 78025 Phone: (210) 866-3356, FAX: (210) 866-3549, Email: gpg@ktc.com New Mexico: David L. Propst, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish P.O. Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504 Phone: (505) 827-9906, FAX: (505) 827-9956, E-mail: d_propst@gmfsh.state.nm.us Northwestern Mexico: Alejandro Varela, Universidad de Sonora, CICTUS - Centro de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnologicas, A.P. 1819, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, Phone: [011] (52) 62 12 19 95, FAX: [011] (52) 62 12 32 71, E-mail: avarela@guay acan.uson.mx Northeastern Mexico: Salvador Contreras-Balderas, A.P. 504, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon, Mexico 66450, Phone: [011] (52) (8) 376-22-31; Home: [011] (52) (8) 313-16-41; Email:scontrer@ccr.dsi.uanl.mx Baja California: Gorgonio Ruiz-Campos, Universidad Autonoma de Baja, California, Ensenada, Mexico; P.O. Box 189003-064, Coronado, CA 92178, Phone/FAX: (617)44560, Email: gruiz@bahia.ens.uabc.mx