Nonnative Fish Control and Endangered Fish Recovery: Lessons from the Colorado River

Abstract.—Floodplains are presumed to be important rearing habitat for the endangered razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus. In an effort to recover this endemic Colorado River basin species, the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program developed a floodplain acquisition and enhancement program. A levee removal study was initiated in 1996 as one component of this floodplain restoration program. The goal of the Levee Removal Study was to evaluate the system responses to levee removal and make specific recommendations concerning the value of floodplain reconnection for endangered species (specifically razorback sucker) recovery. However, because there were very few razorback suckers in the Green River, answers to several important questions pertaining to razorback sucker utilization of the floodplain were not answered during this initial study. In an effort to answer some of these questions, age-1 and larval razorback suckers were stocked into depression floodplain wetland habitats along the Middle Green River in northeastern Utah. Age-1 razorback suckers were stocked during the spring of 1999 and 2000 into The Stirrup (river kilometer [Rkm] 444.0), Baeser Bend (Rkm 439.3), and Brennan (Rkm 432.0) wetland sites. Larval razorback suckers were stocked during the spring of 1999 into The Strirrup and into Baeser Bend during 2001. At the time of stocking, each floodplain site was occupied by numerous nonnative fish, including black bullhead catfish Ictalurus melas, fathead minnow Pimephales promelas, green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, and common carp Cyprinus carpio. The goal of this study was to test if floodplain depressions will aid in the recovery of razorback suckers.

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An experiment to control nonnative fish in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Fact Sheet ◽

10.3133/fs20113093 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Lewis G. Coggins, ◽

Michael D. Yard

Keyword(s):

Colorado River ◽

Grand Canyon ◽

Nonnative Fish

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Resilient Organizations for River Restoration: The Case of Two Colorado River Sub-Basin Recovery Programs

Frontiers in Water ◽

10.3389/frwa.2021.733117 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Jaishri Srinivasan ◽

Theresa E. Lorenzo ◽

Michael L. Schoon ◽

Dave D. White

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

River Restoration ◽

Colorado River ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Organizational Response ◽

Endangered Fish ◽

Recovery Programs ◽

Adaptive Capabilities ◽

Recovery Program ◽

Resilience Capabilities

This study characterizes the resilience of organizations undertaking river basin governance and recovery. The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (UCREFRP) and the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR-MSCP) are defined in this study as polycentric organizations nested within larger institutional mechanisms governing the Colorado River Basin. This study utilizes an environmental disturbance-organizational response framework to characterize organizational resilience—and uses attitudinal diversity (characterized by attitudes toward agendas) as the measurable metric. Environmental disturbances are defined as either press or pulse and categorized as either institutional or biophysical in nature. Four types of attitudinal diversity metrics are utilized—supportive, clarifying, conditional, and critical. Results indicate that institutional press and pulse events generated anticipatory resilience capabilities along with some adaptive capabilities for the organizations. However, the biophysical press and pulse events only reveal coping capabilities and very little adaptive capabilities. With the recent Colorado River shortage declaration, it is critical for the programs to build anticipatory as well as adaptive capabilities for optimal response to biophysical press events.

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Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas ◽

10.47886/9781888569728.ch9 ◽

2005 ◽

Keyword(s):

New Mexico ◽

Native Species ◽

Colorado River ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Large River ◽

Main Stem ◽

Past Century ◽

The West ◽

Gila River ◽

Nonnative Fish

Abstract.—The Gila River originates in southwestern New Mexico and courses its way for over 700 km to the west before emptying into the main-stem Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona. Historically, this river was a major watercourse across the Sonora Desert of Arizona. At present, main-stem dams and numerous diversions have markedly altered the historic hydrology of the river. Seventeen native species once occupied the main stem of this large southwest desert river. More than twice that number (40) of nonnative fish species have been introduced into the waters of the Gila over the past century. Currently, less than half of the native fauna is present in the main stem and then primarily in the upper three reaches of the river. The majority of the species (70%) are federally listed as threatened, endangered, or sensitive. The combination of hydrological alteration and accompanying introductions of nonnative, principally sport fishes has basically extirpated the native fauna in all but the uppermost reaches of the Gila River main stem.

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