Rare and native fishes of the upper Colorado River Basin
M. Tildon Jones
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, USFWS
The upper Colorado River basin is home to several species of native fish found nowhere else on Earth, and four of these fish are currently listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. I will introduce the bonytail, Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, and razorback sucker and describe their unique traits as well as the habitats they need within our region. We will also explore the threats to these species, which include changes to river flows, water withdrawals, habitat loss and fragmentation, and nonnative fish species. The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program is comprised of a variety of partners who carry out recovery actions throughout the upper basin. I will describe the Program’s role in recovering these distinctive fish, which involves instream flow management, fish passages and habitat restoration, nonnative fish control, native fish stocking, outreach, and monitoring.