Recovery of upper Colorado River basin fish (Continued)

The Endangered Species Act

The Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, bonytail and humpback chub are all protected under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program). In March 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 1,980 miles river as "critical habitat" for these four species of fish in portions of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. These areas are located primarily on federal land and to a lesser extent, on tribal, state and private lands.

Recognizing the importance of preserving a diversity of wildlife species, Congress set the course for a new direction in wildlife conservation with passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the most far-reaching law ever enacted by any nation for the preservation of endangered species.

The Endangered Species Act also provides a framework for the federal government, states, conservation organizations, individual citizens, businesses, industries and foreign governments to work together to conserve endangered wildlife and plants worldwide.

The goal of the Endangered Species Act is the recovery of listed species to levels where protection under the act is no longer necessary.

As of October 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had listed 1,234 species (498 animals and 736 plants) as endangered or threatened in the United States. Worldwide, the number of listed animal and plant species totals 1,792. (An "endangered" species is one that is in danger of extinction. A "threatened" species is one likely to become endangered.) About 75 percent of listed species have either final or draft recovery plans in place.

As reported in the 1994 Report to Congress, over 41 percent of listed species are stable or improving. Other results are that 99 percent of all listed species still exist today, and seven species were recognized as extinct after having been listed. Only 35 percent of listed species are continuing to decline, and many of these are recently listed species for which recovery programs have not yet had time to work. (Continued)

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Endangered Colorado River basin fish Historical perspective on these fish Why these fish are endangered Upper Colorado River Recovery Program Improving habitat for the fish
Conducting research Protecting stream flows Managing non-native fish Hatcheries and stocking Back to Home Page