Recovery of upper Colorado River basin fish: Hatcheries and stocking, part 1

Recovery of upper Colorado River basin fish (Continued)

Hatcheries and stocking

Hatchery facilities and ponds for raising endangered fish now are available in five different sites in Utah and Colorado. Each of these facilities was established to meet specific objectives necessary to recover endangered Colorado River fish. They all follow these guidelines for raising the fish:

To increase the likelihood that the hatchery-raised endangered fish will survive and successfully reproduce in the wild, scientists are working to raise fish whose behavior and genetic background closely match that of wild fish.
Whenever possible, the adult fish used as "brood stock" have come directly from the wild.
When producing offspring, a large number of adult fish are bred. This technique maintains the genetic diversity - and hopefully adaptability - of the young.
"Refuge" ponds are being used to maintain endangered fish from a variety of rivers, providing insurance against extinction from a catastrophic event, such as an oil or chemical spill in the river.

Before this Recovery Program existed, thousands of endangered Colorado River fish were stocked in the upper and lower Colorado River basins, but most did not survive. Biologists believe that the lack of sufficient wetland areas and slow-moving "backwaters" decreased the fishes' ability to survive and reproduce. Also, many of the hatchery fish were offspring of a small number of adult parents and, as such, had very limited genetic diversity.

The strategies listed above are aimed at boosting survival of hatchery-raised endangered fish that are stocked in the wild.

Accomplishments

Stocking of endangered fish:

Table of fish stocked (PDF)
Stocking efforts have increased with hatcheries raising greater numbers of fish, including 10,000 bonytails reintroduced for the first time in Colorado in July.
Public agencies and private citizens have stepped forward in Utah's Uintah Basin and Colorado's Grand Valley to provide ponds in which to raise endangered fish until they can be returned to the wild.

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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