Three native western slope fish are the subject of ongoing research by CPW aquatic biologists to determine why they appear to be struggling.
The flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, and boundtail chub comprise the so-called “Three Species,” not to be confused with the four federally endangered fish of Colorado River Basin. Dropping population trends in recent years for the “Three” are cause for concern.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is ramping up research to answer some of the basic questions about the biology of these fish, such as where they spawn, where they rear young and whether competition with non-native white suckers is impacting their populations.
This fall, Jim White, aquatic biologist in Area 15 in Durango, led a crew that found these three fish in the Mancos River on Ute Mountain Ute tribal land in southwest Colorado.
Paul Jones, a native aquatic species biologist from Gunnison, and Kevin Thompson, a native three-species aquatic researcher out of Montrose, assisted with the project.
Bonytail Workouts Paying Dividends
Researchers looking for ways to improve success rates for captive-reared bonytail, one of four endangered Colorado River fish, may have hit on a promising technique – fish workouts.
Recently collected data indicate that several “flow-conditioned” endangered bonytail have survived reintroduction to their natural habitat through Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.
Four years ago, hatchery managers began forcing young bonytail to swim against an artificially created flow inside their tanks in the hopes that it would help them survive the transition to fast-moving waters of their natural environment.
Monitoring this year showed that more than two dozen hatchery bonytail, each equipped with a PIT tag, were moving up and down the main stem of the Colorado River, which managers hope is a sign that the fishy workouts are paying off.