Difference between revisions of "Humpback Chub Page"
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Humpback chub numbers at the Little Colorado River appear to be stable. Humpback chub numbers in Western Grand Canyon are at an all-time high and numbers are increasing in upstream reaches (up to RM 180-200). | Humpback chub numbers at the Little Colorado River appear to be stable. Humpback chub numbers in Western Grand Canyon are at an all-time high and numbers are increasing in upstream reaches (up to RM 180-200). | ||
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[[File:Hbc_2024WGC.png|center|500px]] | [[File:Hbc_2024WGC.png|center|500px]] | ||
There are between 50,000 and 120,000 adult humpback chub in Western Grand Canyon (2025 Annual Reporting Meeting). | There are between 50,000 and 120,000 adult humpback chub in Western Grand Canyon (2025 Annual Reporting Meeting). | ||
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[[File:HBCnumbers.png|center|500px]] | [[File:HBCnumbers.png|center|500px]] | ||
| − | Most humpback chub are found in Grand Canyon. Populations in the upper basin are considered stable with the exception of the Yampa River population which disappeared in the early 2000's. | + | Most humpback chub are found in Grand Canyon. Populations in the upper basin are considered stable with the exception of the Yampa River population which disappeared in the early 2000's. |
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| + | ! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;"> What led to the decline and exterpation of the humpback chub population at the Green/Yampa River confluence? </h2> | ||
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| + | [https://coloradoriverrecovery.org/uc/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/TechnicalReport-PROP-Valdez-2021.pdf Reintroducing Humpback Chub in Dinosaur National Monument]<br> | ||
| + | A White Paper <br> | ||
| + | Approved by Biology Committee: July 14, 2021 <br> | ||
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| + | Page 4: The need to restore the DNM population was identified in the Humpback Chub SSA (USFWS 2018), and was considered in the Federal Register proposed rule to reclassify the species (85 FR 3586, January 22, 2020): “By 1998, humpback chub were absent or rare in habitats where the species was likely common in the 1940s (Tyus 1998, p. 192), and '''the decline in the Dinosaur National Monument population likely was the result of the construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam. Humpback chub in the Green River portion of the Dinosaur National Monument population were negatively affected by the cold releases from the Flaming Gorge Dam starting in 1963, and the Yampa River portion was negatively affected by low river flows, especially in the early 2000s.''' Operational changes since 2006 at Flaming Gorge Dam have improved the water temperature and flow conditions in the Green River, and releases from Elkhead Reservoir since 2006 support improved flow conditions in the Yampa River. Furthermore, the rocky canyon habitats that the humpback chub rely on in Dinosaur National Monument are still present. Although management actions have improved resource conditions in Dinosaur National Monument, immigration from other humpback chub populations is too low for the species to recolonize naturally, and the population is considered extirpated. Because habitats could potentially support a population, the Upper Basin Recovery Program is considering translocation or stocking to restore humpback chub to Dinosaur National Monument. Dinosaur National Monument may now have suitable resource conditions to support a re-establishment effort.” | ||
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| + | Page 7: The cause(s) for the decline and functional extirpation of the humpback chub in the Yampa River is unclear. The last few specimens were observed at a time when river discharge was exceedingly low, with a concurrent proliferation of smallmouth bass (Haines and Modde 2007). In August of 2002, the lowest daily flow in 100 years occurred for the Yampa River at 1.8 cfs near Maybell; a flow of 2 cfs had previously been recorded in 1934. '''It is believed that the low flow of 2002 was the stressor that eliminated an already declining population of humpback chub in the Yampa River.''' Possible reasons for decline are the compounded effects of low flow and nonnative predaceous and competing fishes, including channel catfish and smallmouth bass, '''although other native fish species have persisted, including the roundtail chub (Smith 2019).''' | ||
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If immigration rate of predators into JCM reach is high, mechanical removal may need to continue. These triggers are intended to be adaptive based on ongoing and future research (e.g., Lees Ferry recruitment and emigration dynamics, effects of trout suppression flows, effects of Paria River turbidity inputs on predator survival and immigration rates, interactions between humpback chub and rainbow trout, other predation studies). | If immigration rate of predators into JCM reach is high, mechanical removal may need to continue. These triggers are intended to be adaptive based on ongoing and future research (e.g., Lees Ferry recruitment and emigration dynamics, effects of trout suppression flows, effects of Paria River turbidity inputs on predator survival and immigration rates, interactions between humpback chub and rainbow trout, other predation studies). | ||
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Revision as of 11:09, 10 November 2025
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DescriptionThe humpback chub (Gila cypha) is an endangered, native endemic of the Colorado River that evolved around 3-5 million years ago. The pronounced hump behind its head gives this fish a striking, unusual appearance. It has an olive-colored back, silver sides, a white belly, small eyes and a long snout that overhangs its jaw. Like the Colorado pikeminnow and bonytail, the humpback chub is a member of the minnow family. The humpback chub is a relatively small fish by most standards – its maximum size is about 20 inches and 2.5 pounds. By minnow standards it is a big fish, though not like the giant of all minnows – the Colorado pikeminnow. Humpback chub can survive more than 30 years in the wild. It can spawn as young as 2 to 3 years of age during its March through July spawning season. Although the humpback chub does not have the swimming speed or strength of the Colorado pikeminnow, its body is uniquely formed to help it survive in its whitewater habitat. The hump that gives this fish its name acts as a stabilizer and a hydrodynamic foil that helps it maintain position and also probably helped it escape predation by making it difficult to be swallowed by all but the largest pikeminnow. The humpback chub uses its large fins to “glide” in eddy complexes, feeding on insects that become trapped in pockets of slow-moving water. [1] Status and distribution
The humpback chub was listed as endangered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1967 and given full protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Historically, humpback chub were probably limited to the eddy complexes of several canyon reaches of the Colorado River and three of its tributaries: the Green and Yampa rivers in Colorado and Utah, and the Little Colorado River in Arizona. The species was first described in 1946. Before that time, few people ventured into these treacherous canyons – including fishery biologists. Today, five self-sustaining populations of humpback chub occur in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Two to three thousand adults can occur in the Black Rocks and Westwater Canyon core population in the Colorado River near the Colorado/Utah border. Several hundred to more than 1,000 adults may occur in the Desolation/Gray Canyon core population in the Green River. Populations in Yampa and Cataract canyons are small, each consisting of up to a few hundred adults. The largest population of humpback chub is found in the Grand Canyon -- primarily in the Little Colorado River (LCR) and its confluence with the main stem Colorado River. In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey announced that this population increased by about 50 percent from 2001 to 2008 to between 6,000 and 10,000 adults. [2] The 2018 5-Year Status Review concluded that the humpback chub is not in danger of extinction throughout all of its range, but is likely to become so in the foreseeable future; that is, it is a threatened species throughout all of its range. Therefore, the USFWS made a recommendation to downlist the humpback chub to threatened status. [[3] LTEMP Resource Goal for Humpback ChubMeet humpback chub recovery goals, including maintaining a self-sustaining population, spawning habitat, and aggregations in the Colorado River and its tributaries below the Glen Canyon Dam. Desired Future Condition for Humpback Chub• Achieve HBC recovery in accord with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the HBC comprehensive management plan, and with the assistance of collaborators within and external to the AMP. |
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Fish of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam - GCDAMP training prepared by AZFGD |
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