Difference between revisions of "GCDAMP Bonytail Fish"

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[[File:Bonytail distribution (1).jpg]]
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[[File:ColoradoPikeminnow distribution (1).jpg]]
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[http://www.coloradoriverrecovery.org/general-information/the-fish/colorado-pikeminnow.html| '''Colorado pikeminnow (''Ptychocheilus lucius'')''']
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== '''Bonytail (''Gila elegans'')'''==
  
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The Colorado pikeminnow is the largest minnow in North America and is an endangered, native fish of the Colorado River thought to have evolved more than 3 million years ago. Called the “white salmon” by early settlers due to its migratory behavior, the Colorado pikeminnow has a torpedo-shaped body and a large, toothless mouth. It has an olive-green and gold back and a silvery-white belly.
 
  
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Colorado pikeminnow can live up to 40 years and were historically known to grow to nearly 6 feet long and weight 80 pounds. Today, researchers commonly see adult Colorado pikeminnow that are 2 to 3 feet in length. Colorado pikeminnow are known for long-distance spawning migrations of more than 200 miles in late spring and early summer. They are capable of reproducing at 5 to 7 years of age. Young Colorado pikeminnow feed on insects and plankton, whereas adults feed mostly on fish.
+
The bonytail is the rarest of the endangered, native fish of the Colorado River and is thought to have evolved around 3-5 million years ago. It has large fins and a streamlined body that is pencil-thin near its tail. Its name describes the fish as an elegant swimmer and member of the “chub” group of minnows. The bonytail has a gray or olive-colored back, silver sides, and a white belly.
  
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The Colorado pikeminnow was the Colorado River’s top predator in the early 1900s and has been known to take anglers’ bait in the form of mice, birds, and even small rabbits, despite that its only “teeth” are found on a bony, circular structure located deep within its throat. This fish also readily strikes lures and live bait used to catch sport fish or nonnative fish.
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Bonytail can grow to 22 inches or more and have been known to live up to 50 years. Bonytail are thought to spawn at 2 to 3 years of age during late June and early July. Bonytail eat insects, plankton, and plant matter.  
  
 +
'''Status and distribution'''
 +
 +
*Listed as endangered and given full protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1980.
 +
*Endangered under Colorado law since 1976.
 +
*Protected under Utah law since 1974.
 +
*Bonytail were once common in portions of the upper and lower Colorado River basins.
 +
 +
Today, the bonytail is among North America’s most endangered fish species. Its distribution and numbers are so low that it is threatened with extinction. No reproducing populations are known in the wild.
 +
 +
Recognizing that fewer bonytail were being seen in the Colorado River and no young, biologists captured 34 adults from Lake Mohave from 1976 to 1988, and 16 from 1988 to 1989. These fish were held in fish hatcheries. The young of these Lake Mojave fish, and the few remaining adults in hatcheries and in the wild, make up the entire known population of bonytail in the world.
 +
 +
Because there were so few bonytail in existence when recovery efforts began, their preferred habitat is still unknown. Their large fins and streamlined body enable bonytail to swim in swift river flows. Through research and monitoring of stocked fish, researchers continue to gain information to help determine this species’ life-history needs and ways to improve their survival.[http://www.coloradoriverrecovery.org/general-information/the-fish/bonytail.html]
  
 
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! style="width=33%; background:#cedff2;" | [http://gcdamp.com/images_gcdamp_com/7/7a/140619_FISH_IN_RIVER_GCDAMPwiki-_AZGF.PDF  Online training] <br>
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! style="width=33%; background:#cedff2;" | [[File:ColoradoRiverNativeFish nps.jpg]] <br>
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! style="width=33%; background:#cedff2;" | Fish Species of the Colorado River in Lower Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon <br>
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! style="width=33%; background:#cedff2;" | [http://gcdamp.com/index.php?title=Table-_Fish_Species_of_the_CR-_GLEN_and_Grand Fish photos, information, and maps] <br>
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[http://gcdamp.com/images_gcdamp_com/7/7a/140619_FISH_IN_RIVER_GCDAMPwiki-_AZGF.PDF  Fish Species of the Colorado River in Lower Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon - online training]
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*'''[http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865653479/DWR-officials-find-rare-fish-are-spawning-in-the-wild.html DWR officials find rare fish are spawning in the wild]'''
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*'''[http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865653479/DWR-officials-find-rare-fish-are-spawning-in-the-wild.html DWR officials find bonytail chub spawning in the wild]'''
 +
 
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'''Working to recover the species'''
 +
 
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Actions being taken to recover the bonytail include:
 +
 
 +
*Managing water to provide adequate instream flows to create beneficial water flow
 +
*Constructing fish passages and screens at major diversion dams to provide endangered fish with access to hundreds of miles of critical habitat
 +
*Restoring floodplain habitat
 +
*Monitoring fish population numbers
 +
*Managing nonnative fishes
 +
 
 +
In addition, the Recovery Program works to reestablish naturally self-sustaining populations of bonytail through propagation and stocking. The Recovery Program maximizes the genetic diversity of broodstock used to produce fish in hatcheries to increase the likelihood that stocked fish will survive and reproduce in the wild.
 +
 
 +
To support stocking efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin, bonytail are raised at two hatchery facilities: the state of Colorado’s J.W. Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility in Alamosa, Colorado and the state of Utah’s Wahweap Fish Hatchery in Big Water, Utah. All bonytail come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center in Dexter, New Mexico, which maintains the bonytail broodstock.
 +
 
 +
Bonytail raised at these facilities are stocked in the Green and upper Colorado rivers in Colorado and Utah. Stocked fish have been recaptured in several locations and habitats within these river systems. Researchers monitor these fish closely for evidence of reproduction. Stocking efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin have expanded into floodplain wetlands to enhance bonytail growth and survival.
 +
 
 +
'''Recovery goals'''
 +
 
 +
Bonytail will be considered eligible for downlisting from “endangered” to “threatened” and for removal from Endangered Species Act protection (delisting) when all of the following conditions are met:
 +
 
 +
*Self-sustaining fish populations reach the required numbers in areas of the Green and Upper Colorado River sub-basins and the Lower Colorado River Basin, and a genetic refuge is established in the Lower Basin as identified in the chart below.
 +
*Essential habitats, including required stream flows, are legally protected.
 +
*Other identifiable threats that could significantly affect the population are removed.
  
 
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'''Status and distribution'''
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*[http://www.coloradoriverrecovery.org/general-information/the-fish/bonytail.html Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program ]
 +
*[https://www.lcrmscp.gov/fish/bony_chub.html Lower Colorado River Multi-Species conservation Program]
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*[https://www.fws.gov/nevada/protected_species/fish/species/btail_chub.html U.S Fish & Wildlife Office - Nevada]
  
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*Listed as endangered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1967; given full protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
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|-
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*Listed as endangered under Colorado law in 1976; status changed to threatened in 1998.
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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;">Bonytail Documents </h2>
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*Protected under Utah law since 1973.
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|-
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*Colorado pikeminnow were once abundant in the main stem of the Colorado River and most of its major tributaries in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. Today, two wild populations of Colorado pikeminnow are found in the Upper Colorado River Basin – one in the upper Colorado River system and one in the Green River system. The San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program continues to stock Colorado pikeminnow to develop a separate, self-sustaining population.
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The Colorado pikeminnow is adapted to warm rivers and requires uninterrupted passage and a hydrologic cycle characterized by large spring peaks of snowmelt runoff and lower, relatively stable base flows.
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'''Working to recover the species'''
+
  
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Actions being taken to recover the Colorado pikeminnow include:
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*[https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc6061.pdf 2019 Bonytail 5-Year Review]
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*[http://www.coloradoriverrecovery.org/documents-publications/foundational-documents/recoverygoals/Bonytail5-yearStatusReview.pdf 2012 Bonytail 5-Year Review]
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*Managing water to provide adequate instream flows to create beneficial water flow
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*[http://www.coloradoriverrecovery.org/documents-publications/foundational-documents/recoverygoals/Bonytail.pdf 2002 Bonytail Recovery Goals]
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*Constructing fish passages and screens at major diversion dams to provide endangered fish with access to hundreds of miles of critical habitat
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*[https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Documents/R2ES/BonytailChub.pdf 1990 Bonytail Recovery Plan]
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*Developing backwaters for early life stages
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*Monitoring fish population numbers
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*Managing nonnative fishes
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−
 
+
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'''Recovery goals'''
+
−
 
+
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Colorado pikeminnow will be considered eligible for downlisting from “endangered” to “threatened” and for removal from Endangered Species Act protection (delisting) when all of the following conditions are met:
+
−
 
+
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*Self-sustaining fish populations reach the required numbers in areas of the Green, Colorado and/or San Juan rivers as identified in the chart below.
+
−
*The threat of significant “fragmentation” of the population has been removed. (Fragmentation refers to separation between fish populations caused by geographical distance or physical barriers.)
+
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*Essential habitats, including primary migration routes and required stream flows are legally protected.
+
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*Other identifiable threats that could significantly affect the population are removed.
+
  
 
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'''2015'''
 
'''2015'''
 
*[http://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/amp/twg/mtgs/15apr21/Attach_04a.pdf| Razorback Sucker in Lower Grand Canyon and the Lake Mead Inflow Area--A History of the Species and Biological Opinions]
 
*[http://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/amp/twg/mtgs/15apr21/Attach_04a.pdf| Razorback Sucker in Lower Grand Canyon and the Lake Mead Inflow Area--A History of the Species and Biological Opinions]
 +
 +
'''2014'''
 +
*[[Media:140605 SW Naturalist- Marsh et al 2014 bonytail foods.PDF |Southwestern Naturalist- Marsh et al 2014 bonytail foods]]
  
 
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[[Media:Bonytail summary page overview.pdf | Bonytail Overview Page]]
 
[[Media:Bonytail summary page overview.pdf | Bonytail Overview Page]]
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[[Media:140605 SW Naturalist- Marsh et al 2014 bonytail foods.PDF |140605 Southwestern Naturalist- Marsh et al 2014 bonytail foods]]----
 
  
  

Latest revision as of 18:53, 7 November 2019

PIC- BONY MSCP.jpg Bonytail distribution (1).jpg

Bonytail (Gila elegans)

The bonytail is the rarest of the endangered, native fish of the Colorado River and is thought to have evolved around 3-5 million years ago. It has large fins and a streamlined body that is pencil-thin near its tail. Its name describes the fish as an elegant swimmer and member of the “chub” group of minnows. The bonytail has a gray or olive-colored back, silver sides, and a white belly.

Bonytail can grow to 22 inches or more and have been known to live up to 50 years. Bonytail are thought to spawn at 2 to 3 years of age during late June and early July. Bonytail eat insects, plankton, and plant matter.

Status and distribution

  • Listed as endangered and given full protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1980.
  • Endangered under Colorado law since 1976.
  • Protected under Utah law since 1974.
  • Bonytail were once common in portions of the upper and lower Colorado River basins.

Today, the bonytail is among North America’s most endangered fish species. Its distribution and numbers are so low that it is threatened with extinction. No reproducing populations are known in the wild.

Recognizing that fewer bonytail were being seen in the Colorado River and no young, biologists captured 34 adults from Lake Mohave from 1976 to 1988, and 16 from 1988 to 1989. These fish were held in fish hatcheries. The young of these Lake Mojave fish, and the few remaining adults in hatcheries and in the wild, make up the entire known population of bonytail in the world.

Because there were so few bonytail in existence when recovery efforts began, their preferred habitat is still unknown. Their large fins and streamlined body enable bonytail to swim in swift river flows. Through research and monitoring of stocked fish, researchers continue to gain information to help determine this species’ life-history needs and ways to improve their survival.[1]

Online training
Fish Species of the Colorado River in Lower Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon
Fish photos, information, and maps

Updates

Working to recover the species

Actions being taken to recover the bonytail include:

  • Managing water to provide adequate instream flows to create beneficial water flow
  • Constructing fish passages and screens at major diversion dams to provide endangered fish with access to hundreds of miles of critical habitat
  • Restoring floodplain habitat
  • Monitoring fish population numbers
  • Managing nonnative fishes

In addition, the Recovery Program works to reestablish naturally self-sustaining populations of bonytail through propagation and stocking. The Recovery Program maximizes the genetic diversity of broodstock used to produce fish in hatcheries to increase the likelihood that stocked fish will survive and reproduce in the wild.

To support stocking efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin, bonytail are raised at two hatchery facilities: the state of Colorado’s J.W. Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility in Alamosa, Colorado and the state of Utah’s Wahweap Fish Hatchery in Big Water, Utah. All bonytail come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center in Dexter, New Mexico, which maintains the bonytail broodstock.

Bonytail raised at these facilities are stocked in the Green and upper Colorado rivers in Colorado and Utah. Stocked fish have been recaptured in several locations and habitats within these river systems. Researchers monitor these fish closely for evidence of reproduction. Stocking efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin have expanded into floodplain wetlands to enhance bonytail growth and survival.

Recovery goals

Bonytail will be considered eligible for downlisting from “endangered” to “threatened” and for removal from Endangered Species Act protection (delisting) when all of the following conditions are met:

  • Self-sustaining fish populations reach the required numbers in areas of the Green and Upper Colorado River sub-basins and the Lower Colorado River Basin, and a genetic refuge is established in the Lower Basin as identified in the chart below.
  • Essential habitats, including required stream flows, are legally protected.
  • Other identifiable threats that could significantly affect the population are removed.

Links and Information

Bonytail Documents

Presentations and Papers

2015

2014

Other Stuff

Bonytail Overview Page



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