Difference between revisions of "Humpback Chub Page"
Cellsworth (Talk | contribs) |
Cellsworth (Talk | contribs) |
||
Line 68: | Line 68: | ||
{|width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top; background:#f5faff;" | {|width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top; background:#f5faff;" | ||
! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Updates</h2> | ! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Updates</h2> | ||
− | |||
[[File:HBCsummary2016.jpg|center|500px]] [https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/amp/twg/mtgs/17jan26/AR8_Yackulic.pdf] | [[File:HBCsummary2016.jpg|center|500px]] [https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/amp/twg/mtgs/17jan26/AR8_Yackulic.pdf] | ||
Line 89: | Line 88: | ||
[[File:HBCpopEst ASMR2011.jpg|center|500px]] ASMR estimates for humpback chub numbers at the LCR | [[File:HBCpopEst ASMR2011.jpg|center|500px]] ASMR estimates for humpback chub numbers at the LCR | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! <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;">ESA Reclassification</h2> | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |style="color:#000;"| | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==[https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2018/03222018_After_Scientific_Review_the_U.S._Fish_and_Wildlife_Service_to_Propose_Reclassification_of_the_Humpback_Chub_from_Endangered_to_Threatened.php After Scientific Review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Propose Reclassification of the Humpback Chub from Endangered to Threatened]== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Things are looking up for a rare Colorado River fish, the endangered humpback chub. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recently completed a species status assessment (SSA) and a 5-year status review that concluded the current risk of extinction is low, such that the species is not in danger of extinction throughout all of its range. The SSA explained that the largest population of humpback chub, which is found in the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers in the Grand Canyon of Arizona, is a stable population of about 12,000 adults. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Our SSA also explained that four smaller populations in the Green and Colorado rivers of the upper Colorado River basin have persisted and do not appear to be in immediate danger of extinction. All five populations are wild, persisting without the need for hatchery stocking. These population-monitoring results, when coupled with ongoing flow management and nonnative predatory fish control, mean that the humpback chub will be considered for reclassification from endangered to threatened in the next year. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Although this unique fish is making a big step toward recovery it still needs help. Conservation work by a diverse group of stakeholders has been one of the key contributions in recovering this native fish. State, tribal, federal, and private stakeholders collaborate via the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (established in 1988) and the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (established in 1997) to continue the monitoring programs and to reduce threats to this species’ recovery. “Endangered species recovery in altered and heavily managed ecosystems like the Colorado River is a complicated endeavor,” said Service Mountain-Prairie Regional Director Noreen Walsh. “Our best chance for continued success rests in the power of these collaborative partnerships.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The humpback chub, which was first described as a unique species from collections in the Grand Canyon in the 1940’s, was not discovered in the upper Colorado River basin until the 1970’s. It was placed on the original list of endangered species in 1967. Humpback chub prefer canyon-bound reaches of river where they complete their life cycle in swift, turbulent currents. The species gets its name from the fleshy hump behind its head. That adaptation coupled with large, curved fins allows the species to maintain position in the turbulent flows. Habitat alterations (from changes in river flows and inundation of canyon reaches), and competition and predation from invasive species are the greatest threats to the humpback chub. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the 5-year review, the Service also recommends that the species recovery plan be revised to incorporate the best available scientific information on the species needs and actions that will be necessary to eventually delist humpback chub. Efforts to propose reclassification and to revise the recovery plan will be ongoing in the coming year. The proposed reclassification rule and the revised recovery plan will be made available for public comment in the future. | ||
+ | |||
+ | *To review the SSA visit: [https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2018/HumpbackChub_SSA_Final_26Mar2018_wAppendixB&C.pdf '''Species Status Assessment for the Humpback Chub'''] | ||
+ | *To review the 5-year review please visit: [https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2018/Humpback%20Chub%205-yr%20Final%20-%20signed%203-19-18%20Compliant.pdf '''5-Year Review of the Humpback Chub'''] | ||
|} | |} | ||
Line 207: | Line 225: | ||
|style="color:#000;"| | |style="color:#000;"| | ||
+ | *[https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2018/HumpbackChub_SSA_Final_26Mar2018_wAppendixB&C.pdf '''2017 Species Status Assessment for the Humpback Chub'''] | ||
+ | *[https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2018/Humpback%20Chub%205-yr%20Final%20-%20signed%203-19-18%20Compliant.pdf '''2017 5-Year Review of the Humpback Chub'''] | ||
*[https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/Biol_Opin/120059_LTEMP%20BiOp_11-25-16.pdf 2016 LTEMP Biological Opinion (BO)] | *[https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/Biol_Opin/120059_LTEMP%20BiOp_11-25-16.pdf 2016 LTEMP Biological Opinion (BO)] | ||
*[http://ltempeis.anl.gov/documents/final-eis/vol3/Appendix_O-Biological_Assessment.pdf 2016 LTEMP Biological Assessment (BA)] | *[http://ltempeis.anl.gov/documents/final-eis/vol3/Appendix_O-Biological_Assessment.pdf 2016 LTEMP Biological Assessment (BA)] |
Revision as of 11:38, 29 March 2018
|
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. One of the primary threats to humpback chub has been the proliferation of warm-water nonnative fish predators like smallmouth bass and northern pike. [2] 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. |
|
Fish of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam - GCDAMP training prepared by AZFGD |
|
---|
|
|