White River Fishery in Utah MICHAEL FIORELLI UTAH DIVISION OF - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

White River Fishery in Utah MICHAEL FIORELLI UTAH DIVISION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES

Endangered Species

Threatened Species

Importance of White River Designated critjcal habitat for both Razorback and Pikeminnow Three species stronghold Critjcal for Upper Colorado River Basin natjve species

Sampling Results 2016 populatjon estjmates ◦ 270 Bluehead/Mile (234 – 427) ◦ 316 Flannelmouth/Mile (274 – 496)

Community Composition and Length Frequency (2016) 140 120 100 Sand Shiner Fathead Minnow Green Sunfjsh White Sucker Flannelmouthwhite Hybrid Smallmouth Bass Bluewhite Hybrid Bluehead Sucker 80 Mountain Sucker Speckled Dace Colorado Pikeminnow Red Shiner Common Carp 60 Channel Catgish 40 20 Flannelmouth Sucker Roundtail Chub 0 RZ 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 380 400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540 560

Young of Year Surveys 30 6000 25 5000 20 4000 Cubic Feet/Second CPUE (fjsh/hr) BH 15 3000 FM RT Max spring runofg 10 2000 5 1000 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Reasons for Decline Increase in invasive species Loss of habitat Low run ofg years

What can we do? River and habitat restoratjon ◦ Removing invasive plants ◦ Allow for movement within fmoodplain Remove invasive species ◦ Reduce predatjon and hybridizatjon risk Increase spring run-ofg and base fmows ◦ Increase available spawning and rearing habitat

Conclusion The White River is critjcal for the Upper Colorado River basin natjve fjsh Recent changes in recruitment are a concern Expansion of smallmouth bass are a concern River restoratjon work should help all of the natjve fjsh species

Questions