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Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Recovery Plan

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Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Recovery Plan RIO GRANDE SILVERY MINNOW RECOVERY PLAN DRAFT DR AFT RIO GRANDE SILVERY MINNOW (Hybognathus amarus) RECOVERY PLAN Region 2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico Approved: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Regional Director, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Date: DR AFT Disclaimer/Literature Citation Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions believed to be required to recover and/or protect listed species. Plans published by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service, are sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State agencies, and other affected and interested parties. Recovery teams serve as independent advisors to the Services. Plans are reviewed by the public and submitted to additional peer review before they are adopted by the Services. Objectives of the plan will be attained and any necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Recovery plans do not obligate other parties to undertake specific tasks and may not represent the views nor the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service/National Marine Fisheries Service. They represent the official position of the-National Marine Fisheries Service/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only after they have been signed by the Assistant Administrator/ Regional Director or Director as approved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery tasks. By approving this document, the Director/Regional Director/Assistant Administrator certifies that the data used in its development represents the best scientific and commercial data available at the time it was written. Copies of all documents reviewed in development of the plan are available in the administrative record, located at the New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna Rd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113. Literature Citation of this document should read as follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (date) Rio Grande silvery minnow Recovery Plan. Albuquerque, NM. xxx p. Additional copies may be purchased from: Fish and Wildlife Reference Service 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 (301) 492-6403 or 1(800)582-3421 11 DR AFT RIO GRANDE SILVERY MINNOW RECOVERY PLAN Prepared by the Rio Grande silvery minnow Recovery Team Tom Bahr Mark Rucker I N. M. Water Resource Research Institute Bureau of Reclamation James A. Bailey Blaine Sanchez N. M. Department of Game and Fish Indian Pueblo Appointee David E. Bowles Herman Settemeyer Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission Gary Daves City of Albuquerque Subhas K. Shah Middle Rio Grande Conservancy Gary P. Garrett District Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Brian Shields Mark Harberg Amigos Bravos U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Steven E. Vandiver Dean A. Hendrickson Colorado Division of University of Texas Water Resources William J. Miller James P. Wilber Miller Ecological Consultants Bureau of Reclamation Steven P. Platania John Whipple University of New Mexico N. M. Interstate Stream Commission David L. Propst N. M. Department of Game and Fish Jeff Whitney - Coordinator U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Numerous other persons provided reviews and information for the preparation of this plan. The Service greatly appreciates the invaluable assistance provided by team ci members, consultants, and other individuals who contributed to the preparation of this Recovery Plan. The Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Recovery Team was created by the Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to the cooperative policy statement effective on July 1, 1994, to involve stakeholders in the development of recovery plans in order to minimize the social and economic impacts consistent with timely recovery of endangered species. T. DR AFT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Status: The species is federally listed as endangered and also listed as endangered in the states of New Mexico and Texas and the Republic of Mexico. Historically, this species occurred throughout the Rio Grande basin in New Mexico and Texas. Currently, the species occurs only in the Rio Grande from just downstream of Cochiti Dam to the headwaters of Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico, occupying about five percent of its known historic range. Habitat Requirements and Limitinz Factors: The Rio Grande silvery minnow occurs only in flowing plains streams of variable depth and velocity. The decline of the Rio Grande silvery minnow may be attributed in part to modification of stream discharge patterns and channel desiccation by impoundments, water diversion, stream channelization, competition and predation by introduced nonnative species and water quality degradation. Recovery Objective: The goals of this recovery plan are to: 1) stabilize and enhance the Rio Grande silvery minnow and its habitat in the middle Rio Grande valley and 2) reestablish the Rio Grande silvery minnow in at least three other areas of its historic range. Recovery Criteria: The objective for stabilizing and enhancing populations of Rio Grande silvery minnow in the middle Rio Grande valley will be considered achieved when there are no biologically significant declines from current levels in reproduction, distribution, and abundance in the middle valley for a period of five consecutive years and when institutional mechanisms are in place to protect the species and its habitat. The objective for reestablishing Rio Grande silvery minnow populations outside of the middle valley will be considered met when self-sustaining populations of Rio Grande silvery minnow have become established in at least three of the reaches identified in this document for reestablishment. For these populations to be considered reestablished, there should be no biologically significant decreases in reproduction, distribution, and abundance for a period of five consecutive years and institutional mechanisms must be place that will protect the species and its habitat. iv DR AFT Actions needed: • Restore and protect habitats within the middle Rio Grande valley necessary for the stabilization of the Rio Grande silvery minnow. • Reintroduce Rio Grande silvery minnow into suitable habitat within its historic range. • Design and implement a public awareness and education program. • Implement and maintain an adaptive management program to ensure appropriate research and management activities are carried out in order to attain recovery of the Rio Grande silvery minnow. • Develop long-term reestablishment strategy. The estimated costs of performing the activities described in this Recovery Plan over the next five years are summarized in the following table. The costs of capital projects or water acquisition are not known and are not included. Costs: ($ x 1,000) Habitat Public Adaptive Restoration Reestablishment Information Management Reestablishment TOTAL 1998 2,150.0 205.0 23.0 80.0 65.0 2,523.0 1999 1,820.0 440.0 13.0 80.0 65.0 2,418.0 2000 1,650.0 • 390.0 13.0 80.0 65.0 2,198.0 2001 750.0 165.0 3.0 70.0 50.0 1,038.0 2002 620.0 85.0 3.0 70.0 50.0 828.0 5-YR TOTAL 6,990.0 1,285.0 55.0 380.0 295.0 9,005.0 All tasks and costs required to implement actions identified as a result of research undertaken and data collected in accordance with this plan are not known. The ultimate time frame and cost of implementing activities to achieve the objectives of this recovery plan will be addressed through the adaptive management program. The performance of activities described in this Plan will be reviewed at least annually by the Recovery Team and evaluated at the end of the five-year period. DR AFT , r TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I - INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Description .......................................................................................... 3 Taxonomy and Systematics ................................................................. 4 Distribution and Status ........................................................................ 8 Historic Distribution ..................................................................... 8 Current Range ................................................................................ 13 Ecology ............................................................................................... 31 Habitat .................................................................................................. 33 PART II- RECOVERY ...................................................................................... 52 Objective ............................................................................................... 52 Narrative Outline .................................................................................. 56 Literature Cited ................................................................................... 75 PART III - IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE ................................................... 82 APPENDICES .................................................................................. follows page 86 Appendix A - Rio Grande Basin Hydrology ......................................... A-1 Appendix B - Reach-by-Reach Analysis and Reestablishment Site Selection
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