Extirpated Fishes of the Grand Canyon and Current Management Practices

Vanessa Lo F e b 14 , 2 0 18 1 WHAT IS EXTIRPATION? Th e s itu a tio n in wh ic h a s p e c ie s o r p o p u la tio n n o lo n g e r e xis ts with in a c e rta in g e o g ra p h ic lo c a tio n Why do we care?

Effects of Extirpa tion: ◦ Global extinctions are often preceded by local and regional extirpations ◦ Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem fu n c tio n / s e rvic e s ◦ Ch a n g e s in tro p h ic in te ra c tio n s

Who is extirpated?

Colorado pikeminnow Bonytail chub Roundtail chub Ptychocheilus lucius Gila elegans Gila robusta

Lifespan: 30 yrs Lifespan: 30 yrs Lifespan: 7+ yrs Length: 180 cm Leng t h: 60 cm Leng t h: 50 cm Feed: cladocerans, Feed: little known, Feed: aquatic copepods, chironomid probably insects, insects, fishes, larvae, aquatic insect fishes, plant matter. invertebrates. larvae, other fishes. Endangered Endangered, Not Listed, near possibly functionally threatened extinct Historic vs. current range Colorado pikeminnow

Bonytail Chub

Roundtail chub

2 HOW DID THEY BECOME EXTIRPATED? LOTS of dams! LOTS of da ms!

Pre-dam water conditions: ◦ Flood-prone ◦ Virtually always turbid ◦ Highly variable sediment load, with a mean of 6 x 10 ^ 10 k g / y e a r ◦ Temperatures from freezing in the winter to 30 C in summer ◦ Little b e nthic a lg a l co ve r

and LOTS of non-n a tive fis h e s Many piscivorous fish are gape-lim ite d 3 SO HOW ARE THESE FISHES MANAGED? It varies, but let’s focus on Colorado Pikeminnow Grand Canyon National Park Native Fish Restoration Plan Go a ls: ◦ Restore populations of native fish to a level that approximates natural conditions, and prevent adverse modification to their habitat. ◦ Restore self-s u s ta in in g p o p u la tio n s o f extirpated fish species. ◦ Min im ize im p a c ts o f th e re c re a tio n a l tro u t fishery in the Lees Ferry reach to downstream native fisheries in the GCNP.

Grand Canyon National Park Native Fish Restoration Plan, Healy et al. 2010 How does one restore fish populations that are critically low? Ca p tive broodstocks ◦ Colorado pikeminnow at the Southwestern Native Aquatic Resource and Recovery Center, Dexter, NM. ◦ Spawning and genetic management ◦ Life h is to ry s tu d ie s u s in g tag-and-release methods

www.fws.gov/ southwest/ fisheries/ dexter/ Southwestern Native Aquatic Resource and Recovery Center Spawning ◦ Both natural and induced Ma rc h – m id -June ◦ Sp a wn in g m a tric e s to m a in ta in g e n e tic d ive rs ity ◦ Sperm cryopreservation

Female 1 Female 2 Le a s t related Ma le 1 Ma le 6 Ma le 7 Ma le 1 Ma le 3 Ma le 2 Mo s t related Ma le 8 Ma le 4 www.fws.gov/ southwest/ fisheries/ dexter/ , Tie rs ch et al., 2004 Southwestern Native Aquatic Resource and Recovery Center Ta g-and-Release tag types ◦ Vis ib le im p la n t e la s to m e r ◦ Passive Integrated Tra nsponder (PIT) ◦ Ca lc e in Ma rke r ◦ Coded wire tag

So what can these studies tell us?... Southwestern Native Aquatic Resource and Recovery Center Tag-and-Release Uses ◦ Po p u la tio n s ize e s tim a te s ◦ Su rvivo rs hip e s tim a te s ◦ Habitat usage ◦ Movement and migratory behavior ◦ Growth data ◦ Life h is to ry d a ta

Valdez, 2014 WHAT CAN MANAGERS DO WITH THIS 4 DATA? Population viability analyses and adaptive management Population Viability Analyses

Used for making models to estimate the probability a p o p u la tio n will g o e xtin c t, a n d h o w it will re s p o n d to alternative future management scenarios

Mille r 20 14 Adaptive Management

Creation of conservation plans and stocking plans based on best available population demographic data

If only it were this easy!

Nesler et al. 2003, Min c kle y et al. 2003. STEPS FOR REINTRODUCTION OF 5 EXTIRPATED SPECIES Reintroduction planning, compliance, and implementation

Administrative context Oversight is complex! NPS, USFWS, Na tive Am e ric a n In d ia n trib e s , Bu re a u o f Re cla m a tio n , USGS, Sta te o f AZ, AZ Game and Fish Compile relevant information Ecology, life history, disease and parasites, trophic role, etc.

Stock assessment, and Status of remaining population, fitness prioritization and genetics.

Co m p lia n c e Compliance requirements for species translocation, augmentation, reintroduction, NEPA, ESA. Implementation Fe a s ib ility a n d a d vis a b ility o f re s to ra tio n

Monitoring and feedback Does it work? What can be improved?

References

Bestgen, K. R., Ze la s ko , K. A., Co m p to n , R. I., & Cha rt, T. E. (20 0 8). Surviva l, c o n d itio n , ha b ita t us e , a n d p re d a tio n o n stocked b o n yta ils (Gila elegans) in the Green River, Colorado and Utah. The Southwestern Naturalist, 53(4), 488– 494. https:/ / doi.org/ 10.1894/ GG-29.1 Ma r t inez, P. J ., Cha r t , T. E., Tr a m m ell, M. A., Wullschleger, J . G., & Bergersen, E. P. (1994). Fish species composition before and after construction of a main stem reservoir on the White River, Colorado. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 40(3), 227–239. https:/ / doi.org/ 10.1007/ BF00002509 Miller, P. S. (2014). A Population Viability Analysis for the Colorado Pikeminnow ( P tychocheilus lucius ) in the San J ua n River . Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (IUCN/ SSC, (July). Minckley, W. L., Ma r sh, P. C., Dea co n, J . E., Do wling , T. E., Hed r ick, P. W., Ma t t hews, W. J ., & Mueller , G. ( 20 0 3) . A Conservation Plan for Native Fishes of the Lower Colorado River. BioScience, 53(3), 219–234. https:/ / doi.org/ 10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0219:ACPFNF]2.0.CO;2 Nesler, T. P., Chr ist op her son, K., Hud son, J . M., McAda, C. W., Pf eif er , F., & Czapla, T. E. ( 20 0 3) . An int eg r a t ed stocking plan for razorback sucker, bonytail, and Colorado pikeminnow for the upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, (March), 12 p. Old en, J . D., Pof f , N. L., & Bestgen, K. R. ( 20 0 6) . Lif e-History Strategies Predict Fish Invasions and Extirpations in the Colorado River Basin. Ecological Monographs, 76(1), 25–40. https:/ / doi.org/ 10.1890/ 05-0330 Tiersch, T., Figiel, C., Wayman, W., Willia m son, J . H., Gor m a n, O., & Ca r m icha el, G. (2004). Cr y op r eser va t ion of Sperm from the Endangered Colorado Pikeminnow. North American Journal of Aquaculture, 66(1), 8–14 . https:/ / doi.org/ 10.1577/ C02-043 Van Steeter, M. M., & Pitlick, J. (1998). Geomorphology and endangered fish habitats of the upper Colorado River. Water Resources Research, 34(2)(2), 303–3 16

Questions?

What did the Colorado pikeminnow say to the other Colorado pikeminnow when he ran into a wall?

Da m .