Native Fish Conservation in Arizona

The Gila River Basin Native Fishes Conservation Program (Program) is funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and is directed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Reclamation, in cooperation with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) and Arizona Game and Fish Department, to meet section 7 responsibilities under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544) for the Central Arizona Project (CAP). In 2006, the CAP Technical and Policy Committees agreed to allocate a given amount of money to the New Mexico and Arizona wildlife agencies under multi-year agreements. Multiple tasks have been agreed on by the CAP Policy Committee every fiscal year. The proposed agreement continues and complements those Program tasks. The tasks proposed here are part of continuing multi-year projects done in conjunction with other agencies. The amount of funds proposed to be obligated this year is $430,300. The proposed project is for a period of five years, depending on funding, and could total $2,000,000. The AGFD has been charged by the Legislature of the State of Arizona to conserve and protect the species of concern. As part of this charge, they possess trustee and police powers over specified fish and wildlife within Arizona and have developed special expertise in the habitat assessment and improvement, and population management for native species of fish and wildlife. Therefore, the AGFD has the statutory authority, technical expertise, and the experience to conduct the activities that the CAP program is required to fund. AGFD proposes to conduct many projects to recover native species and to manage against nonindigenous aquatic species that deleteriously affect native aquatic species. The following projects are proposed to be funded with FY09 funds: 1. Acquire spikedace, loach minnow and rare populations of other native fish; 2. Muleshoe ecosystem stream and spring repatriations; 3. Fossil Creek repatriations; 4. Fresno Canyon repatriations; 5. Bonita Creek renovation and repatriations; 6. Arizona trout stream loach minnow repatriations; 7. Gila topminnow stockings; 8. Arnett Creek repatriations; 9. Redrock Canyon/Sonoita Creek nonnative control and repatriations; 10. Spring Creek (Oak Creek tributary) repatriations; 11. Mineral Creek drainage renovation and repatriations; 12. Blue River native fish restoration; 13. Lower San Pedro River Preserve ponds stockings; 14. Miscellaneous stock tank surveys; 15. Assess potential repatriation waters; 16. Bubbling Ponds Native Fish onservation Facility O&M; 17. Transfer Gila chub and Gila topminnow to New Mexico.