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Abstract
The harsh environmental conditions and extreme flooding that created Grand Canyon also shaped the unique native fish that evolved in the Colorado River. Native fish have evolved their physiology, morphology and behavior to withstand high flood events. Flooding has been shown to benefit spawning, survival and recruitment of juvenile native fishes in many southwestern rivers. Annual pre-dam flooding on the Colorado River was sometimes more than double the flows released during a typical High-Flow Experiment (HFE). It is therefore unlikely that the 3-4 days of high flow created by HFEs will have negative impacts on native fish directly. However, HFEs can cause dispersal of flood adapted non-native species like green sunfish that utilize floods to invade and colonize new environments. Continued efforts to reduce known populations of green sunfish that inhabit backwater ponds before conducting HFEs may be necessary to reduce risks of spreading invasive green sunfish downstream.
Study Area
Publication type | Conference Paper |
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Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
Title | Effects of high flow experiments on warm-water native and nonnative fishes |
Year Published | 2019 |
Language | English |
Publisher | US Bureau of Reclamation Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program |
Contributing office(s) | Southwest Biological Science Center |
Description | 4 p. |
Larger Work Type | Book |
Larger Work Subtype | Conference publication |
Larger Work Title | High-Flow Experiments Assessment Extended Abstracts |
First page | 38 |
Last page | 41 |
Conference Title | Adaptive Management Work Group Meeting |
Conference Location | Tempe, AZ |
Conference Date | March 6-7, 2019 |
Country | United States |
State | Arizona |
Other Geospatial | Colorado River, Grand Canyon |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |