Final Poster Designs

ABOUT THE FISH

HUMPBACK CHUB

General Information

• Scientific name: Gila Cypha
• Appearance
  
• Hump behind head which gibes the humpback chub a striking, unusual appearance
• Has an love-colored back, silver sides, a white belly, small eyes and a long snout that overhangs its jaw
• A member of the minnow family
• Can grow nearly 20 inches and may survive more than 30 years in the wild
• Thought to have evolved 3 - 4 million years ago
• It does not have swimming strength or speed so it uses its large fins to “glide” through slow-moving areas
• Feeds on insects that become trapped in water pockets

History

• Listed as endangered by Endangered Species Act in 1964
• Listed as endangered under Colorado law since 1976

Map

• Lives primarily in canyons with swift currents and white water
• Historically, it inhabited canyons of the Colorado river
• Now, there are two populations near the Colorado/Utah border
• Though now smaller in numbers than they were historically, the populations seem to be fairly stable in these two areas
• The largest known populations is in the Little Colorado River in the Grand canyon, where there may be up to 10,000 fish

What the Community is Doing

• Recovery strategies
• Boosting and protecting river flows in the spring
• Monitoring fish population numbers
• Managing stocking of non-native fish to avoid conflict with the endangered fish
• Recovery goals
• To get five viable, self-sustaining populations located and restored

RAZORBACK SUCKER

General Information

• Scientific name: Xyrauchen texanus
• Appearance
• Has a brownish-green with a yellow to white-colored belly and has an abrupt, bony hump on it back shaped like an upside-down boat keel
• can grow to up to 13 pounds and lengths exceeding 3 feet
• It can grow to be 13 lbs and 3 feet in length.
• One of the largest suckers in North America.
• They can live to 40 years or more

History

• Listed as endangered under federal law since 1991
• Listed as endangered under CO law since 1979

Map

• It used to be that they lived throughout most of the Colorado River basin from Wyoming to Mexico. Now it can be found in small populations in various rivers in Colorado and a little bit below the Hoover Dam.
• In The upper CO river basin, Biologists have found that a population of Razorbacks contains 500 adults, most of which are over 25 years old. Very few of the young they produce survive to adulthood.

What the Community is Doing

• Recovery strategies
  • Very few live in the wild. Biologists raise the fish in hatcheries in Utah and Colorado. These Hatcheries are sticking the razorbacks in Colorado, Gunnison, Green, and San Juan rivers.
  • Endangered fish grow much faster in backwaters and wetlands than in river channels. For this, the recovery Program has launched a program to acquire riverside wetlands for recovery of the razorbacks and other endangered species of fish.
  • Better management of non-native fish populations.
• Recovery goals
  • Recover populations in Lake Mohave and in the Green and Yampa rivers
  • Recover two other populations - one in the upper Colorado River basin and one in the lower basin

WHY ARE THEY ENDANGERED?

Water Development

Human population growth has created a big need for water and hydro electrical power in western states. Hundreds of water projects (dams, canals, irrigation projects) have been built in the Colorado River, blocking some migration routes of the Colorado pikeminnow and other species. Waters are 15 degrees now colder than the rare fishes’ preferred habitat.

Wetlands

The number and size of life-supporting wetlands has been cut dramatically across the United States. Over the last 200 years, Colorado has lost about half of its wetlands. Young native fish needed these areas to grow faster and it gave them warmer, slower-moving water full of food.

Non-Native Fish

Historically, there were only 14 fish species in the upper Colorado River Basin. Then people began putting non-native fish into lakes, reservoirs, and streams in the Colorado River. Now the endangered fish have to compete with more than 40 non-native species. These non-native species (such as northern pike, channel catfish, red shiner and fathead minnow) are also hunters that prey on the eggs and young of the endangered fish.

Selenium

Part of the upper Colorado River basin have high levels of a chemical called selenium. Animals need this naturally occurring chemical in certain amounts, but in larger amounts, selenium can cause birth defects in the wildlife.

Anglers

Angling is a fishing style by using an angled hook. The aglers that use this method of fishing want to catch non-native fish and after hooking a native fish, the angler did not release the fish properly. The anger may have tossed it on the riverbank to die

Other Factors

Other factors that affect the endagered animals are pollution, parasite, and hybrization.

HOW TO RAISE FISH

The Right Environment for Breeding

• Fish need to be compatible, so make sure your breeders are the right age and size.
• Size matters, especially when it comes to tanks. So make sure yours is roomy enough for courting and that the water is fresh and clean.
• Make sure your fish are well fed.

Creating a Good Home

• Change 20% of the water twice a week. Use bottled drinking water for Fish Bowls and tap water for Aquariums and Ponds.
• A least once a month give your fish's home a good cleaning.
• Every day, check on your fish to make sure they are healthy.
• Also carefully look at your water. If the water is cloudy, foamy, or smelly, clean it immediately.

Proper Feeding

• Twice a day feed your fish the correct floating food, so they get plenty to eat. Be sure all the food is eaten, and none of the food is left to pollute the water.

Web sketches

Storyboard animation ideas

background change to poster 4