OCR Text |
Show extremely high fishery value and to activities potentially affecting should water be considered highly vulnerable quality or other habitat value. The most important areas of Lake Powell for fisheries management are the following: 1. Inflow areas and mixing zones where the major waterways flow into the lake ( the Colorado River inflow at Hite, the San Juan River inflow at Paiute Farms, and the Escalante River Arm). 2. Numerous canyons throughout the lake that contain free- flowing and intermittent streams. 3. Special Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Study Areas: a. sites of initial smallmouth bass introductions ( Crosby Canyon, the Rincon, Neskahi Canyon, Stanton Creek, and upper Good Hope Bay); b. sites of annual trend surveys for gamefish populations ( Warm Creek, Padre Bay, Paiute Canyon, Neskahi Canyon, the Rincon, Stanton Creek, and upper Good Hope Bay); c. sites of annual trend surveys for ichthyoplankton ( Warm Creek, Wahweap Creek, Navajo Canyon, Bullfrog Creek, Halls Creek, and Paiute Farms). III. I. 1. C. Rivers and streams- The Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam supports a trout population classified by Arizona as a " blue ribbon" trout fishery. Trout thrive in this river reach because of the clear, cold waters released from Lake Powell. The trout ( rainbow, cutthroat, and brook) are introduced species regularly stocked by the Arizona Department of Game and Fish. Little is known about the fish species, native or exotic, that exist in streams such as the Escalante River, Ticaboo Creek, Wilson Creek, and Desha Creek, to name a few among the numerous tributaries to Lake Powell that can support aquatic life. Native species are known to reside in these streams, and exotic species such as the red shiner are competing with the native fish. A survey is needed of the biological and water quality features of secondary inflowing waters of Lake Powell. This would provide baseline information on a little- understood park resource. While the fish resources of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are obviously diverse, they have in common a dependence on maintaining high- quality aquatic habitat-- which is largely a water resource management issue. An objective of the National Park Service is to maintain the high habitat value of water in the recreation area. 44 |