For the first time ever, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have found proof that the endangered razorback sucker is successfully reproducing in the lower White River in eastern Utah.
One of four species of endangered Colorado River fish, the razorback sucker has been listed under the federal Endangered Species Act for the past 20 years.
Razorbacks raised at the Ouray National Fish Hatchery near Vernal have been stocked in the Green River since 1995, but only more recently have their larvae been found in the White, a major tributary of the Green.
This may or may not be of interest to sportsmen, since the razorback is protected and not considered a game fish anyway. But to biologists and naturalists, it’s great news anytime an endangered species shows signs of reclaiming its native habitat.
