Grand Canyon Flooded March 5
For the third time since 1996, officials have flooded the Grand Canyon in an effort to preserve local ecology and species such as the humpback chub.
The humpback chub’s ecosystem was altered when the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed in 1963. The dam, upstream from the Grand Canyon, changed the Colorado River from a muddy, meandering waterway, to a clear, quick and tightly monitored water delivery system, reported the Associated Press in a February 26 article.
When the dam was opened Wednesday, March 5, about 300,000 gallons of water per second roared through the Grand Canyon. Researchers hope the flood will alter the banks of the Colorado River enough to preserve the humpback chub and other threatened species.
The Humpback Chub
The humpback chub (Gila cypha) has become more rare over the years. It is only found in the waters of the Colorado River System. Given its name for the prominenty hump between the head and dorsal fin, the humpback is nearly scaleless, with an average of 80 mid-lateral scales.
Efforts to improve populations of the fish in the Colorado and its tributaries have not gone over so well, mostly because the humpback is not considered a sportfish, and therefore it is unpopular with anglers.
Arizona Game and Fish (azgfd.gov) officials have been responsible for monitoring the numbers of humpback chub since it was listed as an endangered species in 1967. The largest remaining population consists of several thousand adults centered near the merge of the Little Colorado River and Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
Saving Native Fish Populations
Officials with Arizona Game and Fish monitor the humpbacks by inserting small electronic tags, called PIT tages, which are about the size of a grain of rice.
In the spring researchers will set up hoop nets in the lower 1,200 meters of the Little Colorado River to catch and mark the fish. When a tagged fish is recaptured and scanned, a distinct number shows up, allowing the researchers to estimate the number of fish left in the population. The data is gathered and used to understand how many new fish have been born. Water flow and water temperature numbers are also taken, reports Arizona Game and Fish on their website. The research is part of a long-term project for native fish which began in 1987.
The release of water from dams along the Colorado is approved through the federal government as part of the ongoing effort to preserve native fish species such as the humpback chub.
Rachel Swick - Growing up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, there wasn't much to do when it was raining except to sit inside and read. I grew to love the ...
