Endangered Colorado River Fish No Longer An Extinction Risk

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — An endangered fish that makes its home in the Colorado River basin no longer is at the brink of extinction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it will consider reclassifying the humpback chub as threatened within the next year.

The fish is characterized by a fleshy hump behind its head.

The biggest population of the fish is in the Grand Canyon and numbers about 12,000 near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers.

Four smaller populations are found upstream of Lake Powell in Utah and Colorado.

Federal officials say managing the flow of water from dams on the river and its tributaries, and removing fish that feed on humpback chub have helped boost numbers.

But they say the species won't fully recover without more work.

By FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press

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