Achii Hanyo Harvest 2010

Planning, coordination and facilitating harvest of endangered bonytail

and razorback sucker at Achii Hanyo Native Fish Rearing Facility was a
huge success! Under the direction of Mark Olson, Project Leader and
Mark Yost, Fish Biologist, fish were harvested, sorted, tagged and
stocked into portions of the Colorado River. Assisting harvest efforts
were Giovanni Cappelli, Animal Caretaker, Scott Peterson, Maintenance
Worker and Sheri Baker, Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology
Molecular Lab Manager. A total of 3,093 bonytail over 300mm were
released into Lapaz County Park and Bill Williams River. A total of 504
razorback sucker over 300mm were released into Lake Mohave at
Willow Beach. Special thanks to staff from the Parker Fisheries
Resource Office and Bureau of Reclamation fish crew for their
contributions and continued support of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service mission.
Mark Yost
Going Green in the Mohave Desert
In November of 2010 Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery received $2,000.00 in maintenance funds from the Regional
Office. This money was spent on replacing the old 4.5 gallons per flush (g.p.f.) toilets with new 1.6 g.p.f. toilets in the
public rest rooms, and 1.1 g.p.f. pressure assist toilets in the two employee rest rooms. This year staff have also updated
the restroom faucets with low water consumption, auto shut off units. All the toilets are now ADA compliant and will also
reduce our water consumption by an estimated 3000 gallons a year. With the expected increase in visitors next year due to
the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge, and the new Marina and RV sites built by the National Park Service, the water
savings could be even higher.
Scott Peterson
Colorado State University Research Heating Up
Chris Craft, Colorado State University (CSU) researcher, spent two weeks
at the hatchery conducting research on quagga mussel vellagers. The focus
of his research was looking at survival of quagga mussel vellagers at
different temperatures, over time. He was interested in how likely the
vellagers were to be spread (site-to-site) at different water temperatures.
The vellagers were counted and then placed into several different
temperature bathes for up to 72 hours. At that time, the samples were
analyzed to establish a relationship between survival and temperature.
Ultimately, the goal of his work is to figure out how to sterilize wild fish
eggs in quagga positive waters for use in hatchery production. He plans to
return to Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery this summer to continue his
research.
Kurt Eversman

B Bank Raceways Receive Needed Repair

A set of 6 raceways, referred to as B bank, were in need of minor repair
after the 2010 rearing season. Repairs were made to expansion gaps and
keyways. To facilitate these repairs, staff sealed up head and tail ends water
tight, removed debris via power washing, and allowed each raceway to dry.
Once dry, faulty expansion gaps were repaired and each keyway was
chiseled to a width of 2 inches. The keyways were chiseled to accommodate
8 X 4 head and tail screens. Proper expansion gaps are essential to
maintain raceway form and function. Without adequate expansion gaps, the
concrete would not be able to move, resulting in cracks. Subsequent cracks
would allow water to penetrate the concrete, dramatically reducing the life
of the raceway. .
Kurt Eversman

Razorback Sucker Stocked Into Lake Mohave by Hatchery Barge

At the end of each fiscal year staff sort through the inventory of razorbacks,
selecting fish greater than 300 mm in length. These fish are held in flow through
raceways until they receive a passive integrated transponder (PIT) by staff from
Bureau of Reclamation, Boulder City office. Once tagged, the fish are loaded onto
the hatcheries barge and delivered to as many as 13 coves along the Colorado
River in Lake Mohave. For FY10, Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery stocked
11,613 razorbacks weighing 7,505 lbs. For FY11, Willow Beach National Fish
Hatchery has already stocked 6,601 razorbacks weighing 6,528 lbs. Willow Beach
National Fish Hatchery as an annual commitment of 6,000-300mm razorback
sucker.
Kurt Eversman