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Razorback suckers see a major population boost

Razorback suckers, named for its prominent dorsal keel, are endangered fish that are only found in the Colorado River Basin.
Mark McKinstry/UCBR
Razorback suckers, named for its prominent dorsal keel, are endangered fish that are only found in the Colorado River Basin.

Federal wildlife officials say the population of an endangered fish in the Upper Colorado River received a major boost last year.

The Green River razorback sucker is found only in the river basin and is named for its prominent dorsal keel.

In May and June each year, newly hatched larvae emerge from the Green River in Utah and depend on peak spring flows to connect the river to its floodplains.

The U-S Bureau of Reclamation has worked to recover the sucker since 2012 and says additional releases from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in northeastern Utah resulted in the record year for the fish.

Nearly 3,300 wild-spawned suckers were produced, almost double the number from the previous 10 years combined.