Verde River - Sullivan Dam to Hell Canyon | Arizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy

Verde River - Sullivan Dam to Hell Canyon COA

This COA will have a focus on native fish species including roundtail chub, spikedace, loach minnow, Sonora sucker, and desert sucker. This area is designated critical habitat for razorback sucker, loach minnow, and spikedace, and proposed critical habitat for northern Mexican gartersnake and western terrestrial gartersnake. Loach minnow have been extirpated from this management unit. Fishing regulations changed in January 2014 to not allow take of roundtail chub. Potential future changes in the fishing regulations could allow for limited take of roundtail chub to compensate for future potential reductions in smallmouth bass angling opportunities if native sport fish management was the primary management emphasis in this reach. A potential fish barrier site is located at the lower end of this reach at Hell Canyon. Renovation is also a possibility.