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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />. .............-.---...-..--.....__..._-,...."...................~............... <br />. -,',-.' ....'............................,..:'..:-:-:::::::::::;:;::.:::::::"::::::;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;:;:;::.;:;:::::-:-:.:.:-.............. <br />....... ...... ...........-.. <br /> <br />.. ... ..... .. .-............................. - . <br />............................... .............. . <br />........................................... . <br />..................................-....,... <br />.... .......... <br />i..i.rQ.:.::::::'NmRCigUEI~N.:i)..}:..... . <br /> <br />...................... <br />.................... <br />...................... <br />...................... <br /> <br />........-.,................-........ . <br />..... ..... .,....................... <br />.......................... <br />................. ....... <br /> <br />This Final Report is submitted to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in fulfillment of Contract <br />No. 6-CS-40-03980, entitled .Fisheries Biology and Rafting.. It integrates the results of 3 years of <br />investigation (1986, 1987, and 1988) under this contract as well as a fourth year (1985) under a <br />separate Reclamation contract (Contract No. 5-CS-40-02820) conducted by Ecosystems Research <br />Institute (ERI). These 4 years of investigations are referred to as "The Cataract Canyon Studies.. These <br />investigations were documented annually in a report submitted by ERI (Valdez 1985) and in two Annual <br />Summary Reports (Valdez 1987, Valdez 1988) submitted by BIO/WEST. This information is supported <br />by progress reports submitted to Reclamation following each of the 29 trips, including 6 in 1985, 6 in <br />1986,8 in 1987, and 9 in 1988. These progress reports and the associated field data sheets are in the <br />files of Reclamation in Salt Lake City and of BIO/WEST, Inc. in Logan, Utah. <br /> <br />This report is accompanied by two supplements: (1) The Cataract Canyon Database, which is a <br />collection of six computer diskettes containing the data in dBASE III + files together with a printout of <br />all the data collected, and (2) The Chub Biography, a collection of photographs and detailed <br />morphometric descriptions of all the Gila spp. collected. These supplements were distributed only to <br />the Biological Support Branch of the Bureau of Reclamation in Salt Lake City, UT; the Project Leader <br />and the Database Manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in Grand Junction, CO; the <br />Supervisor's Office of Canyonlands National Park, National Park Service (NPS) in Moab, UT; and the <br />Nongame Section of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) in Salt Lake City, UT. <br /> <br />1.1 Purpose and Objectives <br /> <br />The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the icthyofauna of Cataract Canyon and the <br />surrounding area of the upper Colorado River Basin, and to assess the importance of the area to the <br />endangered Colorado River fishes; Colorado squawfish (Ptychochei/us lucius), humpback chub (Gila <br />cypha) , bonytail (Gila elegans), and razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus). The objectives of the <br />investigation were as follows: <br /> <br />1. Determine spawning locations of endangered fishes in Cataract Canyon. <br />2. Determine whether humpback chub populations exist in Cataract Canyon. <br />3. Describe to what extent Reclamation's operation of Lake Powell influences nursery <br />habitat of Colorado squawfish in the Gypsum Canyon area <br /> <br />1.2 Background <br /> <br />This investigation was conducted as part of Reclamation's ongoing program on endangered fishes <br />of the upper Colorado River basin. Reclamation's commitment stems from the responsibility as a federal <br />agency to protect and, where possible, promote the recovery of these fish, as prescribed by the <br />Endangered Species Act of 1973. <br /> <br />Since 1979, Reclamation, in conjunction with the FWS, has funded and conducted studies to gain <br />a better understanding of the life hist.ory and living requirements of the endangered Colorado squawfish, <br />humpback chub, and bonytail, as well as the federal candidate species razorback sucker. A major <br />portion of this effort has been to fund the ongoing Colorado River Fisheries Project (CRFP) being <br />conducted by the FWS. <br /> <br />1 <br />