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<br />survival of age-O razorback sucker. Below are three management options for depression <br />wetlands: <br /> <br />a) Provide water control and draining capability to a few large, naturally connected <br />wetlands that will maintain water elevation through the summer allowing rearing <br />of wild razorback sucker and removal of nonnative fishes simultaneously. <br />Benefits of this option are that fish could be reared, counted and introduced <br />directly into the Green River (following establishment of trends, counting and <br />segregating native and nonnative fish may not be necessary). Given the high <br />percent of nonnative fish biomass that access wetlands, periodic removal of <br />nonnative fishes would offer a significant, if not the major opportunity to remove <br />nonnative fish from the Middle Green River. A disadvantage of this option is <br />construction cost. Given current knowledge, the cost of a future structure would <br />be significant, but less than the one constructed in 1993/5. Labor costs to collect <br />and sort fish would be minimal and not required annually. This approach would <br />represent an intervention effort that would assist the population in increasing its <br />abundance on a short-term basis, but is probably not the answer to long-term <br />sustainability. <br /> <br />b) Depression wetlands could be partially breached so that flows enter the wetland <br />more regularly and fish have access to the river in their second or third year of <br />life. Flo Engineering (1996) indicated that excavation in the Ouray area could <br />result in floodplain inundation similar to historical frequency. Thus, depression <br />wetlands would still exist, but would not be as deep. The advantages of this <br />approach is that wetlands would be connected to the river more frequently and for <br />greater duration. If the dikes on wetlands were lowered to allow connection to the <br />river at382 m3/s, differences in time between floodplain isolation (from receding <br />river elevation) and most backwater appearance in the Ouray area of the Green <br />River would have been reduced from 36 d to 30 d in 1995. In 1996, the first <br />razorback sucker larvae in the river would have had access to floodplains for 12 <br />days (larvae were first collected on June 3 with the last larvae captured June 27 <br />and flows receded below 382 m3/s on June 15). Under this management option, <br />the wetland would probably dry more frequently, increasing its productive <br />capacity by aerating soils (i.e. moist soil management). A disadvantage of this <br />approach is that water levels may decline during the late summer to the point <br />where water quality and fish survival are threatened during either the summer or <br />following winter. In 1994, if water had not been supplemented in Old Charley <br />Wash, fish probably would not have survived through the summer. Thus, this <br />option would only be preferable for sites that could maintain adequate depth <br />through the summer and may only be suitable during high flow years. Another <br />potential disadvantage may be contribution of nonnative fishes into the main <br />channel in the following spring when the wetland is connected. <br /> <br />2. The long-term solution to razorback sucker recovery is habitat availability. The <br />connectivity and maintenance of floodplain habitats is dependent on the frequency, <br /> <br />47 <br />