9561

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9561
• Author: Modde, T. and G. B. Haines.
• Title: Adult Fish Use in the Duchesne River Below Myton, 1997-2000.
• USFW Year: 2003.
• USFW - Doc Type: 84-3,
• Copyright Material: NO

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Duchesne River Adult fish monitoring

the confluence of the Duchesne and Uinta rivers (rmi 14.2) in February 1998. These data loggers
recorded the date, time, direction, and radio frequency of radio implanted fish that passed by the
station. Logging stations operated through the winter of 2000. Due to operator error, the Ouray
logger did not record data between 3 July and 7 August 1998.
Two Colorado pikeminnow that remained in the Duchesne River during summer of 1997
were tracked during a 24-hour period in an effort to identify mesohabitat types (Bisson et al. 1982)
and microhabitat features occupied. Fish with radio frequency 40.323 MHz was monitored 14-15
August 1997 near rmi 12.8, and fish 40.303 MHz was monitored 19-20 August 1997 between rmi
11.9-12.9. Fish location and habitats used were recorded. In addition, several implanted Colorado
pikeminnow passed the Ouray logging station during the spring while they resided in the tributary.
Periods of travel were recorded and plotted to indicate die1 patterns of movement.

Results

Flow

Flows during the study period varied from a spring average daily peak flow of 5,860 cfs in
1998, to 321 cfs in 2000. Peak and base flows during three of the four years of study were above
average (1997, 1998, and 1999), with flows in 2000 well below average. Base flows in 1997 were
lower than 100 cfs only three days during the spring and summer, in 1998 flows were less that 300
cfs only three days during the same time period and in 1999, flows during the sampling period
were below 200 cfs only once. On the contrary, average daily flows in spring and summer
following peak flows were less than 100 cfs during most days in 2000 (Figure 2).

Adult Fish Monitoring
Twenty-two fish species, and one hybrid, were captured during the three years of adult
sampling, including 7 native and 15 nonnative species. The most abundant species captured in the
spring among all years was flannelmouth sucker, followed by common carp, white sucker, and
channel catfish, and smallmouth bass (Table 3). In addition to flannelmouth sucker, other native
fish captured were bluehead sucker, razorback sucker, Colorado pikeminnow, roundtail chub,
speckled dace, and mountain whitefish. Forty-three Colorado pikeminnow (29 during fish

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