Laserfiche WebLink
SUBADULT-ADULT COLORADO SQUAWFISH <br />Unlike YOY Colorado squawfish monitoring, subadult-adult monitoring was not a direct <br />continuation of studies done by earlier investigators. However, spring electrofishing of some form <br />was done regulazly in the 1970's and 1980's-the Colorado Division of Wildlife had a formal <br />monitoring program in rivers within Colorado (Wick et al. 1981, 1985a, 1985b) and the Service <br />regulazly sampled in different parts of the basin as pazt of their studies (Tyus et al. 1982, 1987; <br />Valdez et al. 1982; Archer et al. 1985). Some of this sampling evolved into a spring monitoring <br />program in the Green River when the same azeas were electrofished every year at about the same <br />time (Tyus et al. 1987). Considerable sampling was also done in the Colorado River every year, but <br />sampling times and azeas vazied from yeaz to yeaz. More recent sampling in parts of the Colorado <br />River not sampled by ISMP became more consistent from yeaz to yeaz and complements the <br />monitoring program (Osmundson and Kaeding 1989). <br />The Biological Subcommittee (1984) used the data mentioned above to delineate reaches where <br />most subadult or adult Colorado squawfish had been captured during the earlier studies. Some of the <br />reaches described in the Sensitive Areas Document (Biological Subcommittee 1984) were modified <br />slightly to accommodate logistic considerations and make sampling more efficient. The azeas sampled <br />for ISMP were not the only reaches occupied by Colorado squawfish, nor were they necessarily the <br />most important reaches, but ISMP participants felt that these reaches composed sufficient adult habitat <br />within the upper basin that they could be used to monitor trends in the population. <br />Sampling Reaches <br />The subadult-adult Colorado squawfish monitoring program samples 186 miles of four rivers in <br />the upper Colorado River Basin-the Green (five reaches, 77 miles), Colorado (three reaches, 54 <br />miles), White (two reaches, 30 miles) and Yampa (three reaches, 25 miles) rivers (Figure 9). These <br />reaches compose about 20 to 30Ro of occupied habitat within each of the four rivers. The following <br />information briefly describes the 13 sampling reaches. <br />Green River <br />Reach 1-A 7-mile section located in Island and Rainbow parks within Dinosaur National <br />Monument. The sample reach is between Whirlpool and Split Mountain Canyons. Gradient is high <br />(mean, 10 ft/mi) with an abundance of cobble and rubble substrate in the Island Pazk portion, but <br />gradient is reduced (2 ft/mi) and substrates aze smaller in the lower Rainbow Park segment. Islands <br />and side channels aze common in this section. No significant tributaries enter the Green River in <br />Reach 1. <br />Reach 2-This section begins at the Dinosaur National Monument bridge neaz Chew Ranch and <br />continues downstream 18 miles to a point about 0.5 miles downstream from the confluence of Ashley <br />Creek. The upper 8 miles of this reach aze higher gradient (5.5 ft/mi) with cobble-rubble substrate <br />and the lower 10 miles aze low gradient (1.8 ft/mi) with sand substrate. Two significant tributazies- <br />Brush Creek and Ashley Creek-enter the Green River within this reach. <br />Reach 3-Reach 3, the lowermost Green River reach within the Uintah Basin, begins at the <br />upper end of Leota Bottom within Ouray National Wildlife Refuge and continues downstream 17 <br />miles to an island about 1 mile below the mouth of the White River. The entire reach is low gradient <br />26 <br />