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HISTORIC DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE The razorback sucker was once abundant throughout 3,500 miles of the Basin (Figure 2), primarily in the mainstem and major tributaries in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and in the States of Baja California Norte and Sonora of Mexico (Ellis 1914; Minckley 1973). These fish were most abundant downstream of present-day Lake Mead and very abundant around Yuma, Arizona (Gilbert and Scofield 1898). There are few records of razorback suckers in Grand and Marble Canyons, perhaps due to lack of early sampling in these inaccessible canyon areas (Minckley and Carothers 1980; Minckley et al. 1991) or razorback suckers may have been historically uncommon in turbulent canyon reaches of the Lower Colorado River Basin (Bestgen 1990). Archeological remains of razorback suckers were common in the Salton Sea area (Minckley 1983; Minckley et al. 1991; Gobalet 1992), but increasing salinity made this habitat marginal for freshwater fishes after 1929 (Evermann 1916; Coleman 1929). Razorback sucker historically occurred in most warmwater reaches of the Gila River drainage (Bestgen 1990). Early reports suggest that it was common in the Gila River nearly to the New Mexico border (Kirsch 1888). Razorback suckers were abundant in the lower Salt River and in lower Tonto Creek (Hubbs and Miller 1953) and it occurred in the Verde River to Perkinsville, Arizona (Minckley 1973). Upstream distribution in the Salt River may have been limited by extensive canyon habitat (Bestgen 1990). In the Upper Basin, razorback suckers historically occurred in the Colorado, Green, and San Juan River Basins. In the Colorado River, razorback suckers occurred from Lee's Ferry to near Rifle, Colorado. They also were found in the Gunnison River upstream to Delta, Colorado (Hubbs and Miller 1953; Wiltzius 1978; Holden 1980). No records exist for razorback sucker in the Dolores River (Holden and Stalnaker 1975b). Historic distribution of razorback suckers in the Green River was from its confluence with the Colorado River upstream to Green River, Wyoming (Jordan 1891; Evermann and Rutter 1895; Sigler and Miller 1963; Baxter and Simon 1970; Vanicek et al. 1970). Razorback sucker have been captured in the lower few miles of the Duchesne River (Tyus 1987). Sigler and Miller (1963) report them uncommon in the lower White River near Ouray, Utah. Razorback sucker occur in the lower Yampa River and are considered rare upstream to the Little Snake River, Colorado (McAda and Wydoski 1980; Lanigan and Tyus 1989). Historic status of the razorback sucker in the San Juan drainage is not well known (Bestgen 1990). There is some anecdotal evidence that razorback suckers "ran" up the Animas River (Jordan 1891). Platania (1990) reported that the first verified record of razorback sucker from the San Juan River basin/drainage was in 1976 when two adults were collected from an irrigation pond near Bluff, Utah. 9