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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br />The Colorado River in Black Rocks was sampled in 1998, 1999, and 2000 to estimate <br />size and structure of the humpback chub population. Sampling occurred in late summer - <br />earlyfall after water temperatures began to cool for the year. Three sampling trips were <br />conducted in 1998 and 2000; four trips were made in 1999. Sampling was primarily done <br />with multi-filament trammel nets (1-in inner mesh), although Gila captures were <br />supplemented with electrofishing and trap nets in 1998 and with angling in all years. <br />Trammel nets were set in shoreline eddies in early morning and late afternoon. Nets were run <br />at 1 to 2 hr intervals with 2 hrs set as a maximum interval (mean 1.5 hr). All Gila were <br />removed from the nets, placed in fresh water and transported to a central processing point. <br />All Gila were identified as either humpback chub or roundtail, checked for a PIT tag, <br />measured (total length, ± 1 mm), and weighed (± 1 g). Untagged fish were equipped with a <br />PIT tag before release. After handling, Gila were placed in a 1.5% salt bath for 0.5-1 min, <br />and released at the common location. About 9% of the total number of humpback chubs <br />handled were placed in a live cage and held overnight to assess initial mortality - no <br />overnight mortalities occurred. All fish appeared healthy when released. <br />Catch rates declined markedly in 2000 compared with 1998 and 1999. A total of 184 <br />humpback chubs were handled in 1998 (number does not include within year recaptures), 293 <br />in 1999 (four trips compared with three trips in other years) and 68 in 2000. Within year <br />recapture rates were about 10%, with overall recapture rates of 30 to 40% (includes multiple <br />recaptures of the same fish during the same sampling trip, recaptures of fish tagged by other <br />investigators or fish tagged in previous years of this study). Recaptures included a total of 14 <br />humpback chubs that had originally been tagged in Westwater Canyon. In addition, three <br />humpback chubs tagged in Black Rocks were subsequently recaptured in Westwater Canyon. <br />Length-frequency distributions of humpback chub were bimodal in all years. Modes <br />were at 23-25 cm and 31-34 cm. Growth of recaptured fish averaged 7 mm per year. There <br />was no significant difference in growth when humpback chubs were partitioned into two size <br />groups based on the length-frequency distribution. All humpback chub were sexed during the <br />iv <br />