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for river water. The impact of reduced flows on fish <br />and wildlife was evaluated, and flows to meet most <br />production and survival needs for all sizes of trout <br />and to ensure winter survival were recommended. <br />Wiley and Mullan (1975) evaluated consequences of <br />four flow regimes to help the public allocate their <br />basic water supply. When discharges released from <br />Fontenelle Reservoir resulted in excessive water <br />velocities in relation to available shelter, low use, <br />low yield, and modest standing crop of trout were <br />realized (Mullan et aL 1976). Wiley and Dufek (1980) <br />discussed standing stocks and mortality rates of <br />rainbow and brown trout in the Fontenelle tail- <br />water; growth was excellent because of the produc- <br />tive environment. The main factor limiting standing <br />stock was lack of instream cover. Early data col- <br />lected after some instream cover (large boulders) <br />was provided suggested increased stock in the im- <br />proved areas. <br />Gaufin et aL (1960) conducted an aquatic survey of <br />the Green River and its tributaries in the Flaming <br />Gorge Reservoir Basin. A checklist of native and in- <br />troduced fishes was included in their report. <br />In early September 1962, prior to the closure of <br />Flaming Gorge Dam, the Green River and its <br />tributaries for 362 km above the damsite were <br />treated with rotenone to cause a large-scale reduc- <br />tion of "coarse" fish populations and allow reser- <br />voirs and rivers to realize their full potential as <br />trout fisheries (Dexter 1965). The result of introduc- <br />tion of rotenone into the complex river ecosystem <br />was a biological catastrophe. However, Dexter <br />reported a gradual increase in river biota, aided by <br />the stocking of "desired" fish species, by the time <br />his paper was written. Binns (1967) substantiated <br />Dexter's report and discussed devastation of the in- <br />vertebrate community and its subsequent inability <br />to recover. <br />Vanicek et aL (1970) analyzed the effect on the <br />Green River in Utah of the closure in November <br />1962 of Flaming Gorge Dam. They studied changes <br />in the river environment; determined species com- <br />position, distribution, and abundance of fishes; and <br />compared 1963-1966 distribution of fishes with <br />preimpoundment collections. Seasonal flows <br />changed from high spring and low winter flows to a <br />relatively stabilized seasonal flow pattern, and <br />temperatures and temperature fluctuations <br />decreased. Native fish populations were replaced by <br />rainbow trout in a 42-km section below the damsite. <br />Stalnaker and Holden (1973) stated that no native <br />species were reproducing in the 105-km area from <br />the dam to the mouth of the Yampa River and that <br />trout had replaced native species to the confluence <br />of the Yampa. Four native species (humpback chub, <br />Colorado squawfish, bonytail chub, and razorback <br />sucker) were considered rare. These authors sug- <br />gested that the Yampa River, the Green and Col- <br />orado rivers in the Canyonlands section of <br />southeastern Utah, and Desolation Canyon on the <br />middle Green River appeared to be the only areas in <br />this sub-basin ecologically suitable for maintaining <br />reproducing populations of the large-river endemic <br />fishes. <br />The tailwater fishery of Flaming Gorge Reservoir <br />had discharge and shelter components that resulted <br />in an exceptional trout yield prior to dysfunction by <br />lowered water temperatures (Mullan et aL 1976). In <br />1978, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation installed an in- <br />let modification to aid the failing tailwater trout <br />fishery. Warmer water drawn from higher reservoir <br />levels to enhance trout production has elevated <br />stream temperatures and may restore successful <br />reproduction of Colorado squawfish below the dam <br />(Holden 1979). <br />Miller (1965) discussed the fishes of Dinosaur Na- <br />tional Monument and reviewed changes resulting <br />from the closure of Flaming Gorge Dam. Seethaler <br />et aL (1979) reviewed earlier work and emphasized <br />the importance of waters in Dinosaur National <br />Monument for the continued existence of endemic <br />fishes. They listed stream alteration (due to dams, <br />irrigation, dewatering, channelization, and unstable <br />banks), increases in competition and predation (due <br />to introduction of non-native fishes), pollution, <br />eutrophication, and other factors as possible causes <br />of declines of endangered and threatened endemic <br />fishes. <br />Three sampling areas of Holden and Stalnaker <br />(1975a) were on the Green River below its con- <br />fluence with the Yampa. Flannelmouth and <br />bluehead suckers were predominant in this area. <br />Joseph et aL (1977) stressed the importance of the <br />Yampa River for maintenance of Green River <br />spawning temperatures; recent evidence demon- <br />strates that the Yampa itself provides spawning <br />habitat for rare native fishes. An extensive review <br />of the literature on fishes of the Yampa was done by <br />Carlson et aL (1979). Holden and Stalnaker (1975b) <br />concluded that the Yampa River was of extreme im- <br />portance to the preservation of rare and endangered <br />fishes in the Colorado River Basin; all of the rare <br />forms were then present in the Yampa, and some <br />were apparently reproducing. Carlson et aL (1979) <br />presented data on fishes collected in the Yampa <br />River from 1975 to 1978 between Lily Park Pool <br />near Cross Mountain and Hayden, Colorado. Fish <br />distribution, relative abundance, reproduction, <br />growth, food, and habitat were discussed. In 1981, <br />Tyus et aL (1982) discovered the first spawning <br />ground of Colorado squawfish in lower Yampa Can- <br />yon. Radiotelemetered fish moved into this location <br />from the upper Yampa and middle Green rivers. <br />This discovery links the decline of the Colorado <br />squawfish with blockage of spawning migrations. <br />Joseph et aL (1977) reviewed the history of the <br />White River Basin and stated that changes in the <br />White River due to potential oil shale development <br />will significantly affect the Green River. Carlson et <br />aL (1979) provided an extensive literature review on <br />the White River fishes and a report on fishes col- <br />lected in Colorado from 1975 to 1978. Lanigan and <br />Berry (1979) provided an in-depth report on the <br />endemic fishes of the White River in Utah. <br />4