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McAda and Wydowski 1980), we speculate that this population may be <br />increasing in number, perhaps due to favorable runoff conditions in the <br />Yampa watershed in the mid-1980s. However, the current paucity of Colorado <br />River chubs in Split Mountain and Whirlpool canyons of the upper Green <br />River, relative to earlier decades (e.g., Vanicek et al. 1970; Holden and <br />Stalnaker 1975a) indicates a general decline of Gila in that system. This <br />trend may be related to stabilization of flows and the loss of natural <br />seasonal and annual flooding due to regulated flow releases from Flaming <br />Gorge Dam. <br />Although spawning was not observed due to high turbidity, humpback <br />chub spawned in Yampa Canyon as indicated by capture of ripe males and <br />females in the same shoreline eddies, and capture of young fish (88-228 mm <br />TL). However, spawning of humpback chub in the DNM portion of the Green <br />River (i.e., Whirlpool Canyon) was not indicated. A single ripe male was <br />collected there in 1988, but it is unknown whether that fish was <br />attempting to spawn in the Green River, or was a stray from the Yampa <br />River. <br />Ripe humpback chub were collected during the period of declining <br />spring flows and increasing river temperatures that followed peak runoff. <br />This occurred in May and June in low (e.g., 1987, 1989) and average <br />(e.g., 1988) flow years, but the spawning period extended into July in the <br />high flow year 1986. Sampling during pre-runoff and late post-runoff <br />yielded no humpback chub in breeding condition, and we presume the fish <br />spawned only during the 4-5 week period following highest spring flows. <br />Ripe fish were captured in Yampa Canyon at temperatures (200C) that <br />approximated optimum egg incubation conditions (Marsh 1985). River <br />13