7273

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7273
• Author: Prewitt, C. G., E. J. Wick and D. E. Snyder.
• Title: Population and Habitat Monitoring Program for the Endangered Humpback Chub ‎(
• USFW Year: 1978.
• Copyright Material: NO

1 6.
A BLM baseline survey team electrofished four Colorado squawfish on the Yampa
and White Rivers (Prewitt et al. 1977 and 1978). On 22 April 1977 a 539 min
squawfish was captured at site A on the Yampa River north of Maybell, Colorado.
On 27 May 1977 two squawfish, 570 and 485 mm, were captured at site C on the
White River, 2 km upstream from the confluence of Piceance Creek. On 27
June 1977 a 472 mm squawfish was electrofished on the Yampa River at special
site Y2J near Juniper Hot Springs. Mr. George Kidd of Clifton, Colorado
captured a 565 mm squawfish in a hand seine on the Colorado River at or near
site A, Palisade, Colorado on 30 July 1977 (Kidd, personal communication).
The Yampa and White River sites of known squawfish captures were
sampled by seine,dip net, and electrofishing during 27-31 July. No squawfish
were seen or collected. Exceptionally low flows of 20 cfs on the Yampa and 50 cfs
on the White River were reported just prior to the trend zone and special
site sampling. However, rainstorms restored flows to levels experienced
during sampling for the BLM in June. Water levels on the Colorado, between
Palisade and Clifton were also critically low during our sampling trip.
When comparing the species compositions of the five trend zones it
becomes quite apparent that the White River has retained the greatest domin-
ance of native fishes over introduced species (Table 6). The dominance of
native fishes coupled with the recent captures of Colorado squawfish indi-
cates that the White River may offer more potential as endangered fish
habitat than previously thought.
Native fishes were also well represented in the Yampa River. However,
introduced species (carp, C rinus carpio; sandshiners, Notropis stramineus;
fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas and redside shiners, Richardsonius balteatus)
have become quite common.
The fish faunas in habitats sampled on the Colorado and Gunnison River
trend zones were dominated by introduced species (fathead minnows, sandshiners,