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stocking may be delayed to account for special physical conditions such as high summer releases from the Aspinall Unit during years with high snow pack. 7. Physical and Behavioral Conditioning of Fish Captive-reared fish that are stocked into the river may not be able to cope with the riverine environment unless they are physically conditioned prior to release (Sanger 1993). Another possibility is that the fish are conditioned to feeding on organisms in ponds that are more numerous than in the river and that the fish starve to death after release. Pond-reared adult bonytail (Gila elegans) released in the Green River (1988; Chart and Cranney 1993) and adult razorback sucker released in the Upper Colorado and Gunnison rivers (USFWS, unpublished data) exhibited delayed mortality after stocking. Some of this mortality has been attributed to lack of conditioning, but many other factors were also involved. However, some of the adult razorbacks have survived for one year and therefore were able to condition themselves for life in the river. Further, pond-reared razorback suckers stocked into the San Juan River have survived for at least one year and appeared in good condition when captured. Therefore, stocking pond-reared fish without any prior conditioning does not guarantee failure. Facilities are currently limited and conditioning of fish before release is not a realistic option at this time. However, additional facilities are proposed for Grand Junction and other locations. Options for physically conditioning fish will be explored during the planning stages for these facilities. The new facility in Grand Junction will use circular tanks which could be used to condition fish if sufficient water flow is available. Also, the facility will be located next to the Highline Canal which has considerable water flow. It is possible that the canal could be used to condition fish in some way. Therefore, although no physical conditioning is currently planned for the razorback sucker to be stocked as part of this plan, the pros and cons of conditioning will 'continue to be explored. It may be incorporated into the plan at a later. date. 8. Monitoring of Stocked Fish Long Term A basin-wide monitoring program is being developed through the Recovery Program's Flooded Bottomland Enhancement and Restoration Program. This monitoring program will provide consistency among all river basins over the life of the Recovery Program., Any activities conducted as part of this stocking plan will be closely coordinated with the basin-wide monitoring plan when it is developed. Short Term Following the stocking of razorback sucker, sampling will be done about two weeks following stocking to monitor distribution and early survival 10