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Inventory of Large-sized Fishes <br />Composition and Abundance <br />Electrofishing, trammel nets, and trap nets mostly captured sub-adults and <br />adults of the larger-sized fish. Of the 21 fishes collected during the entire <br />study, 15 species and three hybrid suckers were collected with these three gear <br />types (Appendix; Table A.1.). Eleven species and two hybrid sucker were <br />nonnative whereas four species and one hybrid sucker were native. Three <br />additional species, red shiner, sand shiner, and western mosquitofish, were <br />collected with seines. <br />Endangered Fishes. Nineteen adult Colorado squawfish were captured in both <br />Gardner and Hotspot ponds. In Gardner Pond, three were captured during pre- <br />runoff, seven during runoff, and two during post-runoff. In Hotspot Pond, one <br />was collected during pre-runoff, six during runoff, and none during post-runoff. <br />Eleven of these fish had been captured previously (Appendix B; Table B.1.). In <br />Gardner Pond, Colorado squawfish comprised 0.60% of the fish collected during <br />pre-runoff, 2.49% during runoff, and 1.46% during post-runoff. In Hotspot Pond, <br />Colorado squawfish comprised 0.14% during pre-runoff and 1.87% during runoff. <br />Five of these 19 fish were implanted with 360-day LOTEK° radiotags and <br />translocated to the Lower Gunnison River as part of another study to evaluate if <br />adult Colorado squawfish would use the fish passageway at the Redlands Diversion <br />Dam. One Colorado squawfish died in a trammel net. No other endangered fishes <br />were collected. <br />Pre-Runoff Sampling. Native fish comprised 15% of the 663 fish collected <br />from Gardner Pond whereas only 3% of the 697 fish collected from Hotspot Pond <br />were native (Figure 4). Between 9 and 19 April, the three most common fishes <br />collected from Gardner Pond were black bullhead (36%), and white sucker and <br />common carp (19% each). Species relative abundance was similar for Hotspot Pond: <br />black bullhead (31%), common carp (26X), and white sucker (18%; Table 1). <br />It was assumed that all fish were removed in December 1995 when Gardner <br />Pond was drained. Data from the April 1996 inventory indicated that nonnative <br />fishes invaded and recolonized Gardner Pond within the 4 months following <br />construction of the connection channel but before the April sampling. Species <br />such as black bullhead, black crappie, green sunfish, and largemouth bass <br />probably originated from neighboring Hotspot Pond. <br />Runoff Sampling. Native fish used these two connected ponds mostly during <br />runoff. Native fish comprised 39% and 13% of the catch in Gardner and Hotspot <br />ponds, respectively (Figure 4). Of the 282 fish collected in Gardner Pond, the <br />most common fishes collected were flanneimouth sucker (33%), green sunfish (24%), <br />and white sucker (21%). Of the 321 fish collected in Hotspot Pond, the most <br />common were white sucker (33X), black bullhead (18X), and bluegill (13%; Table <br />2). <br />10