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CONCLUSIONS <br />1) Growth rate in Colorado squawfish older than 10 years is slower than previously <br />thought. <br />2) Annual increases in length average 82 mm per year in 3-year-olds but decline to 4 mm <br />per year in fish > 800 mm long. <br />3) Size at which most individuals reach sexual maturity (428-503 mm TL; Seethaler <br />1978) is attained at about seven years of age. <br />4) Size of fish of a given age is highly variable: simulations indicated lengths of 10-year- <br />olds may vary by 100 mm; of 20-year-olds, 200 mm. <br />5) Longevity is likely greater than previously thought; simulations indicated that most <br />individuals 800 mm long are estimated to be between 20 and 40 years old; those 900 <br />mm long are estimated to be at least 32 years old and perhaps considerably older. <br />6) Annual adult survival rate is not particularly low; two separate estimators produced <br />consistent results: 0.86. <br />7) Historic growth and survival rates are unknown. <br />8) Average size of Colorado squawfish in the Colorado River increases in an upstream <br />direction; over time adults become concentrated in the upper reach. <br />9) Though subadults and adults are found in backwaters throughout the river during <br />spring runoff, some backwaters have consistently higher catch rates than others. <br />10) Small adults move greater distances over time than do larger adults, and fish in the <br />lower reach (mostly small adults) move greater distances between captures than do <br />fish in the upper reach. <br />11) There is considerable movement of adults from the lower to the upper reach but <br />little to no movement from the upper to lower reach. <br />12) Body condition of subadults is high during spring in the lower reach but declines as <br />they grow to adult size; conversely, in the upper reach, condition increases as adults <br />grow. <br />13) Net displacement of adults to the upper reach and improved body condition is likely <br />related to significantly higher densities of native forage fish there. <br />vi