7617

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7617
• Author: Platania, S. P. and K. R. Bestgen.
• Title: Survey of the Fishes of the Lower San Juan River, New Mexico.
• USFW Year: 1987.
• USFW - Doc Type: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Copyright Material: NO

Of the 14 forms collected, eight were represented by six or
fewer specimens. Included in these eight were two of the target
species (roundtail chub and Colorado squawfish), plus
flannelmouth x bluehead sucker hybrids. Of the remaining five
species, the red shiner and fathead minnow were most common in
backwaters while black bullhead, bluegill, and mottled sculpin
were uncommon throughout the study area. With the exception of
brown trout, the rest of the species (six) were represented by at
least 100 specimens, and they accounted for almost 99% of the
total number of fish caught by electrofishing.
The native flannelmouth and bluehead suckers were the most
frequently taken species (47% and 26%, respectively), comprising
73% of the total catch. Flannelmouth sucker occurred in all 98 _
collections and bluehead sucker were collected at all but four of
the stations. The third and fourth most abundant species were
non-native common carp and channel catfish. While common carp
were collected at 83 localities and channel catfish at 59, both
species were actually more abundant than the data indicate (12%
and 11%, respectively). During electrofishing runs when we
encountered a reach which appeared to be particularly good
habitat for target species, we would concentrate our netting
effort on the native species. Common carp and catfish were
frequently avoided because their spines almost always became
tangled in the net, and we did not want to jeopardize our chances
of netting a Gila sp. or Colorado squawfish.
The native speckled dace, the fifth most abundant species,
was also much more common than the electrofishing data indicate.
25