7204 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

vii ABSTRACT A fisheries survey of the White River, Utah was made during the summer of 1978 and spring of 1979. The objective was to determine the abundance and distribution of endemic fish during spring runoff, when adult fish might ascend the river to spawn, and following runoff, when larval fish might be present. This data is needed by the BLM to assist them in the evaluation of the State of Utah dam proposal of the White River for oil shale development. Seining, electrofishing, and a combination of these two techniques were used to capture fish. The fish population of the White River was similar to that in other eastern Utah streams. Red shiners (Notropis lutrensis) were most abundant, followed by roundtail chubs (Gila robusta), flannelmouth suckers (Catostomus latipinnis), speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus), fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), carp (Cy rinus car io), and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), in decreasing order of magnitude. Bluehead suckers (Catostomus discobolus), black bullheads (Ictalurus melas), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius) individually comprised less than 0.5% of the total number of fish. Native fish were more I abundant at upstream stations; exotic fish were more abundant at downstream stations. A total of 15 specimens of an endangered fish, the Colorado squawfish, were captured or observed. These fish were captured in habitat reported to be preferred by squawfish. Neither sex, maturity, nor degree or ripeness could be determined even though the fish were large enough to have been mature. Extensive sampling of larval and juvenile squawfish habitat was conducted but no young squawfish were found. Two hybrids involving threatened or endangered fish were found, one possible humpback chub x bonytail chub (Gila c ha x G. ele ans) hybrid and one humpback sucker x flannelmouth sucker (Xyrauchen texanus x Catostomus latipinnis) hybrid.