<br />e
<br />
<br />38
<br />
<br />e
<br />
<br />H. M. TYUSAND]. M. BEARD
<br />
<br />[Volume 50
<br />
<br />only one female walleye with developed
<br />ovaries, and that was in May at a water tem-
<br />perature of 13 C. Walleye in other locations
<br />usually spawn at cooler water temperatures
<br />(3.3-7.2 C, Sigler and Miller 1963; 5.6-11.1
<br />C, Scott and Crossman 1973). No small wall-
<br />eye (< 395 mm TL) were captured in this
<br />study.
<br />
<br />Young of the endangered humpback chub,
<br />Gila cypha; bony tail chub, G. elegans; razor-
<br />back sucker, Xyrauchen texanus; and Colo-
<br />rado squawfish, Ptychocheilus lucius, may be
<br />potential prey for northern pike and walleye.
<br />None of these fishes were identified in stom-
<br />achs of northern pike or walleye, but our abil-
<br />ity to detect such predation was constrained
<br />by a small sample size of stomachs that con-
<br />tained food, rarity of endangered fishes, and
<br />inability to identify all of the fishes eaten.
<br />
<br />Sympatry of adults of northern pike, wall-
<br />eye, and endangered fishes is a cause for con-
<br />cern, particularly if resource sharing occurs
<br />during periods oflimited availability. We col-
<br />lected northern pike, walleye, and Colorado
<br />squawfish in similar shoreline habitats in the
<br />mainstream Green River; in addition, radio-
<br />tagged northern pike and Colorado squawfish
<br />were syntopic in the Green and Yampa rivers
<br />(Valdez and Masslich 1989, Wick and Hawkins
<br />1989). Northern pike were captured in shal-
<br />low, flooded habitats also utilized by razor-
<br />back sucker.
<br />
<br />Stocking programs for northern pike and
<br />walleye have been discontinued by state
<br />agencies in Colorado and Utah (G. M. Davis
<br />and P. J. Martinez, personal communication),
<br />and the relative absence of small fish of both
<br />species suggests that reproduction in the
<br />mainstream Green River is low or nonexistent
<br />during most years. However, the continuing
<br />invasion of northern pike and walleye into the
<br />Green River from established, reproducing
<br />stocks should be monitored, and their interac-
<br />tions with endangered fishes further evalu-
<br />ated until it can be more clearly demonstrated
<br />that competition or predation on endangered
<br />fishes does not occur or pose a serious threat.
<br />The increasing abundance and spread of
<br />northern pike, the diversity of fishes con-
<br />sumed, and its syntopy with endangered
<br />fishes make this voracious piscivore a poten-
<br />tial threat to endangered Colorado River
<br />fishes.
<br />
<br />ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
<br />
<br />This work was funded by the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation and the Fish and Wildlife Ser-
<br />vice. Numerous Fish and Wildlife Service
<br />employees assisted with data collection. We
<br />thank S. R. Cranny and M. Moretti of the
<br />Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and R. A.
<br />Valdez of BIO/WEST Incorporated for pro-
<br />viding northern pike and walleye stomachs.
<br />G. B. Haines and D. Moses aided in data
<br />summarization and word processing. C. A.
<br />Karp, P. Pister, and an anonymous reviewer
<br />improved an earlier draft manuscript.
<br />
<br />LITERATURE CITED
<br />
<br />BEYERLE, G. B., AND J. K WILLIAMS. 1968. Some observa-
<br />tions of food selectivity by northern pike in
<br />aquaria. Transactions of the American Fisheries
<br />Society 97: 28-31.
<br />CAR LANDER, K D. 1969. Handbook of freshwater fishery
<br />biology. Vol. I. Iowa State University Press,
<br />Ames. 752 pp.
<br />CARLSON, G A, AND K M. CARLSON. 1982. Review of
<br />selected literature on the upper Colorado River
<br />system and its fishes. Pages 1-8 in W. H. Miller,
<br />H. M. Tyus, and GA. Carlson, eds., Fishes of the
<br />upper Colorado River system: present and future.
<br />American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.
<br />131 pp.
<br />COOK, M. F., AND K P. BERGERSEN. 1988. Movements,
<br />habitat selection, and activity periods of northern
<br />pike in Eleven Mile Reservoir, Colorado. Transac-
<br />tions of the American Fisheries Society 117:
<br />495-502.
<br />FROST, W. K 1954. The food of pike, Esox lucius L., in
<br />Windermere. Journal of Animal Ecology 23:
<br />339-360.
<br />HOLDEN, P. B., AND G B. STALNAKER. 1975. Distribution
<br />and abundance of mainstream fishes of the middle
<br />and upper Colorado River basins, 1967-1973.
<br />Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
<br />104: 217-231.
<br />JOSEPH, T W., J. A SINNING, R J. BEHNKE. AND P. B.
<br />HOLDEN. 1977. An evaluation of the status, life
<br />history, and habitat requirements of endangered
<br />and threatened fishes of the upper Colorado River
<br />system. FWS/OBS-77-62. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
<br />Service, Office of Biological Services, Fort
<br />Collins, Colorado. 194 pp.
<br />LAWLER, G. H. 1965. The food of the pike, Esox lucius, in
<br />Hemming Lake, Manitoba. Journal of the Fish-
<br />eries Resource Board of Canada 22: 1357-1377.
<br />MILLER, R B. 1948. A note on the movement of the pike,
<br />Esox lucius. Copeia 1948: 62.
<br />MOYLE, P. B., H. W. LI, AND B. A BARTON. 1986. The
<br />Frankenstein effect: impact of introduced fishes
<br />on native fishes in North America. Pages 415-426
<br />in R. H. Stroud, ed" Fish culture in fisheries
<br />management. American Fisheries Society, Be-
<br />thesda, Maryland. 481 pp.
<br />
<br />~
<br />
|