<br />]72
<br />
<br />VALDEZ AND MUTH
<br />
<br />drift of young occurs in streams and may be fol-
<br />lowed by a second drift period in response to popu-
<br />lation density (Sigler and Miller 1963). Mottled
<br />sculpin and Paiute sculpin are bottom dwellers and
<br />feed mostly at night on snails, amphipods, oligocha-
<br />etes, insect larvae, and planktonic crustaceans, in-
<br />cidentally consuming detritus, and filamentous
<br />green algae (Sigler and Sigler 1996).
<br />
<br />Mountain Whitefish
<br />
<br />Mountain whitefish are typically 150-450 mm TL
<br />and 500-1,300 g (Sigler and Sigler 1996). Thespe-
<br />cies is trout-like in appearance, but has a much smaller
<br />head, larger adipose fin, large scales, and no teeth.
<br />The snout is pointed and extends past the mouth.
<br />Mountain whitefish is a game fish with bag and pos-
<br />session limits in most upper basin states. It is found in
<br />cold mountain streams and is common to abundant
<br />above 2, 1 00 m devation. Mountain whitefISh inhabits
<br />swift streams and cold, deep lakes. Newly hatched fry
<br />use shallow water along shorelines, at stream edges,
<br />or in protected backwaters, but they move into deeper
<br />water as they grow. Mountain whitefish prefers tem-
<br />peratures of 14-160C, but tolerates temperatures far
<br />above and below this range, which gives it greater
<br />survival abilities than trout or salmon. It is also able to
<br />thrive in water with lower DO than most trout spe-
<br />cies. Mountain whitefish usually mature in 3-4 years
<br />and live up to 17-18 years. Spawning occurs at night
<br />between October and December over gravd or rocks
<br />in streams or in shallow lake shores at water tempera-
<br />tures of 5-60C. Fecundity is about 1,500-7,000 eggs
<br />per female. Eggs are broadcast over cobble substrate
<br />and hatch in early spring after about 5 months of
<br />incubation. Mountain whitefish usually eat aquatic
<br />insect larvae, small molluscs, eggs, and sometimes fish.
<br />
<br />Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
<br />
<br />Colorado River cutthroat trout are currently a
<br />conservation species in Utah, Colorado, and Wyo-
<br />ming. A conservation agreement and strategy was
<br />developed to provide a collaborative strategy for
<br />conservation and to allow more flexibility in man-
<br />agement (CRCT Task Force 2001). The Colorado
<br />River cutthroat trout is classified as a sensitive spe-
<br />cies by Regions 2 and 4 of the U.S. Forest Service
<br />
<br />(USFS) and by the Bureau of Land Management
<br />(BLM).
<br />Colorado River cutthroat trout historically oc-
<br />cupied portions of the Colorado River system in
<br />Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New
<br />Mexico (Behnke 1992), including portions oflarger
<br />streams, such as the Green, Yampa, White, Colo-
<br />rado, and San Juan rivers, but it was probably ab-
<br />sent from the lower reaches of many large rivers
<br />because of high summer temperatures (Simon
<br />1935; Behnke 1979). Distribution and abundance
<br />of Colorado River cutthroat trout have declined,
<br />and the species is limited to small populations in less
<br />than 1 % of its historic range (Binns 1977; Behnke
<br />1979; Martinez 1988; Young 1995). Like other
<br />inland forms, this subspecies evolved in the absence
<br />of other trouts. It is highly susceptible to hybridiza-
<br />tion with rainbow trout and competitive replace-
<br />ment by brown trout Salmo trutta and brook trout
<br />Salvelinus fimtinalis. Pure Colorado River cutthroat
<br />trout remain as small populations in Colorado, Utah,
<br />and Wyoming (Behnke 1992). Many adfluvial stocks
<br />have been lost (Young 1995), and some populations
<br />have been reestablished. The largest pure popula-
<br />tion of Colorado River cutthroat trout in Trapper's
<br />Lake, Colorado, was recently hybridized by rainbow
<br />trout (Behnke 2002). Fortunatdy, a 1931 shipment
<br />of pure Trapper's Lake fish was traced to Williamson
<br />Lakes, California, and 300 fish were procured for
<br />transport to Bench Lake, Colorado, for devdopment
<br />of pure populations (Martinez 1988; Pister 1990).
<br />Remaining populations of Colorado River cutthroat
<br />trout occur mostly in headwater streams and lakes.
<br />Most lotic populations are in isolated headwater
<br />streams with average daily flow less than 0.85 m3 / s,
<br />stream gradients that usually exceed 4%, and eleva-
<br />tions above 2,290 m (Young 1995).
<br />Colorado River cutthroat trout hybridizes with
<br />other subspecies of cutthroat trout or with rain-
<br />bow trout in many areas of its historic range, com-
<br />promising genetic integrity. The Colorado River
<br />cutthroat trout conservation team has developed a
<br />database that is updated annually to track genetic
<br />information for each population. Seven categories
<br />have been identified for determining the genetic
<br />status of each population and a determination of
<br />appropriate management actions. Populations with
<br />
|