7036

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7036
• Author: Holden, P. B. and C. B. Stalnaker
• Title: Distribution of Fishes in the Dolores and Yampa River Systems of the Upper Colorado Basin
• USFW Year: 1975
• USFW - Doc Type: The Southwestern Naturalist
• Copyright Material: YES

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1 1968-1970.
Ill[lling from
in 1968 and
2Y2 in mesh
n the lower
of 1971 the
!d at several
I from Craig
Itervals. I
s (Gila sp.)

.a Rh'er the
onling ther-
ode! DR-EL

n relativc

tally with
opulation.
nel y large
.ed a twill

ne habitat
~presen tcd
led in the

only one
!d with no

r mean it

Ires Rivcr
ubs (Gila
mth suck-
. numbers
river than

Ie Yampa
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TABLE 1

Occurrence and relative ahundanccf of fishes in the Dolores River,
Colorado and Utah, 1971

Collc(:IJon sires
I T.I,c-
! Utah Gateway ~ua(hc Cf)nnU~nfe Paradox J li~h\\'a)' \.aJllme
! Species Sectiun C:olorado Creek San )li~llel Ikld~c I'll Colorado
I Cyprinus carpio A S
Pimephales promelas C C S A
, Notropis stramineus A C
I Notropis lutrensis A C C C
I Gila robustaO C C A C A A
I RJlinichthys osculus. A C C S C A
Cotostomus latipinnis. A A A C A
Catostomus discobolus' S C A
I Ictalurus punctatus A C
Lepomis cyanellus S A C A
I I'd ;cropterus salmoides S

. Indigenous.
t A==A~m1(lant; C=COJIIlllOll; S=Scarcc; -=Not taken.

Several patterns of distribution depend!'nt on time of year or man's
influence were noted. Hainbow trout (Slltmo gairdneri), brown trout
(Salmo tnttta), cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki), and mountain white-
fish (Prosopium williamson i) were found in lower Yampa Canyon
primarily during fall, .vinter and early spring. Rainbow trout in the
Craig-Juniper Springs area were planted by the Colorado Department
of Game, Fish and Parks, and numbers were correlated with time since
slocking.
IT uH1pback suckers \H'I'P uSlwlly found in backwa ters. They were
especially abundant (10-15) in the ponded mouth of the Yampa HiveI'
ill carly J\'larch and late November, 1970. Colorado sqllawfish num-
hers increased during July in lower Yampa Canyon (Table 3). It
,;IlOuld be noted that fishing effort in Table 3 was not equal each sum-
111('1", but was similar throughout a given summer. Therefore. the trend
in increase in fish numbers each year in the area was real and not a
('('fll'r1ion of grossly differing fishing effort.
Wilter temperatures temkd to rise to a high of about 68--70 F by
late July in the lower Yampa Hiver (Fig. 3). Turbidity decreased after
'pring rUlloff and the river was quite clear in mid-July (Fig. 4).

DISCUSSION. The four native species collccled ill th(' Dolores Sys-
1t'lII (roulIdtail chub, sjlPcklcd dace, flallllclmouth sucker and blue-

407

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