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<br />. <br /> <br />36 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />a readily available food source for both young-of-the-year and juvenile <br />squawfish and it appears very likely that an abundance of these preferred <br />habitats may well increase the survival potential of young squawfish, <br />primarily from the standpoint of food availability. If this hypothesis <br />is correct, preferred habitat of young may, in fact, be a limiting factor <br />to rare fishes, especially Colorado squawfish. <br />The low water levels encountered during the study reduced the <br />available number of small backwaters from normal levels. A large number <br />of potential backwater situations were seen in the study area that, given <br />1-2 feet of additional flow, would have been preferred young squawfish <br />habitat. The cross-sectional data of Figures 12 and 13 indicate that <br />that particular area had certain depth and velocity categories present. <br />Very little preferred habitat (Figure 2) of young-of-the-year squawfish <br />was present, except in the backwater where they were found. Cross-sec- <br />tional data from other areas of young-of-the-year squawfish habitat would <br />provide comparative data; unfortunately the study plan did not provide for <br />additional measurements. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Rare Fish Movements and Potential Spawning Areas <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The three young-of-the-year squawfish recaptured in the sample <br />backwater provide little data on movement. The fact that a relatively <br />large number of fish were marked and that successive samples found re- <br />latively large numbers of unmarked fish, indicates several possibilities. <br />First, a fairly large population is indicated. Secondly, failure to re- <br />capture marked fish suggests either low sampling efficiency or absence of <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br />