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<br />shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis). Large bodied nonnative species including gamefish <br />were extremely rare in the Little Snake River in all years. Reasons for the paucity <br />of nonnative were not studied but might be related to the extreme habitat <br />conditions in the Little Snake River. The high variability of discharge (high in spring <br />and extremely low in fall) influences related physico-chemical characteristics of the <br />river such as water temperature and sediment transport that directly and indirectly <br />affect fish survival and growth. During baseflow, fish tend to concentrate in <br />refugia pools where conditions are often less than ideal. Pools are subjected to <br />extreme diel temperature fluctuations, loss of water quality, and storm spates that <br />displace fish and carry and deposit large amounts of sediment. There may be other <br />unobserved causal agents for the scarcity of nonnative species but the events <br />related to the hydrograph probably playa significant role in structuring the fish <br />community in the Little Snake River. <br /> <br />Based on captures and telemetry data, individuals of both Colorado <br />pikeminnow and humpback chub from the Yampa River move into and occupy the <br />lower 15 km of the Little Snake River between May and July. Colorado <br />pikeminnow probably move into the Little Snake River from the Yampa River to <br />increase their condition prior to their spawning migration and exploit abundant prey <br />fishes and warmer water temperatures found in the Little Snake River. Most <br />Colorado pikeminnow leave the Little Snake River and return to the Yampa River <br />just before their spawning migration; however, some Colorado pikeminnow may <br />remain in the Little Snake River year round, based on historical accounts and the <br />reported capture of one in late August near the Colorado-Wyoming state line during <br />baseflow. <br /> <br />Humpback chub may also use the Little Snake River for reasons similar to <br />those of Colorado pikeminnow, but the following circumstantial evidence suggests <br /> <br />VII <br />