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<br />25 <br /> <br />observed for predicted spawning dates associated with the proposed <br />temperature cue, some spawning also occurred on dates that preceded the <br />flow cue. With reference to flow conditions at cessation of peak spawning <br />activity, 1983 and 1985 comparisons demonstrate flows of 55-60 m3/s at <br />cessation, while the 1984 comparison demonstrates a flow of 105 m3/s at <br />cessation. Given the arbitrary designation of peak spawning activity, <br />another variable that is not accountable for is the overall numbers of <br />adult Colorado squawfish participating in the spawning run from year to <br />year. The possibility exists that a significant number of the available <br />adult squawfish participated in the peak of spawning in 1984, leaving <br />relatively few adults to spawn afterwards even though flows were still <br />above 55-60 m3/s. The cessation and resumption of spawning with <br />fluctuating flows in 1985 support the conclusion that significant spawning <br />activity ceases at flows below this threshold. <br />Flow and temperature are key elements in the spawning requirements of <br />Colorado squawfish. The comparison can be made, though, from seine data <br />in Haynes et al. (1985) that the reproductive success of Colorado <br />squawfish in 1980-1982, characterized by low flows and satisfactory <br />thermal regimes in the Yampa, did not yield near the number of YOY fish <br />that were sampled in 1983-1984, characterized by high flows and <br />satisfactory thermal regimes. The difference in larval fish captured <br />occurred despite equal or greater sampling effort in 1980-82 versus <br />1983-84. The degree of reproductive success for the species in 1985 under <br />suboptimal water temperatures and a moderate flow regime tends to downplay <br />the significance of temperature relative to the flow fluctuation cue <br />observed in 1983 through 1985. Further analyses on flaw patterns in <br />1980-1982 will be conducted to evaluate the river environment during years <br />of apparent low reproductive success. <br /> <br />CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS <br /> <br />1.) The relative abundance of fish species in the drift-net collections <br />has not changed remarkably since 1983. <br /> <br />2.) Catches of larval Colorado squawfish in 1985 using drift-nets <br />indicate a significant increase in reproductive success relative to 1983- <br />1984, but seine data and potential sampling bias in drift net collections <br />in 1983-84 suggest reproductive success has been relatively similar. <br /> <br />3.) Age and growth results for larval squawfish collected in 1985 are <br />similar to previous years. <br /> <br />4.) Limited variability in the length data of larval Colorado squawfish <br />lengths collected by drift-nets over the six week period in 1985 suggest a <br />common geographical origin for these fish, and adds support for the <br />existence of a primary spawning area in Yampa Canyon. <br /> <br />5.) The length data of larval Colorado squawfish collected in drift and <br />seine samples suggest the hypothesis that larvae 10 mm in length and <br />smaller are transported downstream by passive drift and larger larvae <br />proceed down river in a more active, migratory pattern to reach suitable <br />zero-velocity nursery sites. <br />