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<br />(1998-1999), and Desolation (2001) canyons, which yielded no stocked bonytails. One stocked <br />adult bonytail (TL 370 mm) marked with a CWT was captured in Gray Canyon (RM 148) during <br />the 2002 humpback chub population estimate. <br /> <br />Distribution of other Gila species <br /> <br />Figure 14 illustrates the distribution of other Gila species in relation to release sites for the <br />Colorado and Green rivers. The vast majority (87%) of other Gila found in the Colorado River <br />were concentrated near the Dolores River (RM 90-100). In the Colorado River, other Gila <br />species tended to increase in size as you moved downstream from the Dolores River. In the <br />Green River, other Gila species were found more frequently in Gray Canyon (RM 132-140) and <br />within an area 20 river miles below the stocking site. Overall abundance in both rivers appears to <br />be relatively low with only 197 being captured in six years of sampling the Colorado River and <br />104 captured in five years of sampling the Green River. <br /> <br />Adult BonytaU Telemetry <br /> <br />Overall, survival of radio-tagged bonytail was excellent throughout the study. Only one of the 49 <br />bonytail implanted was suspected to be deceased before tag failure. Survival of the bonytail was <br />confirmed via daily movements throughout the life of the tags or until the fish had moved out of <br />monitored areas. This was a vast improvement over the confrrmed mortality rate of 74.4% <br />experienced by Chart and Cranney (1993) during the tracking of 86 bonytail in 1988 and 1989. <br /> <br />The most important variable affecting survivorship of radio-tagged fish was likely age at release. <br />Other possible factors include, the number of handling occurrences, and location of surgery and <br />recuperation. In 1988-89, the seven and eight year old bonytail implanted by Chart and Cranney <br />(1993) were transported from Dexter National Fish hatchery to Vernal, Utah, and placed in <br />holding pens, and then transported by truck to Ouray National Wildlife Refuge where they were <br />held until the date of their release. On the date of radio implantation, they were transported by <br />truck to the stocking sites for bank side surgery. Tagged bonytail were then either immediately <br />released, held in pens in the river, or returned to the circular tanks at Ouray National Wildlife <br />Refuge for later release. In contrast, the bonytail implanted in 1997-2000 were one to four years <br />old, and they were implanted with radio tags and allowed to recuperate at the Wahweap State <br />Fish Hatchery. After one week of recuperation at the hatchery, the fish were transported by truck <br />directly to the stocking sites and released. <br /> <br />General Tracking: Annual Summaries <br /> <br />1997 - All ten of the radio tagged fish were contacted between two and eleven times (Table II). <br />The last contact date occurred 64 days after release on December 23, 1997 (Table 11). Dispersal <br />was primarily upstream with a maximum movement of 1.7 RM upstream. General tracking found <br />that six of the radio tagged fish immediately moved 0.2 RM upstream to a large eddy/pool <br />complex beneath Dewey Bridge (Figure 15). One fish moved approximately one mile upstream to <br />a mid-channel location. Another fish moved 0.2 RM downstream of the release site and remained <br /> <br />15 <br />