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..~." ~1'<-~.: ' .' .~. - 19 Seines were hung with twice the standard number of weights so that the lead line stayed close to the bottom. These seines generally captured the young-of-the-year squawfish, Gila, ~. channel catfish, suckers and the great variety of minnows inhabiting the shallow areas along shore and in the backwaters. The measure of effort was represented by the length of seine multiplied by the distance pulled. Several boat sizes were used but the unit that was the best adapted to general river use was a 16-ft square bowed, flat bottom boat powered with a 35-hp outboard. The turbulent sections were traversed with 18 ft Camp Way rafts powered by 9.5 hp outboard motors. Data Analysis Due to the need to initiate field studies immediately, the first year's data were entered on forms developed for field convenience. These data were then transposed Lo a format suited to computer processing. Since then, data forms have been developed that are compatible with computer processing. (Appendix A-3) The data were organized Lo be stored and analyzed utilizing a computer storage and retrieval program called MANAGE that has been developed by the Fish and Wildlife Service's Western Energy and Land Use Team at Fort Collins, Colorado. This program is very versatile and offers almost an unlimited array of sorting and retrieval options that can be integrated with a variety of statistical analysis packages. There are an infinite number of comparisons and data arrays possible from the data base being developed, but some of the obvious analyses are comparisons of habitat and population parameters across the geographic and time strata that were established. There will also be developed a description of the physical characteristics of the different habitats that have been defined and an opportunity to extrapolate habitat parameters for those habitats occupied by the rare fishes and to compare them with similar habitats that they did not occupy. The species composition of the fish populations and their relatively abundance in the different geographic strata can be examined and related to the physical characteristics present in each strata. The accumulation of site specific physical data associated with rare fish captures will enable us to develop multivariate comparisons and to utilize the principle of habitat selectivity developed by the lnstream Flow Group (Bovee and Cochnauer 1977). A parallel survey of the hydrolic-habitat relationships will also be initiated which will permit assessment of flow/habitat relationships for laLer application of the Instream flow Group's Incremental Stream Flow Method for assessing impacts of water development projects. 1