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INTRODUCTION <br />In this report, we provide results of our investigations of the interactions between <br />bonytail (Gila elegans) and the introduced red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis). <br />The Recovery Implementation Program cited two specific goals for bonytail recovery: 1) <br />"Prevent immediate extinction" and 2) "Establish and protect six self-sustaining <br />populations and natural habitat." Obviously, the recovery of the species requires the <br />designation of critical habitat. While some data exists for adult bonytail, little conclusive <br />data exists for the habitat preferences of young-of-the-year (YOY) and one-year old <br />bonytail. Adult bonytail were usually found in eddies and pools near swift currents over <br />silt and boulder substrates (Vanicek and Kramer 1969, Valdez 1985). Chart and <br />Cranney (1993) found adult bonytail in zones of mixing water between eddies and runs. <br />To begin to understand the habitat requirements of young bonytail, laboratory <br />experiments were undertaken on one-year old hatchery-raised bonytail to determine <br />what flows and substrate types are preferred. Spatial competition experiments with <br />bonytail and red shiners were also undertaken to find out if the nonnative shiner may <br />have forced bonytail out of their preferred habitats. <br />10