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194 The Southwestern Naturalist vol. 34, no. 2
<br />spring; stocking in late winter is recommended to minimize the no-growth stanza
<br />while still accommodating a period of acclimation. Moreover, stocking of larger w
<br />razorback suckers could remove many of them from the range of prey sizes
<br />consumed by most piscivorous catfish. Growth of razorback suckers to average
<br />lengths near 300 mm within 20 months has been achieved in several places
<br />(Marsh, in press) so obtaining fish of adequate size is not a constraint.
<br />These recommendations should be incorporated into the razorback sucker
<br />reintroduction program and studied to evaluate their success. Even so, available
<br />data suggest that re-establishment of self-sustaining populations of razorback
<br />suckers is unlikely to be successful where non-native predatory fishes are abun-
<br />dant. Larval sizes are readily consumed by centrarchids (Marsh and Longhorst,
<br />1988), and we have shown that larger juveniles are eaten by ictalurids. Because
<br />razorback suckers in predator-free habitats are known to survive to adulthood
<br />and reproduce, the only viable alternative to ensure successful re-establishment
<br />might be stream renovation to remove piscivorous non-native fishes.
<br />Funds, equipment, and manpower supporting this research were provided by AZGFD, USFWS,
<br />and Arizona State University; permits were issued by AZGFD. Various versions of the manuscript
<br />benefited from comments by P. Eschmeyer, J. E. Johnson, W. L. Minckley, and two anonymous
<br />reviewers.
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