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237 <br />for more than 5% of the fishes collected during <br />their studies. McConnell et al.'suggested prevailing <br />habitat conditions in Kenney Reservoir would fa- <br />vor common carp. While common carp numbers did <br />not increase as rapidly as expected (Chart 1987), its <br />numbers in the reservoir did increase and its rela- <br />tive abundance below the dam increased notice- <br />ably. We expect the segment of the White River be- <br />low the dam where common carp and fathead min- <br />now are common will extend downstream in time. <br />White suckers were reported by Pettus',"' from <br />the White River near the mouth of Piceance Creek. <br />These records were questioned by Carlson et al.' <br />because white suckers had not been reported in the <br />White River by other investigators. Tyus et al. <br />(1982) also considered the species to be absent in <br />the White River, however, a single specimen was re- <br />ported in collections from the White River in Utah <br />by ERI." It appears white suckers were virtually ab- <br />sent in the White River prior to impoundment, and <br />none were found in our river collections. The indi- <br />viduals captured in Kenney Reservoir in 1989-1990 <br />were taken in gill nets by Trammell (1991) who <br />found no evidence of reproduction or recruitment. <br />Despite this it seems that white sucker abundance <br />and distribution will increase due to favorable hab- <br />itat conditions for this species in the reservoir <br />(McConnell et al.'). <br />In addition to concerns about non-native fishes <br />replacing native species, juveniles of endangered <br />fishes in nursery backwaters of the Green River in <br />Utah (Archer & Tyus") may be at greater predation <br />risk if Kenney Reservoir becomes a chronic source <br />of non-native piscivores. Martinez believed warm- <br />water sport fish escaping from Rio Blanco Lake <br />Pettus, D. 1973. Cold-blooded vertebrates of the Piceance <br />Creek Basin. Rio Blanco and Garfield counties. Colorado. <br />Thorne Ecological Institute. Boulder. 19 pp. <br />10 Pettus, D. 1974. Inventory and impact analysis of fishes. Pi- <br />ceance Creek Basin, Rio Blanco and Garfield counties. Colora- <br />do. Thorne Ecological Institute, Boulder. 13 pp. <br />" Ecosystem Research Institute (ERI). 1983. Investigation of <br />fish distribution, habitat, and food preference in the White Riv- <br />er, Utah and Colorado for White River Shale Oil Corporation. <br />Logan. 162 pp. <br />'` Archer. D.L. & H.M. Tyus. 1984. Colorado squawfish spawn- <br />ing study. Yampa River. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Salt Lake <br />City. 34 pp. <br />(Fig. 1) prior to formation of Kenney Reservoir <br />would not proliferate in the White River due to the <br />lack of suitable habitat. However, Kenney Reser- <br />voir offers more favorable habitat for these species <br />and may contribute to their increased abundance <br />and distribution (Martinez-, Trammell 1991). Con- <br />cern about northern pike Esox lucius from Rio <br />Blanco Lake proliferating in the White River as <br />they did in the Yampa River following their escape <br />from Elkhead Reservoir was a primary factor war- <br />ranting isolation of Rio Blanco Lake following im- <br />poundment of the White River (Martinez'). No <br />northern pike were collected during our investiga- <br />tion: however, two were caught by anglers in the <br />White River below Taylor Draw Dam, one each in <br />1987 and 1990. Anglers also reported catching <br />northern pike in Kenney Reservoir in 1989-1990 <br />(Trammell 1991). Behnke suggested that this spe- <br />cies would flourish in Kenney Reservoir if intro- <br />duced there; however, no evidence to date indicates <br />this species has become established in the White <br />River. - <br />Wiltzius" reported channel catfish were stocked <br />in the White River in 1910. Lemons" stated channel <br />catfish inhabited the White River in Colorado only <br />within the lower 32 km from Rangely to the state- <br />line. Habitat suitable for channel catfish in the <br />White River is poor in comparison to other rivers in <br />western Colorado (Lemons"). This species was <br />considered rare throughout the White River (Carl- <br />son et al.', Lanigan & Berry 1981, Tyus et al. 1982), <br />and this continued to be the case during our investi- <br />gation. Lemons" found no evidence of reproduc- <br />tion by this species, and only a single young-of-year <br />specimen was collected near the state line in 1985 <br />(Martinez'-). Behnke` predicted channel catfish <br />would increase in Kenney Reservoir, however, the <br />number of channel catfish collected in the reservoir <br />decreased during our investigation. Their decline <br />was most likely due to harvest by anglers and lack of <br />natural reproduction due to inadequate temper- <br />" Wiltzius. W.J. 1985. Fish culture and stocking in Colorado, <br />1872-1978. Division Report No. 12. Colorado Division of wild- <br />life. Fort Collins. 102 pp. <br />1° Lemons. D.G. 1955. Channel cat study. Project Number 121, <br />Colorado Game. Fish and Parks Department. Fort Collins. 9 pp.