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Relative weight (W~) was computed as 122, 110, and 122 for ages 4, 5, and 6 using measured mean <br />TL and weights. The standard weight equation for channel catfish given by Anderson (1980) was <br />also used. Younger age classes had shorter mean TL than the minimum of 280 mm recommended <br />by Murphy and Willis (1991) for calculating W~. Fish with W~ near 100 are in a condition that is <br />balanced with their food supply, fish with values over 105 are plump from an abundant food supply <br />(Flickinger and Bulow 1993). <br />The 1991 Kenney Reservoir LMP predicted that channel catfish would grow slowly in the reservoir. <br />Reasons for slow growth include cool water temperatures (Andrews and Stickney 1972) and <br />excessive turbidity (Baxter and Simon 1970). However, this does not appear to be the case. Factors <br />that would act to increase channel catfish growth include a relatively low stocking rate (1.2 fish per <br />surface hectare or 5 fish per surface acre), the lack of competition from a higher level predator, lack <br />of competition from additional age classes of channel catfish, abundant prey, and stocking at a <br />relatively large size. <br />Channel catfish have a good supply of preferred food in Kenney Reservoir. Sigler and Sigler (1987) <br />reported that fish were the most important food for 150-300 mm (6-12 inch) channel catfish. <br />Carlander (1969) reported crayfish and fathead minnows were preferred prey for channel catfish. <br />Fathead minnows were the dominant species in Kenney Reservoir from 1984-1990, comprising 45- <br />90% of the total fish community (Trammell 1991). They still were commonly observed while <br />electrofishing in 1993. Crayfish were frequently found entangled in trammel and gill nets during <br />this study. <br />B. River <br />A total of 404 channel catfish were sampled from the White River downstream of Taylor Draw Dam <br />and checked for the adipose fin clip. None of the channel catfish stocked in Kenney Reservoir in <br />1992 were found. Two fish from Kenney Reservoir, one wild and one stocked, were taken from the <br />White River upstream from the reservoir. <br />Because of good sampling conditions, probably the best estimate of channel catfish density in the <br />White River downstream of Kenney Reservoir is provided by electrofishing results from the upper <br />and lower river in 1994 (Table D-1). Those catch per efforts vaned little suggesting that the size of <br />the channel catfish population in each reach was similar. Correspondingly, since the habitat is <br />similar in the upper and lower sampling reaches, and in between, channel catfish populations should <br />be fairly evenly distributed throughout this entire area. <br />The length of the' White River in Colorado from Kenney Reservoir downstream to the Utah border <br />is 51.5 km. The mean catch per effort for electrofishing the two reaches in 1994 was 13.8 channel <br />catfish per km. Assuming a catch efficiency of 25 percent under the favorable conditions that <br />existed, this expands into a channel catfish population of 55 fish/km or 2,832 channel catfish in the <br />White River in Colorado. The lower reach was sampled on two dates and the upper reach on one <br />date, and one electrofishing pass was made along each shoreline of the river each date. Since there <br />15 <br />