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<br />1 <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />t <br />U <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />1 <br />positively correlated with weight (p = 0.02, regression analysis, Figure 4). Appendix 3 <br />summarize aspects of the suckers' movements in conjunction with their condition factors. <br />The condition factors of the experimental and control fish that were observed to either <br />swim upstream or hold position in the river overlapped broadly with the condition factors <br />of the fish that were observed to only move downstream. The 7 razorback suckers that <br />were never contacted following release had similar condition factors to the 23 fish that <br />were located via telemetry. In addition, the condition factors (average K = 0.845, n = 6) <br />of the six razorback suckers that utilized backwater habitats were not significantly <br />different from the condition factors (average K = 0.892, n = 14) of those fish not observed <br />to utilize backwaters (p = 0.22, two-tailed t-test). <br />Individual Habitat Use and the Effects of Condition Factor <br />During the first 2 weeks since release, the razorback suckers distributed themselves <br />throughout many of the available habitat types (Table 3). Many fish moved between <br />multiple habitats during this time period. For example, fish 6C was positioned near shore <br />and moving rapidly downstream at Green River RK 48 on day 1. Fish 6C then entered <br />Horse Canyon backwater (Green River RK 23) by day 7, remained there until at least <br />day 13 as the water level fell to an estimated <60 cm, and then re-entered the main <br />channel sometime before day 22. Fish 2C, 7C, and 3E also moved between habitats <br />during the first 14 days. Fish 2C utilized both near shore and main channel habitat, as <br />well as venturing into Jasper Canyon backwater (Green River RK 15.3) on day 7. Both <br />7C and 3E were located in near shore, eddy pool, and channel habitats as they continued <br />to move downstream. <br />During the 15 to 29 day period following release, the majority offish now began to <br />generally utilize a single type of habitat. Only two f sh, SE and 8E, were observed to be <br />utilizing two or more habitat types. Fish SE was located near shore at Colorado River <br />km 71.9 on day 19 and then entered the channel and quickly moved downstream to <br />Colorado River RK 4.8 by day 25. Fish 8E was located near shore in a deep run adjacent <br />to the large cottonwood tree at Spanish Bottom (Colorado River RK 342, Green River <br />confluence = RK~348.5). Later, 8E was moved upstream to the large eddy pool in the <br />tailwater of "The Slide" at Colorado River RK 2.4. <br />During the last 4 weeks of the study (days 30 to 58), the majority of razorback suckers <br />were no longer near shore, but rather were split between near shore (five fish) and <br />channel habitat (five fish). At this point, the water level of the Green and Colorado <br />Rivers is sufficiently low to have dried all of the backwaters that have formed at the <br />mouth of ephemeral canyon inflows (Figure 5). Eddy pools were now the least utilized of <br />the available habitats. Only fish 6E and 7C were now observed to be positioned in eddy <br />pools. However, both 6E and 7C were now found in eddy pools only once during this <br />period while being found near shore twice (6E) and in the main channel four times (7C). <br />12 <br />t <br />