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i <br />rates. Experimental razorback suckers slowed their movements to 1.1 km/day after 15 <br />days and remained similarly mobile (1.2 km) through day 58. Control fish were more <br />than twice as mobile 15 to 29 days after release than the experimental fish, but reduced <br />their overall movements to a much lower rate (0.37 km) than the experimental fish by the <br />end of the study. The reason that the experimental suckers were more mobile during the <br />30 to 58 day period was in part due to fish 15E traveling upstream toward the release site. <br /> The difference in the daily movement rates (km/day) between the experimental and <br /> control fish during the 15 to 29 day period becomes more profound when viewed in <br /> conjunction with the direction of travel of each fish (Figure 6C). For the purposes of <br /> addressing the direction of travel of a fish, the movement rates (km/day) have been <br />defined as positive if fish are swimming upstream and negative if a fish is traveling <br /> downstream. Razorback sucker average "directed" movements per day (+/- km/day) <br /> became significantly less negative over time (p = 0.05) and varied significantly between <br /> treatments (p = 0.042). As seen in Figure 7C, control fish required more than 30 days to <br /> reduce their downstream-directed movements, whereas experimental fish reduced their <br /> downstream directed movements after 15 days. <br /> C <br /> DIS <br />USSION <br /> Dispersal Patterns <br /> Razorback sucker movements within the Millard Bottom acclimation backwater varied <br /> between individuals and changed in pattern over time. Three of the 15 fish were <br /> observed to roam nearly the entire length (~1/3 km) of the backwater within 10 minutes, <br /> while others appeared to roam within limited sections of the backwater or not move at all. <br />Patterns in fish movement within this backwater were not correlated with condition <br /> factor, nor were these patterns able to predict post-release movement patterns. However, <br /> razorback suckers altered their movement patterns within the backwater over time. Fewer <br /> suckers (20%, n = 45 contacts) were observed to be positioned near the blocking net at <br /> the mouth of the backwater during the first day, but by the second day of confinement <br /> within the backwater the percentage rose to 43%(n = 37). <br /> Only 3 of the 13 suckers (2 escaped) exited the cove within 2 hours of removing the <br /> blocking net. The three fish departed singly and moved downstream and out of the <br /> ~1/2-km directional receiver range within 7 to 26 minutes. Seven of the ten remaining <br /> razorback suckers were observed to approach the area where the blocking net had <br /> previously been only to turn around and swim back into the backwater. These fish either <br /> simply anticipated that the net would be in its previous location since the turbidity of the <br /> water prevented visual recognition of the net except at very close range, or they were not <br />yet ready or willing to enter the river. The duration of time required for the last razorback <br /> <br /> 15 <br />1 <br />