7406

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7406
• Author: Bestgen, K. R.
• Title: Status Review of the Razorback Sucker,
• USFW Year: 1990.
• Copyright Material: NO

suckers annually congregate for spawning (Bozek et al. 1984).
During spawning, razorback suckers are often the most common fish
collected in these habitats (Bozek et al. 1984). Catch/effort
and proportion of total catch statistics for razorback suckers
from 1983 to 1989 in Lake Mohave were similar to or higher than
those for the 1975 to 1982 period (Minckley 1983). Marsh and
Minckley (1989a) suggested that the number of razorback suckers
in Lake Mohave was stable, and assumed that there was little or
no mortality and no recruitment to this stock.
In Lake Mead, groups of up to 20 razorback suckers were
observed near the inflow of the Colorado River near Pierce Ferry
as recently as 1978 (pers. comm., J. E. Brooks, U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service). Congregations were observed near the boat
landing area in late-winter or early spring when spawning might
be expected. Four razorback suckers were captured in May 1990 at
Vegas Wash Marina, this after earlier observations of 18-20 fish
in shallow water in the same area (pers. comm., J. Sjoberg,
Nevada Department of Wildlife).
Razorback suckers persist in other LCRB reservoirs, but
populations are apparently small and declining in size (Minckley
1983, Marsh and Papoulias 1989). These reservoir populations
were presumably produced at times consistent with, or shortly
after, reservoir closure (Minckley 1973, McCarthy and Minckley
1987, Minckley et al. in press). Razorback suckers in some LCRB
reservoirs live to at least 20 and perhaps 50 years (McCarthy and
Minckley 1987), and it was hypothesized that populations will
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