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<br /> <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />calculate abundance estimates. We expended considerable effort attempting to ensure that all <br />tagging records were included and to ensure that capture histories offish tagged with both carlin <br />and PIT tags were merged. The few additional records that were matched with this effort are <br />potentially important because longer capture histories may affect survival-rate estimates. Most <br />additional data were obtained from the centralized database maintained by the U. S. Fish and <br />Wildlife Service, Grand Junction, Colorado or from Modde et al. (1996). There were also <br />several "re-discovered" recaptures from the years 1990 to 1992 (mostly fish for which carlin- and <br />PIT-tag capture histories were not matched together), the last years for which abundance <br />estimates were produced by Modde et al. (1996). These are important because the entire data set <br />is sparse and overlooking just one or two individuals will bias abundance estimates based only <br />on a few recaptures. <br />We were interested mostly in captures of wild fish so we could ascertain the status of that <br />portion of the population. Hatchery-reared fish released into the Green River from 1996 to 1999 <br />were also captured in Basinwide and other sampling programs. We made a concerted effort to <br />segregate wild from hatchery-reared and released fish but it was often difficult because we were <br />uncertain if all released fish had been recorded in a database and reported. We also had difficulty <br />tracking the status of wild fish taken to the hatchery for brood stock and when, if ever, they had <br />been returned to the river. For example, one individual was captured in the vicinity of the <br />spawning area in 1989, 1992 and again in 1993 when it was removed from the river and held in <br />captivity. There were no other records of this animal, including a date of repatriation from the <br />hatchery, until it was recaptured again in 1998 and 1999. Finally, there was uncertainty <br />regarding numbers, release locations, sizes, and tag status ofhatchery-reared razorback suckers <br />released into the Green River and associated flood plain habitat. Abetter system for tracking re- <br />7 <br /> <br />