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rare, juvenile Colorado squawfish may be abundant in the lower Green River <br />(Tyus et al. 1987), and downstream drift of larvae suggests that a long- <br />distance upstream movement by juveniles is needed to repopulate upstream <br />areas. Such movement probably occurs during the late juvenile or early adult <br />stage, because only large-sized fish are found in the upper Yampa River, and <br />the highest concentration of juveniles is found in the lower Green river (Tyus <br />1986, 1990; Tyus et al. 1987). <br />Evidence of predation by non-native fishes in both artificial and natural <br />environments suggests that this factor may impact the survival of juvenile <br />Colorado squawfish. Hendrickson and Brooks (1987) noted predation by yellow <br />bullhead, Ameiurus natalis, and largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, on <br />young Colorado squawfish stocked into the Verde River, Arizona. Osmundson <br />(1987) noted predation by largemouth bass, green sunfish, black crappie, L. <br />nigromaculatus, and black bullhead, A. melas, on young Colorado squawfish in <br />gravel pits near the Colorado River and indicated that predation by channel <br />catfish may have occurred. In addition, Coon (1965) reported channel catfish <br />predation on Colorado squawfish in the Dolores River. <br />Humpback Chub <br />Humpback chub occur in several canyon-bound sections of the Green River <br />basin, including the lower portion of the Little Snake River and Yampa, <br />Whirlpool, Desolation and Gray canyons (Holden 1978; Tyus et al. 1982ab, 1987; <br />Karp and Tyus 1990a; M. Moretti and E. Wick, pers. comm.). Survey studies <br />conducted prior to and after closure of Flaming Gorge Dam indicated that all <br />three forms of Colorado River chubs were locally common in the Green River; <br />bonytail and roundtail chubs in upper Green River above Ouray, Utah; humpback <br />chub in Desolation and Gray canyons and historically in Flaming Gorge basin of <br />upper Green River (Smith 1960; Holden 1978; Vanicek 1967; Seethaler et al. <br />1979). Although intensive netting and electrofishing efforts in the Green <br />River mainstream by USFWS and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists <br />yielded over 500 chubs (Miller et al. 1982c; Tyus et al. 1987; M. Moretti, <br />pers. comm.), status of humpback chub in that system is not well understood, <br />due in part, to confusion with specific identification of some individuals <br />(Tyus et al. 1987; Rosenfeld and Wilkinson 1989; M. Moretti, pers. comm.). <br />More intensive studies are needed to further elucidate the systematics of <br />the Colorado River chubs and to determine their habitat needs in the Green <br />River basin. The morphological variation that occurs in some areas of sympatry <br />may be induced by recent habitat change (Valdez and Clemmer 1982). Thus, the <br />presence of intermediate forms in altered systems (e.g., Green River, Colorado <br />River) and the paucity of such forms in some unaltered rivers (e.g., Yampa <br />River, Little Colorado River) suggests that natural riverine environments are <br />important for recovery of the humpback chub. The following paragraphs <br />summarize information on habitat use of humpback chub in DNM, particularly <br />Yampa Canyon (see Tyus and Minckley 1988; Tyus and Karp 1989; Karp and Tyus <br />1990a) because this information is largely unknown far the mainstream Green <br />River. We presume habitat use and needs are similar throughout the Green River <br />basin. <br />22 <br />