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11 <br />Larger, more predacious channel catfish may experience difficulty in <br />capturing fish in the Green and Yampa rivers. Only the largest individuals <br />contained fish remains (average TL = 392 mm, n = 28) and whole fish were found <br />only in 12 stomachs (average TL = 446 mm). Fish species identified in stomach <br />contents included channel catfish (n = 9), suckers (n = 2), sculpin, Cottus <br />sp. (n = 1), and speckled dace, Rhinichthys osculus (n = 1). Our inspection <br />of stomachs could have missed partially digested larvae or postlarvae, but <br />some stomachs (n = 4) contained fish eggs. Although some of the fish <br />containing fish remains no doubt consumed the prey, the presence of large fish <br />bones, including vertebrae, in relatively smaller-sized channel catfish <br />indicated that many of the catfish were scavenging. The presence of large carp <br />scales in 10 individuals but no other fish parts, suggests some scale-feeding <br />behavior, as reported for marine catfish by Szelistowski (1989). Piscivory <br />only in larger catfish contrasts with other studies reporting piscivory by <br />smaller (50 to 200 mm) individuals (reviewed by Carlander, 1969). <br />The low incidence of piscivory we found may have been due to low prey <br />availability or other factors such as temperature or turbidity regimens. High <br />turbidity may limit the ability of channel catfish to capture fish as prey, <br />and turbidity effects on catfish suggested by Davis (1959) and Lynch and <br />Lemons (in litt.) may also apply to the Green River, in which the sediment <br />load fluctuates from 19 to 66,000 mg/1 and the suspended load from about 110 <br />to 1,700 mg/1 (Remilliard et al., 1988). Layher and Maughan (1985) reported <br />optimal water clarity for channel catfish as <30 mg/1 (reported in Jackson <br />Turbidity Units). <br />The variety of bottom foods in many channel catfish stomachs <br />(miscellaneous food category includes such camp garbage as rice, corn, <br />