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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, white-water sections of the <br />Green River basin, including the lower portion of the Little Snake River and <br />Yampa, Whirlpool, Desolation and Gray canyons {Holden 1978; Tyus et al. <br />1982ab, 1987; Karp and Tyus, in review;- M. Moretti and E. Wick, pers. comm.). <br />Survey studies conducted prior to and following closure of Flaming Gorge Dam <br />indicated that all three forms of Colorado chubs were l.ocaliy common in the <br />Green River; bonytails and roundtails in upper Green River above Ouray, Utah; <br />humpbacks in Desolation and Gray canyons and historically in Flaming Gorge <br />basin of upper Green River (Smith 1960; Hoiden 1978; Vanicek 1967; Seetha]er <br />et al. 1979). Although intensive netting and electrofishing efforts in the <br />Green River mainstream by USFWS and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources <br />biologists yielded over 500 chubs (Min er et al. 1982; Tyus et al, 1987; M. <br />Moretti, pers. comm.), status of humpback chub in that system is not well <br />understood, due in part, to confusion with specific identification of some <br />individuals {Tyus et al. 1987, M. Moretti, pers. comm.).- <br />During the spring and early summer, adu]t humpback chub were most often <br />collected in shoreline eddy habitats created by large boulders and rapids <br />(Karp and Tyus, in review). Juvenile fish were most prevalent in smaller <br />eddies in shoreline runs. Humpback chub were observed to feed at various <br />levels within the water column, consuming such terrestrial insects as ants and <br />Mormon crickets-{Tyus and Hinckley 1988; Karp and Tyus, in review). There is <br />some indication that humpback chubs in Yampa Canyon exhibit short-distance, <br />localized movements, and display some fidelity to specific eddy habitats (Karp <br />and Tyus, in review). <br />Adult humpback chub were captured in DNM in association with 18 other <br />fishes, but were most commonly captured with roundtail chub and the <br />introduced channel catfish-(Tyus and Hinckley 1988; Karp and Tyus, in <br />review). Channel catfish comprised about 35% of the angling catch in habitats <br />from which humpback chub were collected (Karp and Tyus, in review) and <br />humpback chub and channel catfish may be competing for food or microhabitat as <br />suggested by capture of both species with baits in the same eddy habitats <br />(Tyus and Hinckley 1988; Karp and Tyus, in review). The high number of channel <br />catfish in humpback chub spawning habitat, in addition to their potential <br />ability to compete and prey on humpback chub (Kaeding and Zimmerman 1983; Karp <br />and Tyus, in review; C. 0. Hinckley, personal communication), suggests that <br />this omnivorous introduced species may adversely affect survival of humpback <br />chub in DNM.- Channel catfish may be using mainstream habitats in the Green <br />River for winter refugia as in some other river systems (Newcomb 1989). Flows <br />or other conditions (e.g. temperature and fish movements) which may favor <br />growth and reproduction of channel catfish in the Green River basin should be <br />evaluated. <br />Humpback chub in DNM spawn following highest spring flows at river <br />temperatures about 20° C (Figure 7; Karp and Tyus, in review). This <br />relationship between chub spawning and spring runoff has also been noted in <br />the Blackrocks area of the upper Colorado River (Valdez and Clemmer 1982; <br />Archer et al. 1985), and. in the Little Colorado River, Ariz. (Kaeding and <br />Zimmerman 1983; C.O. Hinckley, pers. comm.). Spring runoff is important to <br />reproductive success because spawning presumably occurs in shoreline eddies, <br />21 <br />