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50.94 m3/s than other flows tested (Pucherelli and Clark 1989). These authors <br />also noted that flows higher than 50.94 - 68.571 m3/s reduced numbers of <br />backwaters during their study. High spring flows may be needed to maximize <br />backwater formation, and gradually decreasing flows may be required to produce <br />good nursery habitats (Pucherelli and Clark 1989). <br />Young Colorado squawfish were sympatric with adult and young of 15 other <br />fish species in backwaters of the Green River, and comprised 6.2% of standing <br />crops (Haines and Tyus, in review). No evidence of resource partitioning <br />between young Colorado squawfish and these fishes was detected when fish <br />densities were contrasted against backwater depth, temperature, size, or <br />substrates; however, the abundance of most species was weakly correlated with <br />the presence of Colorado squawfish (Haines and Tyus, in review). <br />Effects of competition and predation by introduced fishes on growth and <br />survival of young Colorado squawfish has yet to be adequately assessed, but <br />the common use of backwater habitats and foods by young Colorado squawfish and <br />other small introduced fish species (Jacobi and Jacobi 1982; McAda and Tyus <br />1984; Muth et al., in prep) suggests a potential for interspecific <br />interactions. Karp and Tyus (1990) suggested that growth and survival of young <br />Colorado squawfish may be adversely affected by the aggressive behavior of <br />introduced green sunfish, Le orris cyanellus, red shiner, Notropis lutrensis, <br />and fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. This may be most acute when increases <br />or decreases in river level reduces the availability of quality backwater <br />habitat and causes resource limitation. <br />There is some indication that abundance of non-native fishes may be <br />adversely affected by periods of high flow, whereas native species appear to <br />be little impacted (Haynes and Muth 1984; Minckley and Meffe 1987; T. Nesler, <br />written communication). However, the hypothesis that native Colorado River <br />fishes exhibit greater tolerance to extreme flooding has not been adequately <br />tested. In the Green River, abundance of most fishes in backwaters was lowest <br />in years of high spring and summer flows (Haines and Tyus, in review). <br />Backwater nursery habitats were influenced by inundation and <br />resuspension of organic material from shorelines during increased flows, and <br />this energy source was important for standing crops of fish food organisms <br />(Grabowski and Hiebert 1989). Backwaters in the Ouray area, where young <br />Colorado squawfish were most abundant, were richer in food than upstream areas <br />studied. Reduced water-level fluctuations in that area resulted in more stable <br />backwater habitat, and possibly reduced the export of nutrients and food <br />(Grabowski and Hiebert 1989). <br />Juveniles <br />Little is known about the habitat requirements of juvenile Colorado <br />squawfish, but they have been captured in a variety of habitats including <br />backwaters, shorelines, and flooded bottomlands. Although rare, juvenile <br />Colorado squawfish are most abundant in the lower Green River (Tyus et al. <br />1987), and downstream drift of larvae suggests that a long-distance upstream <br />movement by juveniles is needed to repopulate upstream areas. Such movement <br />probably occurs during the late juvenile or early adult stage, because only <br />large-sized fish are found in the upper Yampa River, and the highest <br />concentration of juveniles is found in the lower Green river (Tyus 1986; Tyus <br />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 />20 <br />