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backwater temperatures present. Colorado squawfish used backwaters with <br />temperatures of 14.6 °C in the upper Green River, 19.4 °C in the lower <br />(Table 4). Backwaters in which no Colorado squawfish were captured <br />averaged only 12.2 °C and 17.7 oC, in upper and lower areas, respectively. <br />Backwaters that contained Colorado squawfish were deeper than those in <br />which they were absent (t-test, P = 0.05, Table 4). Colorado squawfish <br />were captured in predominately larger backwaters in the upper Green River <br />(t-test, P = 0.05) where average sizes were 269 m2 and 1,158 m2 for <br />backwaters in which the fish were absent and present respectively. <br />Backwater sizes were similar between those that did and did not contain <br />the fish in the lower Green River, where average sizes were 310 m2 and 494 <br />m2, respectively (Table 4). Most of the backwaters occupied by Colorado <br />squawfish were turbid (67% lower; 67% upper Green River), but backwaters <br />in which Colorado squawfish were absent were clear to partly clear (81% <br />lower; 67% upper). Presence or absence of Colorado squawfish was not <br />related to backwater substrate in either nursery area (G-tests; P = 0.3 <br />lower, P = 0.7 upper). <br />Colorado squawfish were sympatric with adults and young of 17 other <br />fish species in backwater habitats. Non-native fishes were the most <br />abundant group in combined autumn seine catches; red shiner Notropis <br />lutrensis (65%) and fathead minnow Pimeahales promelas (16%) dominated the <br />catch. Native species included Colorado squawfish (6%), suckers <br />Catostomus spp. (5%), speckled dace Rhinichthvs osculus (2%) and Colorado <br />River chubs Gila spp. (1%). Other, less common species (<1%), included <br />sand shiner N. stramineus, speckled dace Rhinichthvs rop melas, creek chub <br />Semotilus atromaculatus, redside shiner Richardsonius balteatus, common <br />10 <br />