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Fish Collection <br />Boat electrofishing produced 984 flaxmelmouth suckers and 151 bluehead suckers in <br />1997. No marked bluehead suckers were recaptured, but 15 marked flannehnouth suckers were <br />recaptured on one occasion and one was recaptured twice. Recaptured flannelmouth suckers <br />ranged in total length from 188 to 475 mm. Comparison of recapture measurements to initial <br />measurements for the four flannelmouth suckers that were recaptured within one day of initial <br />capture showed that total length was the most precise meas arement collected, with en-ors of - <br />0.64% to 0.26%. The precision of standard length measurements was also fairly good with errors <br />of -1.43% to 0.99%. Weight was the least precise measurement taken, with errors of -6.90% to <br />5.80%. <br />The remaining tagged flannehnouth suckers were in the river from 9 to 141 days before <br />being recaptured. Total length of these fish increased an average of 0.18 mm/day (s=-0.14; <br />range=0.00 to 0.43), standard length increased an average of 0.21 mm/day (s=0.26; range=-0.05 <br />to 0.86) and weight increased an average of 0.06 g/day (s=0.42; range=-1.63 to 3.62). Overall, <br />the smallest fish had the highest growth rates. <br />Movement of tagged flannelmouth suckers in 1997 was quite variable (Figure 12). <br />Several fish were recaptured within one mile of their release site. However, two fish were <br />recaptured long distances (up to approximately 20 miles) upstream of their initial release site, <br />while others were found far below (up to approximately 39 miles} their initial release site. One <br />fish moved upstream a slight distance initially, but was later found downstream of its initial <br />release site. Finally, one fish moved out of the Price River and was relocated in the Green River <br />above the mouth of the Price River. Exact distances moved could not be calculated, since the <br />fish were not followed continually, but estimates of the minimum distances moved were <br />calculated. Minimum upstream movements averaged 0.45 miles/day (s=0.59). The longest and <br />fastest upstream movements occurred in late spring and early summer. These movements may <br />have been associated with spawning, since the highest rate of upstream movement was achieved <br />by a ripe, tuberculate male, and ripe flannelmouth suckers of both sexes were captured before <br />and after the dates of movement. Downstream movements averaged 0.15 miles/day (s=0.18), but <br />trends by season were not noted in the limited data set. <br />Four tagged flannelmouth suckers were captured in the Green River in 1998 during <br />sampling conducted for other projects (Paul Badame, Utah State University, unpublished data; <br />Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, unpublished data). Three of these fish were found below <br />the confluence with the Price River (0.7 to 11.4 miles) while one fish was found 1.3 miles above <br />the confluence. All of these fish had moved over 20 miles down the Price River (range=21.8 to <br />35.1 miles) during periods of 14 to 16 months. <br />Electrofishing was the most successful method for capturing large-bodied fish; this gear <br />also produced a few small bodied fish. Native species (Colorado pikeminnow, speckled dace, <br />flannelmouth suckers, bluehead suckers, and unidentified suckers) comprised 71.7% of the total <br />electrofishing catch. Non-native fish captured included common carp, channel catfish, red <br />shiner, Utah chub, sand shiner, black bullhead, brown trout, cutthroat trout, fathead minnow, and <br />green sunfish. Species composition of the electrofishing catch was similar in 1996 and 1997 <br />(Table 3). Because red shiners and other small-bodied fish were often seen while electrofishing <br />in 1996, but not collected, these data are biased toward larger-bodied fish. An attempt was made <br />8 <br />