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alterations (e.g., the Narrows Project or instream flows) can be evaluated for each of the native <br />species that inhabit this river. <br />CONCLUSIONS <br />The following conclusions can be drawn from the information that is known about the Price <br />River: <br />The Price River provides many miles of suitable habitat for juvenile and adult Colorado <br />pikeminnow. Spawning by Colorado pikeminnow was not documented, but limited <br />evidence was found to suggest that spawning habitat may exist. If spawning does occur, <br />it is likely that most of the larval fish drift down to the Green River. <br />Movement of Colorado pikeminnow and flannehnouth sucker between the Price River <br />and the Green River does occur. <br />Native species make up the majority of the fish community in the Price River. Catch <br />rates and length-frequency distributions suggest that populations of flannehnouth sucker <br />and bluehead sucker are stable. The speckled dace population has declined dramatically <br />in the last 20 years and roundtail chub and razorback sucker have been eliminated from <br />the system. <br />Some differences in the fish community existed through time and space, but these <br />differences were not consistent for all species. <br />The Price River is composed mainly of runs separated by rapids or riffles. Little habitat <br />complexity exists and nursery habitat is rare. Habitat parameters measured varied <br />through time and space and could be altered by future development in the drainage. <br />RECOMMENDATIONS <br />Based on the information that has been collected in the lower Price River, the following <br />recommendations are offered to help fill data gaps and protect the native fish community: <br />Consensus on the importance of tributaries as spawning and nursery habitat for native <br />species of the Green River basin has not been reached. Additional efforts to determine <br />the value of the lower Price River as spawning and nursery habitat for native fishes will <br />be needed if it is decided that such information would be useful for the protection of the <br />native fish community. These efforts could include intensive seining and drift netting to <br />capture larval fish, and use of electrofishing in the canyon area during the spawning <br />season to capture adult fish. <br />18 <br />