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fish was probably dead since it did not appear to be moving, and Colorado pikeminnow do not <br />tend to expel radio transmitters (Tyus 1988). Another fish was never relocated after being radio- <br />tagged. It is possible that the radio failed or that this fish moved upstream beyond the uppermost <br />area where searches for radio signals were made. However, it is more likely that this fish moved <br />downstream beyond the lowermost limit where radio searches were made, since all of the <br />Colorado pikeminnow that appeared to be alive at the end of the study had moved downstream <br />before finding a localized area where they remained for extended periods of time. Some of these <br />fish moved long distances soon after release. These patterns are similar to those noted in other <br />studies. Cavalli (1999) also found that radio-tagged Colorado pikeminnow tend to move <br />downstream immediately after radio implantation, while Tyus (1984) found that immature <br />Colorado pikeminnow tend to be more sedentary than mature fish. <br />A fish passage structure may be needed to allow native species to pass the Tusher Wash <br />Diversion Dam during average low-flow conditions (which were not observed during this study). <br />Native fish can pass the diversion dam at some flows, and it has been assumed by some <br />researchers that a passage structure is not necessary as long as fish can occasionally pass the dam. <br />However, no data exists to support or refute this assumption. Modifications to the dam would <br />certainly be expensive to design and build, and maintenance costs could also be high. Therefore, <br />all options for increasing fish passage and reducing mortality rates, including reducing the <br />amount of water that enters the canal system, should be evaluated before any modifications are <br />made. <br />CONCLUSIONS <br />• Some subadult fish have passed Tusher Wash Diversion Dam at a discharge of <br />approximately 4,820 cfs (137 cubic meters per second). However, flows are almost <br />always below this level from August through February, and flows below this level have <br />been recorded during every month of the year; it is not known whether this dam becomes <br />a barrier to fish passage at lower flows. <br />• Few fish were found during visual searches of the Green River Canal, but operation of <br />sluice gates and the activity of scavengers may have affected the number of fish found. <br />However, during the period when a wall was in place in front of the Thayn Power Plant, <br />relatively large numbers of subadult and adult native fish, including one razorback sucker, <br />were impinged on the trash rack at the Thayn Power Plant. <br />• The numbers of larval fish caught in drift nets were the lowest ever recorded in this <br />portion of the Green River, due to higher than average discharge. Only 12 Colorado <br />pikeminnow larvae were captured in the Green River during this study, while over 100 <br />pikeminnow larvae were often caught each year with a similar effort from 1991 through <br />1996. However, native species, including Colorado pikeminnow and Gila spp. were <br />found entrained in the Green River Canal system. <br />10 <br />