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Squawfish are, known to spawn at and below Three Fords rapid in Gray Canyon near RM 1 SS <br />(Tyus et al .1987; Radant et al 1983). We have intentionally avoided sampling the documented <br />spawning area however a secondary objective of the current study calls for investigation of <br />potential squawfish spawning at other sites in Deso/Gray. Two target areas were identified based <br />on past sampling and a subjective appraisal of the channel morphology: the Flat Canyon area (near <br />RM 182.5) and Rabbit Valley (RM 148.8). Sampling at Flat Canyon did not reveal any <br />concentrations of adult squawfish. However, on July 2-3, 1994, eleven squawfish were collected <br />at Rabbit Valley (RM 148.8) (CPE = 0.156). All the Colorado squawfish collected at Rabbit <br />VaIIey were adult males averaging 493 mm TL. Nme of the eleven (81.8%) were heavily <br />tuberculated and expressed milt while being processed. The smallest ripe male measured 457 <br />mm; the largest 541 mm. Three squawfish collected in -1994 were recaptures. All three were <br />tagged earlier that year at least 50 miles downstream; downstream of the town of Green River, <br />Utah . We re-visited the Rabbit Valley site in 1995 and collected 28 Colorado squawfish the night <br />of July 28, 1995 for the project high site CPE of .405, roughly four times greater than the next <br />highest site CPE since 1989. Twenty-four of the squawfish handled (85.7%) were tuberculated, <br />running ripe males. Two could not be identifed to sex, but were likeey immature males and the <br />two remaining squawfish were females, although no gametes were expressed. Rabbit <br />Valley is located eight river miles downstream of Three Fords Rapid. In 1995, five of the 28 fish <br />collected were recaptures; two of those five were originally tagged at RM 279.1 and 300.1 in the <br />Uintah Basin, i.e. these fish at some point in time moved downstream and past the Three Fords <br />area to be captured at Rabbit Valley. In 1994 and 1995, similar sampling at the Coal Creek site , <br />located just three mile downstream of Rabbit Valley yielded one squawfish each year. Netting in <br />1996 at Rabbit Valley yielded only 3 squawfish - more than was collected at any of the other five <br />site (five were also collected electrofishing), but down from the previous years sampling. Catch <br />was off at all sites in 1996, for aU species, likely due to high sample flows. <br />On June 30, 1996, an adult razorback sucker (PIT # 2038570045; TL = SOSmm; Wt =1275g) <br />was collected at RM 147.1. This is the only collection of a razorback during the present study <br />and only the second nscorded capture in DesolGray (the first; July 3, 1986 at RM 175.5). <br />DRAFT ~ 14. <br />