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split between August (n=812) and September (n=915) samples. The 1993 monitoring <br />trip was delayed until late August due to high flows and resulted in the collection of 203 <br />YOY pikeminnow YOY -the greatest CPUE recorded during monitoring trips. <br />Monitoring efforts were scheduled to coincide with the presence of spawning <br />pikeminnow in Deso/Gray. As a result, those efforts were often conducted too early to <br />adequately assess pikeminnow reproductive success. <br />Back calculated spawning dates of the 1993 cohort indicate the bulk of that years spawn <br />occurred on or near 17 July 1993 when Green River flows were 4,360 cfs: <br />• The results of both fish studies (Reports B and C) indicate the greatest recruitment of <br />YOY pikeminnow occurred when Green River flows peaked near 25,000 cfs (in 1993 and <br />} ,, <br />~~-; 1996; see table 1 above). The 1996 cohort of pikeminnow was likely most abundant. <br />} "~ That year Green River spring and summer flows exceeded 6,000 cfs for the greatest <br />period of time (90 days). The majority of these >6,000 cfs flow days occurred early in <br />the hydrograph with the river peaking on 22 May 1996 and dropping below 6000 cfs by <br />~ 07 July. <br />Colorado pikeminnow in Desolation and Gray canyons primarily used secondary channel <br />type backwaters. <br />Recruitment of the YOYpikemin~aow to Age 1+ <br />Monitoring efforts for juvenile and adult fishes indicated the 1993 and 1994 pikeminnow <br />cohorts recruited to Age 1+ better than the 1992 or 1995 cohorts. Evaluating recruitment <br />of the abundant 1996 cohort was beyond the scope of this study. Neither study <br />measuring YOY pikeminnow abundance in Deso/Gray reported a particularly strong <br />cohort in 1994. However, Day et al. observed excellent growth of the 1994 cohort <br />increasing from a mean total length of 24.9 mm in July to 57.7 mm by September. <br />Fish Cofnmu~zity Monitoring: urge bodied fish <br />All nine recaptured chubs were collected at their original capture location. <br />• Long term monitoring trammel net catch rates suggest the number of adult sized chubs in <br />Desolation declined as result of the poor recruitment prior to 1993. Catch rates were <br />lowest in 1996. <br />In 1989, the length frequency analysis indicates the presence of a relatively weak 1988 <br />year class, a stronger 1987 year class, and evidence of strong recruitment from the years <br />prior to 1986. The 1993 year class appears to have recruited to a juvenile size in the <br />most substantial numbers since that time. <br />~; <br />~'~ <br />xx <br />