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<br />impoundments in the lower Colorado River, albeit in the absence of nonnative fishes (Mueller et <br />al. 2003). However, if bonytail adults remain in floodplain depressions, temperatures exceed <br /> <br />20°C in early June and spawning would likely take place before or at the same time as nonnative <br />fishes. <br />Percent survival estimates for larval razorback sucker sympatric with nonnative fish were <br />low. The results and behavioral observations during the study support the conclusion of Johnson <br />~ et al. (1993) that larval razorback sucker are predator naive and unlikely to survive with high <br />numbers of nonnative fish. Razorback sucker larvae could frequently be observed swimming in <br />large groups in open water in the same vicinity as large predators. They did not appear to use the <br />~ available cover or avoid predators (Birchell and Christopherson 2004). This was also captured <br />with underwater video. <br />Survival of over 3,000 razorback suckers is encouraging. This is the first time larval <br />~ razorback sucker survival has been detected in the middle Green River since 1996 when Levee <br />Removal and associated studies began (Birchell et al. 2002; and Birchell and Christopherson <br />2004). If one applies the 56-72 percent survival reported in the 1999 study for 90 mm <br />~ razorback sucker (Birchell and Christopherson 2004), The Stirrup could have contributed 1,000 <br />to 2,000 sub-adult razorback suckers to the river population. However, caution should be used <br />projecting survival this way. <br />~ Small numbers of larval fish escaped from the enclosures, but it is impossible to <br />determine from which enclosure fish escaped. Escapement of larval fish from enclosures <br />reduced survival estimates. However, the population estimate for the razorback suckers outside <br />~ of the enclosures was relatively low (1,113). Because there were fewer predators outside the <br />enclosures it is assumed that survival for fish that escaped was better than for fish inside the <br />enclosures. Had those fish remained inside the enclosures survival estimates would have only <br />~ been slightly higher and the conclusions would have remained the same. <br />~ 17 <br />