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,~ <br />~ 1 <br />Introduction <br />Reintroduction of razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) and <br />subsequent monitoring of stocked fish in the Gila River Basin, <br />Arizona was begun in 1981. Johnson (1985) and Minckley (1983) <br />described this effort to reestablish razorback sucker in the <br />Gila, Salt, and Verde rivers and selected tributaries. Brooks et <br />al. (In prep.) summarized reintroduction and monitoring efforts, <br />through 1985 (monitoring through early 1985 only), and <br />recommended changes in the program. Their data indicated <br />predation on stocked razorback was high and pointed out the need <br />to remove or substantially lessen that factor. Despite having <br />stocked nearly 9.5 million razorback sucker since 1981, <br />recaptures have been scarce. This is probably due to: 1) mostly <br />fry (92%) stocked (normally high attrition), 2) heavy predation <br />on stocked fish, and 3) inadequate survey efforts for the <br />extremely large reintroduction area. <br />Monitoring of stocked razorback sucker was intensified <br />through cooperative efforts of Arizona State University (ASU), <br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and Arizona Game and Fish <br />Department (AGED). Dispersal and predation studies (Brooks et <br />al. In prep.) were added in 1984 and 1985 to ongoing netting, <br />seining, and electrofishing efforts. This report summarizes 1985 <br />reintroductions of razorback sucker in Arizona, presents data on <br />relative abundance and distribution of native and introduced <br />fishes in the Gila River basin, and recommends program changes to <br />enhance survival of stocked razorback suckers. <br />-1- <br />