9667

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9667
• Author: Brouder, M. J. and T. L. Hoffnagle.
• Title: Paria River Native Fish Monitoring - 1996-1997 Annual Report.
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: Flagstaff, AZ.
• Copyright Material: NO

Paris River Fish Monitoring Annual Report
recruiting into the adult population (S. Rogers, Arizona Game and Fish Department, personal
communication).
Monitoring the Paris River fish population, particularly flannelmouth sucker, is an
important component of monitoring the abundance and cohort size of native fishes in Grand
Canyon. This report documents the results of Arizona Game and Fish Department Paris River
fish monitoring for 1998.
•
Study Site
Ten standardized Arizona Game and Fish Department sites in the Paris River were
sampled in the lower 4.8 km of the Paria River (Figure 1; Table 1) (Arizona Game and Fish
Department 1996a}. Length of the sites ranged from 15 - 85 m and usually spanned the entire
stream. These sites have been sampled by Arizona Game and Fish Department since 1994 and
previously by Weiss (l 993). Of these, nine were classified as runs, while sites located at the
confluence of the Paria and Colorado rivers, were classified as pool habitat (Bisson et al. 1982).
This pool is created by the ponding of the Paria River by the mainstem Colorado River. Size
(azea and volume) of the pool depends largely on Colorado River dischazge and antecedent flows
of the Paris River which may scour or deposit sediments in the mouth. Locations of sampling
sites are noted as distance (m) upstream from the confluence of the Paris and Colorado rivers.
•
Methods
Samples were collected monthly beginning in June 1998. My plan was to sample
beginning with the onset of the spawning run (usually April or May), but there was no observed
spawning aggregation at the mouth of the Paris River nor a run upstream (S. Rogers, Arizona
Game and Fish Department, personal communication). However, spawning did occur in the
Paris River, since young suckers were observed there on 17 May 1998 (P. Sponholtz, Arizona
Game and Fish Department, personal communication) and I began sampling on 4 June 1998.
Sampling dates within each month were chosen based on availability of volunteer help (see
• 2 Arimna Game & Fish Department HoH'nagle 1999, Paris River 1998 Annual Report