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attempt to avoid "wash" from the boats. Once crews had debarked, two categories of sampling <br />,~ <br />'ere instigated: fish community and habitat features. <br />~~f <br />~. <br />r$ Fish Community Sampling <br />Fish communities were sampled by seining the subject backwater. If large enough, a <br />backwater was seined in three places with a 4m x lm seine of 3mm mesh. This seine was pulled <br />across the backwater at the mouth, at a point 1/3 the distance from the mouth to the upper end, <br />and again at a point 2/3 the distance from the mouth to the upper end (Figure 2). If the <br />backwater was too deep, the seine was pulled parallel to shore. A smaller (lm x lm) seine of <br />1. Smm mesh was used in narrow, shallower backwaters or when larval fish were present. <br />Extremely small backwaters were often sampled completely with one sweep. Each seine was <br />examined for the presence of native fishes. Native fishes were placed in a live well until the entire <br />seine had been closely scrutinized. They were then identified to species, measured and released <br />into the backwater. All other fish caught were counted by species and age (juvenile or adult). If <br />samples wEre too large to be counted on site, all native fishes which could be found were <br />removed for measurement and released. The remaining fish, or a representative sample thereof, <br />were preserved in 10% formalin in Whirl-pak® bags for later examination. Preserved fish samples <br />were examined by UDWR personnel in Vernal, or by the Larval Fish Laboratory at Colorado <br />State University. Length (m) and depth (m) measurements associated with each seine were <br />recorded. These usually coincided with physical measurements of each backwater, and are <br />6 <br />