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reproduction in the lower Green River includes the collection in 1991 of two juveniles (36.6 and <br />39.3 mm TL) from a backwater area (RK 89.5) downstream of the San Rafael River confluence <br />in Middle Stillwater Canyon (Gutermuth et al.-1994). Fifteen larvae (13-16 mm TL) were <br />captured at the Colorado River inflow to Lake Powell in 1993 (Muth and Wick 1997) which <br />were most likely produced in the lower Green River. Thus, the occurrence of razorback sucker <br />larvae and juveniles suggest that reproduction and limited recruitment is occurring in the lower <br />Green River and suggests the presence of an adult spawning aggregation. <br />In the Colorado River, razorback sucker populations are now nearly extirpated (Burdick <br />1992; Holden et al. 1981; Nesler 1999). A single razorback sucker was collected in the Colorado <br />River during ISMP activities in 1988 (McAda et al. 1994a). It was the only razorback sucker <br />collected from the Colorado River between 1988 and 1997 during ISMP activities. Three <br />razorback suckers were collected near RK 211 in 1993 (D. Osmundson, Fish and Wildlife <br />Service, unpublished data). Nesler (1999) has developed a stocking plan for razorback sucker in <br />the portion of the Colorado River that lies within the state of Colorado. <br />Factors Limiting Natural Reproduction <br />Poor survival of early life stages and limited recruitment into the adult population has <br />resulted in the precarious existence of razorback suckers in the Green River (Muth et al. 1998). <br />Although there is evidence of reproduction in the middle and lower Green River populations, <br />natural survival offish beyond the larval stage is low and wild stocks are composed of senescent <br />fish that continue to decline in abundance (Muth et al. 1998). Limited access to floodplain <br />habitat due to loss and modification and predation from nonnative fishes are the principle causes <br />of early life stage mortalities (Hamilton 1998, Hawkins and Nesler 1991, Lentsch et al. 1996b, <br />Maddox et al. 1993, Tyus and Saunders 1996, USFWS 1997). The Recovery Implementation <br />Program (RIP) for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin has begun major <br />efforts in restoring natural habitats and controlling nonnative fish. However, with the limited <br />number of adults in the population, augmentation is necessary to take advantage of these <br />management actions. Habitat enhancement and reducing nonnatives allow for the expansion of <br />razorback sucker. By stocking razorback suckers, the opportunity for naturally produced larvae <br />and stocked juveniles to utilize these open floodplain habitats is possible. <br />The RIP currently conducts an Interagency Standardized Monitoring Program (ISMP) <br />(USFWS 1987). In 1986 the ISMP began monitoring young-of--year, subadult, and adult <br />Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus Lucius), and adult humpback chub (Gila cypha) in river <br />reaches important to the endangered fishes (McAda et al. 1994a). Information on other rare or <br />introduced species was also collected when they were encountered. The number of razorback <br />suckers encountered has decreased each year since the beginning of monitoring in 1986 (Table <br />1). According to ISMP data (McAda et al. 1994a, 1994b, 1995, 1996, 1997) and Utah Division <br />of Wildlife reports (Day and Crosby 1996; Brunson et al. 1997; Chart et al, 1998), razorback <br />sucker populations appear to be declining in the Green River and are rare in the other rivers <br />based on the decreasing numbers of adults encountered and apparent lack of recruitment. <br />In 1995, a razorback sucker augmentation stocking program was initiated (Wydoski <br />1996). The plan called for stocking 1,000 fish per year for three years. The objective was to <br />increase the number of adults from approximately 500 to 1,000 individuals by the year 2001. <br />The program met stocking goals in 1995 and 1996. However, fish were not stocked in 1997 due <br />to a lack of equal size lots to stock and timing of the event. <br />3 <br />