3135

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 3135
• Author: Wiltzius, W. J.
• Title: Some Factors Historically Affecting the Distribution and Abundance of Fishes in the Gunnison River
• USFW Year: 1978.
• USFW - Doc Type: Final Report for Fishery Investigations of the Lower Gunnison River Drainage.
• Copyright Material: NO

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF TABLES . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
. vi
LIST OF APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
GUNNISON RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
DAMS AND RESERVOIRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
DIVERSIONS--Gunnison Tunnel . ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
METHODS AND MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
LIMNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Stream Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Temperatures , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 22
Water Analyses . . . . . . , . , , , , , . , . . . . . . 24
Bottom Fauna Collections and Identifications . . . . . 24
FISHERIES STUDIES . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fish Collections and Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Marked Fish Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Fluorescent Pigment Marking . . . . . . . . . . 28
Tetracycline Marking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Fin-clipMarking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Creel Census Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Early Questionnaires, 1973-74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
1977 Random Survey of Lower Gunnison. . . . . . . . . . 33
Age and Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
STATISTICAL ANALYSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
HISTORIC STREAMFLOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Influence of Taylor Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Influence of Gunnison Tunnel and Curecanti Dams on Flows 45
EFFECTS OF DAMS ON STREAM TEMPERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Taylor Park Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Curecanti Unit Reservoirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
EFFECTS OF DAMS ON WATER QUALITY AND BOTTOM FAUNA . . . . . . . . 54
GUNNISON RIVER SALMONID FISHERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Early Renown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Influence of Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Contests, Record Trout, Stocking, and Catch Composition. . . 70
Influence of Taylor Park Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Fisherman Use and Harvest Trends--Pre- and Post-Curecanti. . 81
1977 Random Survey of Lower Gunnison. . . . . . . . . . 91
Lower River Rainbow Harvest--from Stocking, Natural
Reproduction, or Reservoirs above?. . . . . . . . . . 94
Fish Growth in Lower Gunnison River (National Monument). 99
HISTORIC DISTRIBUTION OF NON-SALMONID SPECIES . . . . . . . . . . 101
Cyprinidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Roundtail chub--(GiZa robusta Baird and Girard) . . . . 103
Colorado squawfish--(PtychocheiZus Lucius Girard) . . . 106
Speckled dace--(Rhinichthys oscuZus Girard) . . . . . . 113
Longnose dace--(Rhinichthys cataractae Valenciennes). . 113
ii