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The highly turbulent, harsh habitat where the humpback occured <br />harbored fewer fish species than most areas of the rivers. This suggests <br />the humpback lives in a highly specialized environment that excludes <br />other species, particularly exotics. <br />Temperature was a very critical environmental factor for humpback <br />chub. Areas occupied not only were very unique and limited physically, <br />but is required specific temperature for reproduction. Temperatures - <br />v <br />of C needed to be attained for initiation of spawning and best <br />hatching success and larvae survival occured-at about 20°C. Thus, areas <br />occupied now included the relatively warm Little Colorado River in the ' <br />lower basin and areas of the Upper Colorado River where the needed temp- <br />eratures still occured. Areas where humpback chub have been extirpated <br />included those areas inundated by dams and those areas impacted by cold <br />water releases below reservoirs, such as Flaming Gorge Canyon in the <br />Green River. <br />Juvenile and adult humpback chub seemed to be associated with some <br />of the shallower portions of the deeper river sections. In many of <br />these areas a shelf area existed along the edges of the deeper water <br />which provided a resting and feeding area for the humpback. Also, many <br />pockets, depressions and crevises occur in the bedrock boulder substrate <br />which provided isolated microhahitat favored by humpback chub. Although <br />adult humpback were quite capable of navigating the swift turbulent <br />water, as evidenced from radio tracking efforts, most time was spent in <br />pockets and back eddies adjacent to the deep, swift water. <br />Reproduction was not directly observed in the wild but it is suspected <br />that spawning takes place within the boundries of the deep, swift water <br />canyon. All ages of chub were found in the few areas where they occured, <br />which supported the conclusion that successful reproduction and recruit- <br />ment was taking place. Pockets of clean rubble-gravel areas are probably <br />utilized for spawning within the immediate canyon area and in upstream <br />associated areas. Young fry have been taken in and around the boulder <br />and depression of the bedrock areas within the deep canyon itself which <br />suggests the conclusion that all life stages are occuring within the <br />limited area of known adult populations. <br />Migration and Movement <br />Tagging and radio tracking programs were conducted in the Black <br />Rocks area of the Colorado River to determine movement patterns of <br />humpback chub. Sixteen of 218 fish tagged in the Upper Colorado River <br />were recaptured 1-434 days after release. All but one of the recaptured <br />fish moved less than 0.5 mi from their release site. Eight fish equipped <br />with radio transmitters also demonstrated very little movement up or <br />downstream. Generally, we concluded that humpback chub do not make <br />migrational movements and tend to reside throughout the year within a <br />very limited 1/2 to 1 mi stretch of river. The return of some tagged <br />fish, both dangler tagged and radio tagged, to their original site of <br />capture after release fn slightly different micrahabitats suggested that <br />Lhey may have a home territory or range within the confined river stretch <br />which they occupy. <br />