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15 <br />Log W= b 1 Log TL - b o <br />where: TL = total body length in millimeters, <br />W = weight in grams, and <br />bo,bl = empirical constants. <br />The regression equations were fitted using the computer program 'Shad <br />II' on file at Utah State University Computer Center [Nelson, 19761. <br />The body length-scale radius relationships for flannelmouth <br />suckers were best described by a third degree polynomial [Carlander, <br />1956]: <br />TL = b o+ b i SR + b 2 SR2 +b 3 SR3 <br />where TL = total length in millimeters, <br />SR = scale radius X 80, and <br />bo, b l, b2, b 3 = empirical constants. <br />The regression equations were fitted and back-calculation of growth <br />was done using the computer program 'Sigler' on file at Utah State <br />University Computer Center. <br />The third degree polynomial was chosen primarily because of the <br />accuracy of back-calculation of growth using that equation. Back- <br />calculated lengths of fish in the younger age groups obtained with <br />simpler equations did not fit the empirical data as well as those <br />calculated with the third-degree polynomial. In all cases, the cubic <br />coefficient was significantly different from zero. The other <br />coefficients were inconsistently significant. If the regression <br />equation was the only item of interest, the equations should have <br />been refitted using only the significant terms. However, the computer <br />program used for the back-calculation of growth was not capable of <br />eliminating the insignificant terms.