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<br />Powell. Twelve adult razorback sucker were captured in the San Juan -_ <br />Arm of Lake Powell in March. Eight of those fish were males in repro- _ <br />ductively ripe condition. Two Gila spp. specimens were collected from <br />backwaters between 103-93 miles above Lake Powell. ~ <br />Overall, the fish community of the San Juan River was dominated <br />by flannelmouth sucker, carp and channel catfish. Backwater habitats <br />were dominated by exotic species, primarily red shiner and fathead <br />minnow. Carp and striped bass were the most numerous fishes in col- <br />lections from the San Juan Arm of Lake Powell. ~ <br />It is recommended that the Colorado River Fishes Recovery Team <br />address future endangered fishes studies of the San Juan River. A <br />committee such as the Recovery Team, in which the various agencies <br />involved in endangered fishes management and recovery are represented, <br />would be the logical entity to guide the integration of the San Juan ~ <br />River into recovery and management plans for endangered fishes in the <br />Colorado River Basin. Nearly all the endangered fishes investigations <br />in the Upper Colorado River Basin have focused on the Upper Colorado <br />River and Green River sub-basins. Documentation of Colorado squawfish <br />and Gila sp. reproduction in the San Juan River in 1987 has added a <br />third suG-basin in the Upper Colorado River Basin where recovery and ~ <br />management of endangered fishes must be addressed. Endangered species <br />studies of the San Juan River will have to be prioritized among on- - <br />going and future studies in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The fol- <br />lowing recommendations identify further investigations that should be <br />conducted on the San. Juan River. There are topics addressed that - <br />apply not only to the San Juan River, but the entire Upper Colorado ~ <br />River Basin. At the time this report was completed, the cooperative <br />agreement between BOR and the States of Utah and New Mexico was ex- <br />tended for an additional year of investigation of the San Juan River. <br />Thus, recommendations are also presented which specifically identify <br />sampling techniques and sites for 1988. <br /> <br />Identification of Colorado squawfish spawning areas in the San <br />Juan River is necessary so that they can be protected and spawning <br />monitored. Electrofishing during suspected times of spawning should <br />be conducted in 1988 to attempt to locate spawning Colorado squaw- <br />fish. Radio telemetry tracking of wild adult fish is another tech- <br />nique that has proven successful in the Green River sub-basin for <br />locating Colorado squawfish spawning areas. Electrofishing for <br />spawning aggregations and radio telemetry tracking may have limited <br />usefulness in the San Juan River because of the apparent low density <br />of Colorado squawfish. Sampling with larval drift nets and seining <br />backwaters for YOY fish would be useful techniques for identifying <br />general river reaches where Colorado squawfish are spawning. Sampling ~ <br />of backwaters in fall should be conducted in 1988 to further define <br />the relative amount and sites of Colorado squawfish reproduction and <br />the subsequent distribution of young fish. The high labor and time - <br />costs of larval drift netting may limit its applicability. <br /> <br />- 44 - , <br />