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the water has stratified. In <br />shallow areas-with structure <br />are slightly warmer than the <br />Fnnd Hahitc <br />the spring and fall, they can be found in <br />(e.g., submerged trees) where water temperatures <br />open reservoir. -`- <br />Crappie fry feed mostly on zooplankton. They switch to larger prey (e.g., <br />insects) quickly as they grow. Crappies become piscivorous early in life and <br />the food of adult crappie is primarily fish if fish are available- as-forage <br />(Carlander 1977). On the other hand, stunting often occurs in crappies if <br />forage fish are not available. <br />Discussion Related to Potential Competition/Predation <br />It is not known how crappies and the Colorado squawfish might interact since <br />crappies would occupy primarily reservoirs where knowledge of squawfish <br />habitat, movements, and behavior are lacking. <br />However, the piscivorous food habits of the crappie indicates that a potential <br />for both competition with or predation upon the Colorado squawfish exists. <br />DISCUSSION/SUMMARY <br />The habitat used by centrarchids (e.g., largemouth bass, bluegill, and <br />crappies) and channel catfish as well as their food habits and temperature <br />preferences indicates that the potential exists for competion/predation with <br />Colorado squawfish. <br />In the 125-kilometer reach of the White River between Rio Blanco Reservoir and <br />the Colorado-Utah state line (River Kilometers 71.8 to 243.0), native fishes <br />comprised 74% of the total number sampled during 1983-1985 (Martinez 1986a). <br />A single black crappie was collected below Rangely in 1984 during the sampling <br />and a single northern pike (Esox Lucius) was caught by a rancher about 12 <br />miles downstream from Rio Blanco Reservoir in 1983 (Martinez 1986a). No <br />largemouth bass or bluegills were found in the White.River during the 1983- <br />1985 studies although it is possible that these species may become established <br />in suitable habitat of Kenney Reservoir from Rio Blanco stocks. <br />Optimum growth of the Colorado squawfish occurs at 25 C (Black and Bulkley <br />1985) and this species showed a preference for this temperature. At <br />temperatures above or below the optimum (i.e., 2U and 30 C), squawfish growth <br />was about 50% of the optimum. Waters in the Upper Colorado River Basin reach <br />the 25 C optimum temperature for a short time during July and August (Appendix <br />B in Archer et al. 1985). Backwaters and eddies along the mainstem rivers <br />become even warmer and will attract warmwater predatory sport fish. Such fish <br />have changed the community structure and availability of forage organisms <br />through predation (Bremer 1964; Brown 1965; Curtis 1942; Lemly 1985; Meffe <br />1984; Minckley 1982; Moyle and Nikols 1973; Moyle, Li, and Barton 1986; Rivero <br />1936). <br />The percentage of predatory sport fish has been low in most reaches of the <br />Upper Colorado River Basin (Table 1). However, small numbers of predators may <br />add significantly to morta-lity of larval and juvenile fishes in certain <br />habitats where they are confined. Probably a more important consideration is <br />the introduction of nonnative forage species that may compete with the early <br />9