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BACKGROUND RESERVOIR FISH STOCKING AND MARKING Trout have been stocked annually in Flaming Gorge Reservoir since 1963. A total of 57.9 million rainbow trout have been planted in the reservoir since April of 1963, an average of 2.8 million rainbow trout per year. Included in this total are many different strains of wild and domestic rainbow trout including kamloops (S.g. Kamloops), Eagle Lake (S.g. aquilarum), McConaughy, and several domestic strains of rainbow trout. Other salmonids planted in the reservoir include 6 million brown trout, 2.8 million cutthroat trout (Snake River and Strawberry Reservoir strains), 2.2 million kokanee salmon, and 25,200 lake trout. Other sport fish than have been planted in Flaming Gorge include 773,000 largemouth bass, 72,000 smallmouth bass, and most recently 119,400 chan- nel catfish. The Jones Hole Federal Fish Hatchery, near Vernal, Utah, was established in 1969 under Section 8 of the Colorado River Storage Project to supply trout for Flaming Gorge Reservoir. An agreement was reached with the states of Utah; Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that Jones Hole would provide 50 percent of the trout stocked annually in the reservoir and the states would pro- duce the other 50 percent. The agreement has worked well and Jones Hole has always provided at least half of the trout stocked in the reservoir each year. Forage fish species introduced include the threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense), Bonneville cisco (Prosopium gemmiferum.), and Bear Lake sculpin (Cottus extensus). Adult threadfin shad were stocked in 1975 and 1976, while eggs were planted from 1972 through 1974. The threadfin shad could not survive the harsh winter water temperature in the reservoir and the introduction was considered a failure. An attempt to introduce the Bonneville cisco and Bear Lake sculpin began in 1980. The success of these introductions has yet to be determined. Fingerling (3.0 inch average) rainbow trout were planted at rates varying from 56 to 576 per acre in Flaming Gorge Reservoir during the period 1963 to 1972, advanced fingerlings (5.0 inch average) were stocked at rates of 73 to 121 fish per surface acre from 1973 to 1975, and catchables (8.4 inch average) have been stocked since 1982 at rates of 17 to 19 fish per surface acre. Most fish have been planted by barge to ensure efficient distribution. At various times (1975, 1976, 1983), fish have been planted directly from trucks because there was some question relative to increased survival using the barge. The 1983 plant was made partly by barge and partly by truck because returns of dye-marked fish suggested no significant difference in returns. Brown trout (brood culls averaging 2.1 per pound) were introduced in 1966 and have been planted as advanced fingerlings until 1983 when catchables were used. Kokanee salmon have been planted as fry. Cutthroat trout were planted as advanced fry until 1971 when sub-catchables were used. Fish have been marked through the years using a variety of marks and tech- niques. During the study period, analysis of returns have provided data on a host of statistics: movement, survival, longevity, growth, and return to the creel. -5-