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<br />ponds to a length of 12 inches (- 300 mm) TL before they are stoccked into the <br />Middle Green River. The fish will be reared on zooplankton and should be able <br />to convert to other, larger natural food organisms after they are released <br />into the wild. <br /> <br />Reasons for stocking razorbacks at 12 inches TL include: (1) they will be <br />easier to sample during monitoring efforts, (2) they are expected to survive <br />at a higher rate, and (3) they are expected to become mature and spawn for the <br />first time in the Year 2001. Increased numbers of razorback sucker larvae in <br />the river will allow better evaluation of survival related to <br />enhancement/restoration of flooded bottomland habitats (i.e., levee removal <br />evaluation). <br /> <br />Number of Fish to be Stocked. In 1995, approximately 200 fish from five <br />family lots of captive-reared razorback sucker were stocked into the Middle <br />Green River. To prevent genetic swamping in the wild stock, the numbers of <br />captive-reared razorback suckers will be equalized by stocking about 200 fish <br />from each of 25 family lots. Surviving razorback suckers from wild larvae <br />will also be stocked into the Middle Green River, provided that they are <br />genetically similar (based on DNA fingerprinting) to the wild stock. The <br />number of razorback suckers that can be reared from natural spawning is <br />dependent upon the effectiveness of the collection of wild larvae. <br /> <br />Time of Release into the Green River. The fish will be PIT-tagged, <br />characterized through DNA fingerprinting, and released into the Green <br />River in either September or October. The intent is to release the fish with <br />sufficient time to acclimate to the riverine environment before the water <br />temperatures decrease during late fall. Also, the streamflows are lowest at <br />that time of the year so fish reared in ponds or bottomland habitats will not <br />subjected to high streamflows that are characteristic during the spring <br />runoff. <br /> <br />Location of Release. Surviving razorback sucker will be released in a five <br />mile section of the Middle Green River beginning and extending downstream from <br />the Split Mountain boat ramp. Experience has demonstrated that stocked <br />endangered fish disperse downstream shortly after their release. By releasing <br />the fish in the area of Split Mountain, the fish will disperse downstream and <br />be able to select low velocity habitats that they encounter through the broad <br />valley in the Jensen-Ouray reach of the Green River. <br /> <br />Although it has been documented that razorback sucker have fidelity to certain <br />spawning sites, it is unknown if the fish actually imprinted to the site or if <br />it is a learned behavior. Increased thyroid activity occurs during the egg <br />and swimup stage of the razorback sucker that may indicate the time of <br />imprinting (Scholz et ale 1993). Therefore, wild larvae will have already <br />been imprinted to the spawning site (e.g., Razorback Bar) or captive-reared <br />fish that have been exposed to a synthetic chemical from egg through the <br />swimup stage will be used in the augmentation stocking efforts. This is a <br />conservative approach in the event that the ongoing research study <br />demonstrates that razorback suckers imprint to spawning sites. If imprinting <br />occurs in the razorback sucker, wild larvae will already be imprinted to the <br />site where they were spawned. Captive-reared fish will be exposed to <br /> <br />6 <br />