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<br />. <br /> <br />Age Analysis <br /> <br />Age results, even grouped into YOY, juvenile, and adult age classes, show an interesting <br /> <br /> <br />shift from predominantly adults in 2001, 2002, and 2003 to predominantly juveniles in 2004 and <br /> <br /> <br />an even number of both in 2005 (Figure 8). The inability to follow an age class through time <br /> <br /> <br />suggests that in 2003 and 2004, removal efforts disturbed the population to the extent that most <br /> <br /> <br />individuals are now removed each year and new individuals from other parts of the basin replace <br /> <br />them. We do have definitive evidence of four individuals moving down from the Yampa River <br /> <br /> <br />into critical habitat for razorback sucker in the middle Green River over the study period (Table <br /> <br /> <br />7). These fish moved between 192.1 and 306.5 river kilometers (119.4 and 190.5 river miles) <br /> <br /> <br />downstream to get to the middle Green River near Jensen. We therefore know that downstream <br /> <br />movement occurs; we can only assume it occurs to the extent that the majority of pike in the <br /> <br />middle Green River were spawned in the Yampa River. <br /> <br /> <br />Beginning in 2006, northern pike captured in the middle Green River were sent to <br /> <br /> <br />researchers at Colorado State University for analysis of stable isotopic signatures. If pike sources <br /> <br /> <br />in the Yampa River drainage have a strong isotopic signature such that this signature imprints <br /> <br /> <br />itself on the resident fish, we will eventually know the source of middle Green River pike. <br /> <br /> <br />The cleithra results suggest that northern pike may have successfully spawned in 2001 <br /> <br />and 2002; however, because numbers of these younger fish in the river remained low (we <br /> <br />detected only one YOY in both 2001 and 2002), it is more likely that these fish migrated down <br /> <br />from the Yampa River, thus allowing us to keep this removal effort at a preventative level. <br /> <br />There are some issues to consider with the cleithra results. The researchers at the time <br /> <br /> <br />certainly believed they were accurate in their age determinations; however, Quist et al. (2006) <br /> <br /> <br />point to difficulties with aging catostomids of the upper Colorado River basin based on cleithra <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />41 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />26 <br /> <br />. <br />