9694

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9694
• Author: Hawkins, J., C. Walford, and A. Hill
• Title: Smallmouth bass control in the middle Yampa River, 2003-2007.
• USFW Year: 2009
• USFW - Doc Type: Contribution 154 Larval Fish Laboratory, Colorado State University.
• Copyright Material: NO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. iii

LIST OF FIGURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................... vi

INTRODUCTION ..................................................... 1

Project background .............................................. 1
Historical background of smallmouth bass invasion in the Yampa River. . . . .. 2

METHODS .......................................................... 4

Study area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4

Sampling protocol ............................................... 4

Fish handling ................................................... 6

Removal effort ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7

Removal evaluation .............................................. 7
Movement of tagged fish .......................................... 8
Fish Community (1-mile) sampling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., 9

RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10

Study site abundance ........................................... 10

Tag loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11

Sampling effort. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11

Fish captured with boat electrofishing ............................... 12
Fish captured with electric seine ................................... 14
Spawning observations .......................................... 15
Longitudinal distribution of small mouth bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16
Movement of tagged small mouth bass .............................. 16
Recapture of tagged Elkhead Reservoir escapees ..................... 18
One-mile fish community sampling ................................. 19

DISCUSSION .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 22

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., 26

RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................... 27

LITERATURE CITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 28

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