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North Platte River Fish Survey - March 1999 Page 5 <br />Riffle A shallow and low velocity rapid in open river where water <br />surface is irregular and broken by waves generally indicates <br />gravel- cobble substrate. <br />Run A reach of relatively high velocity water with laminar flow and <br />a non - turbulent surface. <br />Pool The portion of the river that is deep with relatively little <br />velocity compared to the channel. <br />We examined the possibility of using seining to supplement the sampling effort, but both the boat - <br />mounted and backpack electrofishing were effective in stunning fish for successful dipnetting. <br />Much of the substrate was either silt or large cobble, making seining less effective. Other <br />methods such as fyke netting were not pursued because of the relatively swift current and scarcity <br />of calm, deeper pools. <br />Study site maps are all geo- referenced and can be incorporated into GIS systems. <br />Crew members consisted of myself; Fisheries Biologist; Ed Beddow, Biologist; Ron Sutton, <br />Fisheries Biologist; and Del Smith, Hydrologic Engineer, all with the Bureau of Reclamation in <br />Denver, Colorado; and Dave Felley, Biologist; and Brad Rogers, Biological Technician, with the <br />U. S.Fish and Wildlife Service in Cheyenne, Wyoming. <br />Five StowAway TidbiT temperature data loggers were placed in selected sites throughout the <br />North Platte River during the fish sampling effort from March 16 through 31, 1999. Loggers <br />were placed as much as possible in the center of the river channel near the stream bottom to <br />prevent seasonal dewatering or tampering by fishermen and other river users. Temperature data <br />were collected hourly for nearly a year. The loggers were retrieved and downloaded on <br />March 2, 2000. <br />RESULTS <br />Fish Sampling <br />Table 1 provides a summary of all sample sites, gear used, effort, catch per unit effort (CPUE), <br />species and numbers collected, relative abundance, and size range. <br />Casper to Douglas. —Four backpack samples and two raft samples were conducted in this reach. <br />The average flow was approximately 700 cfs. Backpack samples were conducted along the <br />shallow, wadeable edge of the river. Samples were 300 m long by approximately 2.5 m wide, <br />depending on the configuration of the channel. <br />Results <br />