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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 001240 YOY/Small Bodied Fish Monitoring Fiscal Year 2005 Project Proposal Principal Investigators: David L. Propst and Yvette Paroz Conservation Services Division New Mexico Department of Game and Fish One Wildlife Way, P.O. Box 25112 Santa Fe, NM 87504 (505476-8103) dpropst\alstate.nm.us yparoz\alstate.nm.us Back!!round: As set forth in Section 5.7 of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (SJRlP) Long-Range Plan, a long-term monitoring program "to identify changes in the endangered and other native species populations, status, distributions and habitat conditions" was to be developed by the SJRIP Biology Committee. The ichthyofaunal monitoring portion of the San Juan River Monitoring Plan and Protocols (Propst, et aI., 2000) was divided into four primary areas, larval fish (drift sampling), larval fish (seining), young-of-year/small bodied, and subadult and adult/large-bodied fishes. The portion of the San Juan River to be monitored extends from the confluence of the Animas and San Juan rivers (Farmington) to Lake Powell (Clay Hills Crossing). The purposes of small-bodied fish monitoring are to document occurrence and mesohabitat of young-of year Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, and roundtail chub; characterize the fish assemblages of primary channel shoreline and near-shoreline mesohabitats, secondary channels, and backwaters; and document and assess changes in the abundance of common native and nonnative small-bodied fishes (including age 0 flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, common carp, and channel catfish). The following work proposal for 2005 is to conduct the young-of-year/small-bodied fishes monitoring effort per protocols set forth in the San Juan River Monitoring Plan and Protocols (SJRMPP). Beginning in 2003, specimens collected from each mesohabitat were preserved separately, data were recorded in database by mesohabitat, and annual reporting included summary of species occurrences by mesohabitat. During 2004 autumn monitoring, sampling of primary channel near-shore riffle and run mesohabitats was accomplished, on a trial basis. by enclosing a 30 m2 area and using a backpack electro fisher to drive fishes into a bag seine. This sampling was done at two sample sites in each geomorphic reach. In addition to accomplishing work (field, laboratory, data analyses, and report writing) specific to the young-of-year/small-bodied fish monitoring effort, NMGF personnel participate in telemetry studies, native-nonnative interactions studies (upper and lower San Juan), Colorado pikeminnow augmentation evaluation, and larval fish sampling of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program. This work and budgeting for NMGF participation in these activities is included with Scopes of Work for each activity and submitted by Principal Investigator(s) for each. 5