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<br />-< ., <br /> <br />nursery areas in the Green River near Ouray-Jensen and below the town of Green <br />River; and the entire reach within Desolation/Grays canyons due to the presence <br />of humpback chub. <br /> <br />3.3 Research Program Plan/Approach <br /> <br />In 1990, a Flaming Gorge Research Team composed of upper basin researchers <br />was assembled under the RIP to design and conduct studies that would provide data <br />necessary for refinement of the seasonal flow recommendations set forth by the <br />service in the Biological Opinion on operation of FGD. The research team <br />consists of representatives from Reclamation, the Service, Utah Division of <br />Wildlife (UDWR), Larval Fi sh Laboratory (LFL) at Colorado State Uni vers ity, <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) , and Western Area Power Administration <br />(WAPA). <br />A number of assumptions and considerations were made by the research team <br />in assembling the overall research program. <br /> <br />-The research program should address all endangered fishes to the extent <br />possible. Nonnative and other native fishes should also be considered, <br />especially in terms of their interactions with endangered fishes. <br />Endangered fishes that would be addressed include Colorado squawfish, <br />razorback sucker, humpback chub, and bony tail chub. <br /> <br />-Long-term, standardized studies extending the length of the research <br />period would be needed to provide a data base for assessment of biological <br />and physical responses of the Green River ecosystem to implemented flow <br />recommendations. <br /> <br />-Framework of the long-term effort needed to be sufficiently simple and <br />flexible to allow for continuity over time and collection of sound, <br />quantifiable data covering important 1ife-history.stages. Consideration <br />was given to the ability to link new. data with existing data and <br />information-generated from the Interagency Standardized Monitoring Program <br />(ISMP) and other studies. <br /> <br />-Because state of knowledge of the biology and life history of Colorado <br />squawfish is relatively high, compared to razorback sucker, humpback chub, <br />and bony tail, studies should initially focus on Colorado squawfish. As <br />knowledge of the biology and life history of the other endangered fishes <br />increases, the long-term effort could be modified/expanded to include <br />these species. . <br /> <br />-A critical issue..is the need to establish links among reproduction, <br />recruitment of young fish, recruitment to adult stock~, status of <br />populations, and how hydrologiC conditions affect life-history parameters. <br /> <br />-Two important Colorado squawfish spawning areas have been identified in <br />the Green River system (i .e., lower Vampa Canyon and Desolation/Gray <br />canyons). .Representative sampling in reaches downstream of each spawning <br />area is needed to provide an accurate assessment of annual reproduction <br />and recruitment of young. <br /> <br />Flaming Gorge Studies <br /> <br />6 <br />