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3.3 Fish <br />Nine fish taxa were identified during surveys conducted is 1980; <br />white sucker (Catostomus commersoni); flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus <br />latipinnis); unidentified suckers (Catostomus sp.); mottled sculpia <br />(Cottus bairdi); fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas); speckled dace <br />( Rhiaichthys osculus); redside shiner (Richardsonius balteatus); <br />mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni); and brown trout (Salmo <br />trutta) (Table 6). Previous surveys is the Williams Fork River also <br />have reported roundtail chub (Gila robusta), mountain sucker (Catostomus <br />platyrhynchus), and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdaeri) (Colorado Division <br />of Wildlife 1972; 1978). One additional catostomid, bluehead sucker <br />(Catostomus discobolus), is common in the Yampa River near its con- <br />fluence with the Williams Fork River (Carlson et al. 1979). Most <br />likely, only one additional sucker other than white sucker occurs in the <br />Williams Fork River. Based on intensive studies by Carlson et al. <br />(1979) in Che Yampa River drainage, the bluehead sucker appears to be <br />the dominant sucker. Of the nine taxa collected is this study, all <br />represent native species except brown trout, rainbow trout, and white <br />sucker which have been introduced. <br />Important gamefish is the Williams Fork Rivet include rainbow <br />trout, brown trout, and mountain whitefish. Rainbow trout and brown <br />trout are stocked is the upper portions of the Williams Fork River near <br />the confluence with Maropos Creek at Hamilton. The maiastem of the <br />Williams Fork River between the Yampa River confluence and Hamilton is ' <br />rated as a high priority fishery resource by the Colorado Division of <br />Wildlife. However, the results of this survey revealed that few trout <br />species and low numbers are found in the lower section of the river. <br />Conversations with local residents also suggested that fishing pressure i <br />is minimal in this area. <br />The results of surveys conducted is 1980 are presented in Table 6. <br />Of 625 fish captured in the study, the most abundant species were <br />speckled dace and redside shiner, which comprised 42.4 percent and <br />27.5 percent of Che total numbers, respectively. The only other species <br />• which represented more than 10 percent of the total catch was mottled <br />sculpia (10.6 percent). The largest catches occurred in November, while <br />the fewest numbers were found is March. <br />9 <br />