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whereas only one fish of this species had been captured before. <br />• <br />It appears from the results in the Paonia study area that during the <br />1976-77 sampling period the river xas not especially poor in fish fauna <br />considering the total number of fish species identified, but it xas poor <br />in terms of the standing crop biomass that xas produced. Eight species xere <br />found in the study area compared to 5 species (and at least one more that I <br />am aware of) found in the Crystal River in 1972 (Thorne, 1973). The study <br />area was notable in not having any rainbow trout, nor any other trout species <br />except one single brown trout. Although the extreme dewatering (particularly <br />in the loxer t::o stations) and warmer temperatures during summer and eazly <br />fall create a significant stress on trout, it is surprising that there <br />• xere no other trout caught. Stocking of fish both upstream and doxn- <br />stream of the general Paonia vicinity has occured in recent years and <br />trout have been caught in this area within the past 10 years. <br />Table 6- 9 shows stocking and fisherman catch records for the years <br />1971-76. Unfortunately, no breakdown was available by sections of the river <br />so it is not known just where in the river plants were made. In general <br />plants of catchable rainbow declined from a high of almost 40,000 fish in <br />1971 to about 1600 in 1974 and'75. The reason for this is not known, but <br />_t may be related to low flpxs and high summer temperatures. In 1976 some <br />16,500 fingerlings xere scattered along the river, but no catchables xere <br />plante3. No fingerlings were caught in the study azea. <br />Data on Tables 6~ and -6 give an indication of the standing crop <br />biomass of fish in the study area. It can be concluded that the biomass of <br />• fish per acre is low, but the particular figures obtained cannot be con- <br />sidered as aecise values. It xas obvious that all fish xere not cautured <br />6-5 <br />