2013-03-06_REVISION - C1992081 (6)

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6 Only two Colorado squawfish confirmed spawning sites, as defined in the Colorado Squawfish Recovery Plan, have been located in the Upper Basin: river mile 16.5 of the Yampa River and river mile 156.6 of the Green River. These areas have the common characteristics of coarse cobble or boulder substrates forming rapids or riffles associated with deeper pools or eddies. It is believed that a stable, clean substrate is necessary for spawning and incubation. Substrates are swept clean of finer sediments by high flows scouring the bed prior to the spawning period. O'Brien (1984) studied the hydraulic and sediment transport dynamics of the cobble bar within the Yampa River spawning site and duplicated some of its characteristics in a laboratory flume study. Based on field observations, he reported: "On the rising limb of the hydrograph, sands are deposited in the cobble interstices. These sands are interchanged between the bed and the suspended zone for discharges less than bankfull. Depending on the supply- capacity relationship, either deposition or scour could be occurring. When the cobbles move, the sand, of course, is washed from the interstices and may be completely removed from around the cobbles. Rearrangement of the cobbles will result in more stability of the armor layer. On the falling limb, the armor layer becomes a trap for sands until finally, the sand reservoir is again filled. Without cobble movement, sand will be scoured only to a depth of one -half to one median cobble diameter below the cobble bed surface." In the flume experiments, the sand level was observed approximately 0.50 to 1 cobble diameter below the surface of the cobble bed, which compared to field observations of sand depth at approximately 0.50 to 1 median cobble diameter. O'Brien reported a cobble size range of 50 -100 mm with a median size of 75 mm at the spawning site. Milhous (1982) proposes discharges of approximately 0.50 of that required to initiate cobble movement will be capable of extracting sands and fines from the cobble substrate. Thus, after the supply of sand diminishes, flows of sufficient magnitude and duration are required to scour the cobble bed in preparation for spawning and incubation. Although the location of spawning areas in the Colorado River is not well defined, the presence of larvae near the confluence of the Gunnison River, in the Loma to Black Rocks reach and near the confluence of the Dolores River, demonstrates that spawning does occur. Kaeding and Osmundson (1987) reported that water temperatures in the Colorado River were suitable for spawning in the Grand Junction area. In 1986, a year of high runoff, suitable temperatures for spawning (20 °C) occurred in the first week of August. Miller et al. (1982) and Archer et al. (1986) demonstrated that Colorado squawfish often migrate considerable distances to spawn in the Green and Yampa Rivers, and similar movement has been noted in the main stem Colorado River. Miller et al. (1982) concluded from collections of larvae and young -of -year below known spawning sites that there is a downstream drift of larval Colorado squawfish following hatching. Extensive studies in the Yampa and upper Green