| Summary: | 2014 Fall. Includes bibliographical references. Chapter 1 - Illegally introduced burbot (Lota lota) populations have spread throughout the Green River drainage (GRD) of the upper Colorado River Basin in Wyoming and Utah, USA where they are having adverse effects on native and sport fisheries. We analyzed existing data to evaluate the status of burbot in southwestern Wyoming. Burbot appear to have been illegally introduced into Big Sandy Reservoir in the early- to mid-1990's, based on capture of burbot in 2003 that included one 16 year old fish and several between 7 and 12 years of age. Burbot began expanding throughout the Green River Drainage in the early 2000s and, with the assistance of a secondary introduction into Fontenelle Reservoir, have successfully invaded most portions of the GRD upstream of the Flaming Gorge Dam. Only one burbot has been captured downstream of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, but this detection indicates potential for downstream establishment in the future. Burbot are difficult to sample, especially in large rivers, so we recommend sampling techniques to monitor the expansion of burbot in lotic and lentic habitats of the upper Colorado River Basin as well as highlight research opportunities associated with this invasion. Chapter 2 - Burbot (Lota lota L.) and white suckers (Catostomus commersonii L.) are managed as invasive species in the upper Colorado River Basin and physical barriers to their upstream dispersal could be important tools for preventing their spread. A three-tiered lab-based experimental approach was used to define design parameters for both species utilizing a hybrid barrier that combines a vertical drop with a downstream velocity segment. The first tier of the study measured fish jumping ability over a range of waterfall height × plunge pool depth treatments to refine waterfall design parameters. Jumping attempt and waterfall exploration data were collected in each trial to allow a novel approach for examining the behavior associated with individual motivation to ascend ...
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