Certain aspects of the biology of two species of fish, bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and the assessment of fishing pressure upon the sport fishery of Pelican Lake, Uintah County, Utah, a 680 ha warmwater lake, were studied between April 1, 1976 and June 30, 1978. The growth rate of bluegills (sexes combined) was fairly rapid; the mean back-calculated total lengths from ages one through nine were 55, 112, 166, 194, 211, 229, 245, 256 and 259 mm. The growth of largemouth bass was 104, 194, 271, 316, 350, 405 and 416 mm total length for ages one through seven for the combined sexes. Male bluegills matured earlier in life than females. Bluegills spawned continually from the first of June to the first of September, although the peak spawning occurred in June of both years. Gonadal weight to body weight ratios (maturity index) were greatest in the first of June for both male and female bluegills. Fecundity estimates ranged from 1 1,102 mature ova for an age II bluegill to 4 6, 281 mature ova for an age V bluegill. Fecundity estimates for largemouth bass ranged from 4,810 mature ova for a II year old to 31, 719 mature ova for a V year old. Largemouth bass spawned primarily in late May in 1976 and early June in 1977. Angler use of the lake was estimated to be 10,054 angler days fished in 1975, culminating a seven-year increase in use, with subsequent declines in angling to 8,001 angler days in 1976 and 5,027 in 1977. A significant winter fishery developed in 1978. Anglers harvested an estimated 58,277, 44,918 and 22,469 bluegills and 5,791, 2,747 and 4,176 largemouth bass in 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively. Angler catch rates for bluegills in respective years were 1.520, 1.640 and 1.130 fish/hr and 0.204, 0.094 and 0.213 fish/hr for largemouth bass. Bluegill age groups IV and V and largemouth bass age group III composed the majority of angler harvested fish in 1976 and 1977. Age and size composition of angler harvested bluegills indicated no statistically significant change between 1976 and 1977. Bass harvested by anglers in 1977 were significantly greater in weight than those harvested in 1976. The total annual mortality determined from scale analyses of angler harvested fish was 59.9% for bluegill and 71.6% for bass. A significant number of male bluegills was harvested by anglers in June 1977, the period of peak nesting activity. Anglers released 5,158 bluegills in 1977, of which an estimated 11% (565) were lost to hooking mortality. Of various hook sizes used to assess hooking mortality, number 8 regular shank hooks yielded the highest total mortality (18%). The lowest hooking mortality was with number 6 regular shank jig hooks (0%) and where the leader was cut and the hook allowed to remain (0%). Higher mortality of worm-hooked fish was attributed largely to anatomical location of hooking. Of the total (19) bluegill mortalities, 63% were hooked in the esophagus and 37% in the gill/gill arch. Postwinter population sampling in May 1977 indicated the estimated standing crop weight was 40% less than the prewinter standing crop weight in Au gust 1976. A similar loss in standing crop (37%) was noted in weight from August 1977 to June 1978. The greatest loss in numbers was in young-of-the-year bluegill that suffered an estimated 98% overwinter mortality. Midwinter water quality analyses indicated that anoxic conditions occurred from 2.0 m below the ice to the bottom. An increase in hydrogen sulfide levels was also detected. Recommendations for the fishery were (1) adjustment of the daily bag limit for the bluegill sport fishery with fluctuations in angling use; (2) continuation of a creel census from April 1 through July 31 similar to the design used in this study to annually assess angling use, catch rates, total harvest and the size and age composition of this harvest; (3) stomach analyses of potential predators to assess the overwinter mortality of blue gills; (4) retainment of the current bag limit on largemouth bass with future consideration of utilizing a 12-15-in (305-381 mm) total length limit to increase the numbers of larger, older bass in the population; (5) nonrestrictive use of terminal gear by anglers since hooking mortality of bluegills caught and released by anglers in the summer of 1977 was insignificant; (6 ) no size length restrictions on the bluegills retained by anglers; and (7) consideration of purchasing additional water storage from the irrigation company.

Fine-scale resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) created from data collected using high precision instruments have become ubiquitous in fluvial geomorphology. They permit a diverse range of spatially explicit analyses including hydraulic modeling, habitat modeling and geomorphic change detection. Yet, the intercomparison of survey technologies across a diverse range of wadeable stream habitats has not yet been examined. Additionally, we lack an understanding regarding the precision of DEMs derived from ground-based surveys conducted by different, and inherently subjective, observers. This thesis addresses current knowledge gaps with the objectives i) to intercompare survey techniques for characterizing instream topography, and ii) to characterize observer variability in instream topographic surveys. To address objective i, we used total station (TS), real-time kinematic (rtk) GPS, terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), and infrared airborne laser scanning (ALS) topographic data from six sites of varying complexity in the Lemhi River Basin, Idaho. The accuracy of derived bare earth DEMs was evaluated relative to higher precision TS point data. Significant DEM discrepancies between pairwise techniques were calculated using propagated DEM errors thresholded at a 95% confidence interval. Mean discrepancies between TS and rtkGPS DEMs were relatively low (≤ 0.05 m), yet TS data collection time was up to 2.4 times longer than rtkGPS. ALS DEMs had lower accuracy than TS or rtkGPS DEMs, but ALS aerial coverage and floodplain topographic representation was superior to all other techniques. The TLS bare earth DEM accuracy and precision were lower than other techniques as a result of vegetation returns misinterpreted as ground returns. To address objective ii, we used a case study where seven field crews surveyed the same six sites to quantify the magnitude and effect of observer variability on DEMs interpolated from the survey data. We modeled two geomorphic change scenarios and calculated net erosion and deposition volumes at a 95% confidence interval. We observed several large magnitude elevation discrepancies across crews, however many of these i) tended to be highly localized, ii) were due to systematic errors, iii) did not significantly affect DEM-derived metric precision, and iv) can be corrected post-hoc.

Colorado River cutthroat trout, Oncorhyncus clarki pleuriticus , occupy less than 12% of their historic range. Restoration and conservation of this species are currently under way across the upper Colorado River basin, but guidance to inform management decisions related to the impacts of climate change on cutthroat is lacking. Shifts in the thermal distribution of freshwater fish have been documented, and will continue to occur as cold water habitat is threatened by warming water temperatures. Coupled air and water temperature data allow for an estimation of potential resistance and resilience to warming, determining the effect that local air has on stream temperature. The United States Forest Service, cooperating with federal agencies, state agencies and private landowners, placed temperature loggers in the water and two air locations at 50 sites. To select a representative subset of sites, six habitat characteristics of each Colorado River cutthroat trout core conservation population were considered. These characteristics include solar input, elevation, watershed area, riparian vegetation, groundwater input, and the 30-year mean maximum July air temperature. Results from coupled temperature loggers indicate that the relationship between air and water temperature in the upper Colorado River basin is neither linear, nor one-to-one. Using Mohseni's (2003) equation, the relationship between air and water temperature was fit to a nonlinear regression curve. Analysis shows that the median rise in daily maximum water temperature is only 0.41°C for a 1.0°C increase in the median daily maximum air temperature. Air temperature exerts the most influence over water temperature; however, these results indicate that there are other characteristics that influence stream temperature. To determine these characteristics, analysis of the six habitat characteristics used for site selection in addition to aspect, slope, and latitude were used to model multiple temperature metrics. The best model, nonlinear water to air temperature relationship, had an R2 between actual and predicted values of 0.71. It also became clear that using multi-metric analysis would provide a much more robust indicator of resistance. This work will allow managers to consider potential climate change resistance or resilience in project prioritization, by understanding potential habitat characteristics to buffer stream warming.

Individual variation in survival and behavior of American marten (Martes americana) was studied in relation to disease, prey fluctuation, and clear-cutting from 10 January 1986 through 20 August 1987 in Newfoundland, Canada. Thirty-seven of forty marten captured on the study area were telemetered and monitored for part or all of the study. Marten mortality was concentrated in two intervals, fall 1986 and late winter 1987. Mortality during fall 1986 was attributable to encephalitis, while marten deaths during late winter 1987 resulted from predation and starvation attributable to the prey decline. Nonsuppurative encephalitis was first detected 7 October 1986; no further evidence of the disease could be found after 1 November 1986. In early October 1986, declining populations of meadow voles were documented; by June 1987 no voles could be found on the study area. In both mortality periods, young-of-the-year marten had lower survival rates than older marten, and transients survived less well than residents. However, encephalitis appeared to be a less selective mortality agent than the prey decline. Females, considered to be more vulnerable to resource perturbations, had lower survival rates and males higher rates during late winter 1987 than during the disease epizootic. Clear-cutting operations ran from 4 August 1986 through 14 November 1986; 3% (259 ha) of the study area was cut. Marten of all ages avoided clear-cuts during logging operations and for the first nine months afterward. Resident kits made significantly greater use of clear-cuts than older residents and were 3.2 times more likely than older residents to be found within clear-cuts. However, resident kits were 2.6 times and adults 8.3 times more likely to use habitats other than clear-cuts. The decline in prey abundance resulted in several changes in marten movement and spacing behaviors. Intrasexual home range overlap by residents was eliminated. All female residents present before the prey decline either died or abandoned their home ranges. The ratio of transients to resident numbers increased. Recolonization of vacated habitats was slower, and duration of dispersal for females increased. Intruder pressure and mating access appeared to play little role in the observed changes in social spacing. The decline in marten numbers during and after the prey decline appeared to have been partially affected by changes in spacing behaviors.

Recent concern about large initial and delayed mortalities resulting from tournament angling for largemouth bass has indicated that it would be desirable to further evaluate the fate of fish that are released after being captured by angling. This study was designed to evaluate sublethal physiological disruptions caused by hooking stress after largemouth bass were played under standardized conditions (0-5 minutes) and to estimate the time needed for recovery of the homeostatic mechanisms (to 72 hours). Blood lactate was used as a measure of metabolic fatigue; plasma osmolality and chloride measurements were used to evaluate osmoregulatory disturbances and gill ion-exchange; and plasma glucose was used as an index of response to generalized non-specific physiological stress. Fatigue of largemouth bass, as indicated by blood lactate values, increased with playing time (0-5 minutes) and was accentuated by an increase in water temperature. Blood lactate levels continued to increase during recovery up to 8 hours but returned to approximate initial values by 24 hours. Plasma chloride values did not change with playing time (0-5 minutes) at water temperatures of 11-13 C and 28-30 C but increased significantly after 1 minute of playing time at 16-20 C indicating an osmoregulatory disturbance. However, at 11-13 C, the plasma chloride values decreased to below values for controls (0 minute) by 72 hours. At 16-20 C, the plasma chloride levels were nearly normal by 24 hours and were at normal levels by 72 hours. Plasma osmolality increased with playing time at all temperatures indicating an immediate osmoregulatory disturbance. The osmolality values returned to initial levels by 72 hours at the cooler water temperature of 11-13 C. However, at the warmer water temperature of 16-20 C, the osmolality values had not returned to the initial values by 72 hours. Plasma glucose did not change at the cooler water temperatures of 11-13 C and 16-20 C but increased significantly at 5 minutes of playing time at 28-30 C reflecting the metabolic response of this species to warmer water temperature. The glucose values remained high throughout the entire 72-hour recovery period. Smaller bass fatigued faster than larger bass at the higher water temperatures (21-26 C and 28-30 C) as indicated by increased blood lactate values. Smaller bass also demonstrated a faster response in plasma glucose levels, probably as a function of fish size and metabolism. Plasma chloride and osmolality in smaller bass showed a response similar to larger bass with an immediate disturbance in osmoregulatory process of fish as playing time increased. Stress imposed on largemouth bass that were caught by angling was demonstrated by changes in the blood chemistry which indicated that sublethal disruption had occurred in the metabolism and osmoregulation of the fish. Handling or holding fish after capture, as in fishing tournaments, probably produces more stress on the fish than the act of being caught and played by anglers. Angling stress is additive to other stresses already imposed on the fish and could result in increased mortality of released fish if the fish cannot adapt readily. Furthermore, released fish may also be more susceptible to diseases or fungal infections and more vulnerable to predation.

Temperatures selected seasonally by adult mountain whitefish were measured in the laboratory in a horizontal gradient. Final preferendum estimates, based on acute (3-hour) preference tests conducted with fish acclimated to 5, 10, and 15 C each season, were 17.7 C (pre-spawning), 11.9 C (post-spawning), 9.9 C (winter), and 16.3 C (spring). Seasonal influence on temperature selection was evident on the basis of differences in final preferenda, covariance analysis of responses of laboratory-acclimated fish, and temperature selection by fish held at ambient river temperatures. Post-spawning and winter groups selected lower temperatures than did pre-spawning and spring groups. Pre-spawnine fish selected temperatures unsuitable for embryo survival. Reproductive status as reflected by gonad size was evidently not a factor that influenced seasonal temperature selection of adult whitefish.

Different strains of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), Ten Sleep, Sand Creek, Beitey, Shepherd-of-the-Hills, New Zealand, Fish Lake- Desmet, Desmet, were compared for survival to the creel, growth and catchability after being stocked in a fluctuating 80 ha Utah reservoir . Fish were stocked in the spring and fall as fingerlings and monitored by creel censusing, gill netting and electrofishing. Fish were tagged with coded wire snout tags prior to stocking . An angler opinion survey was conducted to determine angler satisfaction with numbers and size of fish caught. Regardless of strain, spring stocking was superior to fall stocking in survival to the creel. In the spring 78 stocking the Ten Sleep strain had the highest survival to the creel (33.7 percent), followed in order by Shepherd-of-the-Hills (11.0 percent), Beitey (5.5 percent), Sand Creek (5.4 percent), New Zealand (4.1 percent), and Fish Lake-Desmet (2 .9 percent). In the spring 79 stocking the Shepherd-of-the- Hills strain had the highest survival to the creel (7 .6 percent), followed in order by the Sand Creek (7.3 percent) and the Ten Sleep (6.5 percent). Similar trends in survival were found in gill netting and electrofishing samples. Migration out of the reservoir was negligible for each strain. There were no strain differences in catchability by different methods (shore, boat) or gear (bait, artificial lure). Differences in growth between the fastest growing strains (Ten Sleep, Sand Creek) and the slowest growing strains (New Zealand, Fish Lake-Desmet) averaged as great as 16 mm in length and 43 g in weight. Differences in growth and survival among strains were great enough to span the range of angler satisfaction with numbers caught and size of fish caught from satisfactory to unsatisfactory. Therefore, strain selection can be a useful tool to improve fingerling stocking programs and manipulate the number of anglers who are satisfied with the angling experience.

Redd distribution, redd density, and physical habitat were used to explain the distribution and abundance of young-of-the-year (YOY) brown trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Green River, Utah. The importance of variables at both a microhabitat and macrohabitat scale were assessed using stepwise regression analysis. Availability of cover (rock and vegetation) and proximity to spawning sites were the most important variables used to explain the distribution and abundance of YOY brown trout and rainbow trout. In addition, YOY brown trout and rainbow trout occupied specific microhabitats and showed patterns of use for particular depths, substrates, and cover. However, the importance of variables differed by year, indicating that variables other than those measured were also influencing their distribution and abundance. The results of my study indicate that variables at both a microhabitat and macrohabitat scale may be important in explaining the distribution and abundance of YOY trout in streams. Therefore, to better understand the habitat requirements of stream fishes and to better explain their distribution and abundance in streams future, studies may need to incorporate both physical habitat variables and variables affecting recruitment.

I studied effects of UV-B radiation on egg and larval golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) in Castle Lake, California, USA. To compare egg hatching and survival of larval golden shiner, I exposed eggs and larval fish to three different UV-B treatments, low UV-B (4% UV-B), high UV-B (92% UV-B), and ambient (100% UV-B). The egg experiment was conducted in lake and pond water, whereas proto- and mesolarval stage experiments were conducted in lake water only. High and ambient UV-B radiation affected the hatching rate of golden shiner eggs. The mean hatching rate was 13% lower in high UV-B, and 9% lower in ambient UV-B compared to the low UV-B treatments. The hatching rate, however, was not significantly different between lake and pond treatments. The survival of egg to hatched larval stage was reduced under high and ambient UV- 8 radiation compared to low UV-8 treatment in the lake water experiment. In the pond water experiment, however, the survival of newly hatched larvae was not different among UV-8 treatments. During the experimental periods, no survival difference among treatments was observed for larval stages of golden shiners. Mean amount of UV-8 radiation penetrating an oligo-mesotrophic lake differed from that in an adjoining pond during the summer of 1997. UV-8 radiation in pond water was highly absorbed compared to absorbency in lake water. High concentrations of dissolved organic carbon in pond water were likely responsible for the difference in absorbency of UV-8 radiation.

I investigated the interaction of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and their dominant forage fish populations, Utah chub (Gila atraria) and kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), in Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Wyoming-Utah. Through bioenergetics modeling, I quantified the consumption dynamics of the lake trout population. From hydroacoustics analyses, I quantified the density and biomass of the two dominant forage fish populations. In Chapter II, I report the results of the energetics analysis. The objective of this chapter was to understand the role of lake trout predation in recent changes in fish assemblage structure of the reservoir. Through lake trout diet analysis and exploration of forage fish growth rates, I quantified the duration of time that chubs and kokanee are vulnerable to lake trout predation. Faster growth rates of kokanee greatly reduce the duration of time that this species is vulnerable to predation relative to Utah chubs. Although chubs are more fecund than kokanee, this advantage in reproductive potential may not make up for differences in duration of vulnerability. I predict that kokanee will make up an even larger proportion of the total fish assemblage of the reservoir in future years. In Chapter III, I compare annual estimates of lake trout consumption demand to biomass estimates of forage fish. I used vertical gill net sampling, beach seine surveys, and hydroaocustics to assess the distributions and biomasses of the Utah chub and kokanee populations. Biomasses of pelagic Utah chubs and kokanee were calculated to be 83 300 and 209 000 kg, respectively. Energetics analyses indicated that between 1985 and 1989 the lake trout population consumed 79 000 kg of chub and 196 000 kg of kokanee per year. These results suggest ' that forage fish populations should decline in future years. Annual consumption demand of lake trout between 400 and 600 mm (137 000 kg) exceeded biomass estimates of forage fish of useable size (22 000 kg), suggesting that this size-class of predator is currently food-limited. High occurrence of invertebrate prey taxa in the diet of small predators supports this food-limitation hypothesis. The lack of small pelagic forage fishes may reduce the ability of lake trout to recruit to sizes that are accessible to anglers and of value to the fishery.