An International Periodical Promoting Conservation and Biodiversity Southwestern United States—Mexico—Central America Una Revista Internacional para Fomentar la Conservación y Biodiversidad El Suroeste de USA—México—Centroamérica STATUS AND STRUCTURE OF TWO POPULATIONS OF THE BLUEHEAD SUCKER (CATOSTOMUS DISCOBOLUS) IN THE WEBER RIVER, UTAH P. A ARON WEBBER,PAUL D. THOMPSON,* AND PHAEDRA BUDY Colorado River Fishery Project, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 1380 South 2350 West, Vernal, UT 84078 (PAW) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 515 East 5300 South, Ogden, UT 84405 (PDT) United States Geological Survey, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 8432 (PB) * Correspondent:
[email protected] THE SOUTHWESTERN NATURALIST 57(3): 267–276 SEPTEMBER 2012 STATUS AND STRUCTURE OF TWO POPULATIONS OF THE BLUEHEAD SUCKER (CATOSTOMUS DISCOBOLUS) IN THE WEBER RIVER, UTAH P. A ARON WEBBER,PAUL D. THOMPSON,* AND PHAEDRA BUDY Colorado River Fishery Project, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 1380 South 2350 West, Vernal, UT 84078 (PAW) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 515 East 5300 South, Ogden, UT 84405 (PDT) United States Geological Survey, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 8432 (PB) * Correspondent:
[email protected] ABSTRACT—We compared two populations of the bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus) during 2007–2009 in the Weber River, Davis, Summit, and Weber counties, Utah. We estimated 225 and 546 individuals in these populations. Based on recaptured, PIT-tagged fish, annual survival of adults (202–575 mm total length) was high (77%); however, our top model indicated mortality increased with size (i.e., senescence).