Table 2. Number and (percent), by sex of sauger captured in the 

 Yellowstone drainage during the sauger spawning period, 

 March-May, 1976-1980. 



Sex (Percent) 



Location 



Number 

 Captured Males 



Females 



Immature or 

 Undetermined 



Tongue River 



2546 

 620 



2139(84) 229( 9) 



Powder River 



Yellowstone River at: 



Forsyth 3 06 



Miles City 853 



Mouth of Powder River 



116 

 Intake 1933 



489(79) 



18 ( 6) 

 188(22) 



44(38) 

 444(23) 



50( 8) 



31(10) 

 187(22) 



22(19) 

 155( 8) 



178( 7) 

 81(13) 



257(84) 

 478(56) 



50(43) 

 1334(69) 



The sauger population in the Yellowstone River, during the 

 period that numbers of mature sauger peaked in the tributaries, was 

 dominated by immature fish. Immature sauger comprised 43 to 84 

 percent of the sample at Forsyth, Miles City, mouth of Powder River 

 and Intake (Table 2) . Fifty-six percent of the 256 sauger 

 captured, while electrof ishing the Yellowstone River from Miles 

 City to North Dakota during the spring of 1980, were immature. 



One side of the Yellowstone River from Forsyth diversion 

 (river km 381) to Miles City (river km 294) was electrof ished on 

 May 2-3, 1979. During this time large numbers of sauger were in 

 the Tongue and probably Powder rivers (Figures 4 and 5) . Only one 

 sexually mature sauger, a hard female, was collected in the 

 Yellowstone. The only other mature sauger, a ripe male, was 

 collected in Rosebud Creek (river km 362) . 



One side of the Yellowstone River from Miles City to the North 

 Dakota border was electrof ished from April 19 to 27, 1980. During 



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