Sauger demonstrated a very high return rate to the Tongue 

 River in subsequent springs (Table 3) . Sauger tagged in the Tongue 

 River during the spring of 1976-1979 represented 14 percent of the 

 total number of fish captured once in the Tongue River during the 

 spring of 1980. 



Fifty-one sauger were captured in 1977 that were tagged the 

 previous spring, representing 10 percent of the sample. Elser and 

 McFarland (1977) estimated the number of sauger entering the Tongue 

 River during 1976 to be approximately 4,000. If this number is 

 accurate then 22 percent of the population was tagged in 1976. 

 This suggests that 50 percent of the fish tagged in 1976 returned 

 to the Tongue River in 1977. If the computations were adjusted for 

 recruitment into the spawning population during 1977 or for 

 mortality, the return rate would be much greater than 50 percent. 

 The high return rate in subsequent years also suggests a high 

 survival rate of sauger that move into the Tongue River during 

 spring. 



Individual sauger demonstrated a high return rate to the 

 Tongue River in subsequent springs. Six sauger (all males) were 

 tagged in 197 6 and recaptured in two subsequent years during spring 

 in the Tongue River. One sauger was tagged in 1975 and recaptured 

 in the Tongue River in 1976 1977, and 1979. 



Too few sauger were tagged in the Powder River to determine 

 the return rate in subsequent years; only one fish was recaptured 

 each year during 1977 through 1979. 



32 



