TPWD 1964 F-6-R-11 #931: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region 5-B: Fisheries Reconnaissance

JOB COMPLETION REPORT As required by .FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Project No. Fu6-Rwll FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS AND SURVEYS OF THE WATERS 0F REGION 5-B Job No. B-20 Fisheries Reconnaissance . Project Leader: Charles. T. Menn J. Weldon Watson Executive Director Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Marion Toole Eugene An Walker D-J Coordinator Director9 Program Planning January 6, 1964 ABSTRACT Seven public lakes and portions of two rivers in Region 5-3 were visited during this segment to see if any appreciable changes in the fish population had occurred since previous surveys. Game fish species including channel and blue catfish3 white bass, largemouth bass and white and black crappie comprised 22.54 per cent of the total number and 3.64 per cent of the total weight of fish taken in nets in Harlingen City Lake. There appeared to be a relative decrease in the game fish. both in numbers and in weight. In Bentsen State Park Lake. rough fish species including alligator and longnose gars, gizzard shad, carp, smallmouth buffalo9 bluegill and Rio Grande perch were dominant both in numbers and in weight with 86.84 per cent and 73.45 per cent,respectively. Fort Brown Lake in Brownsville was recently drained and restocked with largemouth bass, channel catfish and green sunfish. Rough fish species including alligator. spotted and longnose gars. threadfin and gizzard shad, carp, black bullhead and Rio Grande perch comprised 96.30 per cent of the total number and 95.80 per cent of the total weight of fish taken in Llano Grande Lake. Game fish species showed a relative decrease both in numbers and in weight in Campacuas Lake. In Delta Orchards Lake. near Monte Alto in Hidalgo County, game fish species including channel and blue catfish9 warmouth9 white crappie and freshwater drum showed a relative increase in numbers. but a relative decrease in weight. Rough fish species including longnose gar. gizzard shad9 smallmouth buffalo, gray redhorsea bluegill and Rio Grande perch were dominant both in total numbers and in total weight in the San Antonio River. There was no significant change in the fish population of Lake Corpus Christi since the 1962 reconnaissance survey. Rough fish species comprised 58.81 per cent of the total number and 72.86 per cent of the total weight of fish netted. Channel and blue catfish, largemouth bass9 white crappiegblack drum and spotted seatrout are the principal game fish species in the Aransas River. Collectively, they comprised 7.20 per cent of the total number and 3.48 per cent of the total weight of the fish netted. Other than continued water hyacinth control work on Lake Corpus Christi, no recommendations are made in this report for developmental work on the waters visited during the year. JOB COMPLETION REPORT State of Texas Project No. F-6-R-ll Name: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region 5~B Job No. B—20 Title: Fisheries Reconnaissance Period Covered: January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1963 Objectives: To conduct limited investigations and to obtain current information concerning gross changes in fishing conditions and factors influencing fish pOpulations. Techniques Used: Standard, 125-foot long, gill nets and common sense minnow seines were used to.sample fish populations. The gill nets consisted of nylon webbing, 8 feet deep, with five 25-foot long sections of 1-, l%-, 2-, 2%- and 3-inch square mesh. Nets were set overnight at previously established netting stations and fish specimens were taken from them the following morning. The netted specimens were weighed in grams and measured in millimeters in the field. Sex and sexual development and the occurrence of parasites in the individual speci» mens were recorded. Seined specimens were preserved and taken to project headquarters at Mathis for identification. A list of the common and scientific names of fish species taken during this study is included as Table l. Routine-water quality analyses were made on the various lakes and a limited check was made of the surrounding area of each lake to.determine land usage and possible sources of pollution. The water level data for Lake Corpus Christi were obtained from officials at Wesley Seale Dam. Fisherman usage of the various lakes was determined by talking to camp owners, game wardens and sometimes to fishermen. Public access is available to all the lakes and rivers studied in this segment. Findings: Harlingen City Lake This 20-acre lake is located in downtown Harlingen and is the city's water supply reservoir. Water in the lake originates from the Rio Grande River and reaches the lake through a system of gravity flow irrigation canals. Table 1. Checklist of species referred to in text and tables. Scientific name Common name Lepisosteus spatula LacépEde L. oculatus (Winchell) L. osseus (Linnaeus) Megalops matlanticas Valenciennes Dorosoma petenense WCGunther) :_. cepedianum (LeSueur) Astyanax mexicanus (Filippi) Ictiobus bubalus (Rafinesque) Moxostoma congestum (Baird and Girard) Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus OpsoEoeodus emiliae Hay NotrOBis lutrensis (Baird and Girard) Pimephales vigilax (Baird and Girard) Galeichthys felis (Linnaeus) Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque) I. furcatus (LeSueur) I. natalis (LeSueur) Eylodictus olivaris (Rafinesque) Syngnathus scovelli (Evermann and Kendall) Fundulus grandis Baird and Girard F. nota.tus (Rafinesque) Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepede Gambusia affinis (Baird and Girard) Mollienisia latipinna LeSueur fl. formosa (Girard) Mugil cephalus Linnaeus Menidia beryllina (Cope) Roccus chrysops (Rafinesque) Micropterus salmoides (La.cepede) Alligator gar Spotted gar Longnose gar Tarpon Threadfin shad Gizzard shad Mexican tetra Smallmouth buffalo _Gray redhorse Carp Pugnose minnow Red Shiner Bullhead minnow Sea catfish Channel catfish Blue catfish Yellow bullhead Flathead catfish Gulf pipefish Gulf killifish Blackstripe tOpminnow Sheepshead minnow Mosquitofish Sailfin molly Amazon molly Striped mullet Tidewater silverside White bass Largemouth bass Warmouth Chaenobryttus gulosus (Cuvier) Redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus (Gunther) Bluegill L. macrochirus Rafinesque Longear sunfish 'White crappie Black crappie Freshwater drum Black-drum Spotted seatrout Rio Grande perch megalotis (Rafinesque) Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque P. nigromaculatus (LeSueur) Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque Pogonias cromis (Linnaeus) Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier) Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum.(Baird and Girard) Public angling is permitted on this lake without restrictions or limitations, but little fishing is done due to the preponderance of rough fish species. Netting - Four gill netting collections were made on this lake in February. All told, 71 fish of 11 species were taken (Table 2). The game fish species taken included channel and blue catfish, white bass, largemouth bass and white and black crappie. On the basis of limited netting data, game fish showed a relative decrease both in numbers and in weight. In 1962 game fish species comprised 23.47 per cent of the number and 5.96 per cent of the weight as compared to 22.54 per cent of the number and 3.64 per cent of the weight in 1963. Longnose gar, smallmouth buffalo, gizzard shad and spotted gar, in that order, are the most abundant rough fish species. Collectively, they comprised 70.42 per cent of the total number and 94.80 per cent of the total weight of the fish netted. The 1ength~weight statistics of the fish taken in nets are shown in Table 3. The average ”K” factors are in line with those of the 1962 reconnais- sauce. Table 4. Seining results, Harlingen City Lake, February 1963 f S ecies Numbers Per Cent of : p ' Taken ‘ Total Number Threadfin shad 16 f 42.10 Gizzard shad 1 ' 2.63 Red shiner ' 28.95 Mosquitofish 7.90 Tidewater silverside : 10.53 Bluegill 5.26 Rio Grande perch 2.63 Seining-- Two seining collections were made at two stations. All told, 38 fish of 7 species were taken in the seining collections (Table 4). 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Stomach Analyses-- Unidentifiable fish remains, crappie and bluegills were found in many spotted and longnose gar stomachs. Insect remains and snails were found in two blue catfish stomachs. Stomachs of the gizzard shad, smallmouth buffalo and freshwater drum were not examined. Lake Conditions- Submerged vegetation is lacking_in the lake due to the high turbidity. Shoreline vegetation, however, consists-mainly of bulrushes mixed with a few cattails. Secchi_disc readings of light penetration ranged from 7 to 9 inches. It is believed that the turbidity is caused largely by bottom feeding-fishes which keep silt in suspension rather-than the prevailing southeasterly wind. Recommendations - Anglers should be encouraged to fish for catfish and crappie. An annual reconnaissance survey should be made to determine changes in the status of the fish population. Bentsen State Park Lake Netting - Five gill netting collections were made on this lake in March 1963. A total of 152 fish of 8 species was taken and rough fish species, including alligator and longnose gars, gizzard shad, smallmouth buffalo, carp, bluegill and Rio Grande perch, were-dominant both in number and in weight (Table 5). Blue-catfish, the only game fish.species represented in the netting collections, comprised 13.16 per cent of the total number and 26.55 per cent of the total weight. Though no largemouth bass were taken in the nets, one fisherman reported that he had taken several "nice” bass recently. This lake was chemically treated for a complete kill of fish in January 1960 (see Job Completion Report for Job 16a25, Project F-l4mD-4) and restocked with largemouth bass in March 1960. Efforts.in June 1960 to screen native fish from the incoming_water of the Rio Grande River were unsuccessful (see Supple“ mentary Report for Job 16a25, Project F—14~D~4). The length—weight statistics of the-netted Specimens are presented in Table 6. No appreciable changes were noted for any Species. Seining - The single seining collection was comprised of 152 fish of 5 species. Table 7 shows the seining results on Bentsen State Park Lake. Threadfin and gizzard shad and bluegill, in that order, comprised 78.95 per cent of the total number. Mosquitofish, dominant the previous two years, comprised less than ’ 7 per cent of the total number. 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