TPWD 1965 F-5-R-12 #966: Experimental Introduction of Marine Fish in Saline Waters of Western Texas: Job Completion Report, Project F-5-R-12

JOB COMPLETION REPORT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Project No. F-5~R-12 FISHERIES‘INVESTIGATIONS AND SURVEYS OF THE WATERS OF REGION I-B Job No. F-l Experimental Introduction of Marine Fish in Saline Waters of Western Texas Project Co-Leadef: James F. Wilcox J. Weldon Watson Executive Director Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Marion Toole Eugene A. Walker D-J Coordinator Assistant Director for Wildlife July 14, 1965 ABSTRACT Seining expeditions to the Texas coast in April 1964, and February 1965, resulted in the stocking of 2,300 marine fish fingerling in saline inland waters. Included in this number are 1,178 red drum (Sciaen0ps ocellata) and 1,082 pinfish. (Lagodon rhomboides). Red Bluff Reservoir received the majority of these fish since conditions for survival and propagation seemed more favorable than in the smaller, shallower Imperial Reservoir. Fish were also tranSplanted in the Pecos River, in small seepage pits adjacent to the Pecos River, and in a small lake near El Paso. Fish were successfully flown inland in plastic bags containing water and oxygen by both departmental and commercial aircraft. Other fish were trans- ported in hatchery-type tank trucks. Several large red drum (20-25 pounds) from previous stockings were discovered dead and putrefied on the shores of Imperial Reservoir during March 1964. These ' brooderésize fish are believed to have been killed by cold weather during the winter, as the lake,was extremely shallow during this time (maximum depth - 4% feet). No other fish from stockings prior to this segment were captured, and there are no indications of reproduction. Sixty—two red drum were recaptured from Red Bluff Reservoir and 22 were recovered from Imperial Reservoir. These were all.fish moved during the year. In 6 months they grew from an average size of_9 grams to 1.79 pounds and 2.06 pounds in Red Bluff and Imperial Reservoirs reSpectively. A Spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus} l of 6 stocked, was recovered from Red Bluff Reservoir._ It had grown from a fingerling to a l5-ounce fish in 6 months. Under similar circumstances, a pinfish grew to slightly more than 8 ounces. Recommendations include further eXperiments with the use of plastic bags shipped by air, deveIOpment of stripping techniques for producing fry, use of seepage pits for rearing fry to stocking size and the addition of gafftOpsail catfish (Bagre marinus) and black drum (Pogonias cromis) to the list of introduced Species. JOB COMPLETION REPORT State of Texas - Project No. F-5-R*12 Name: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region I-B Job No. F-l 6th ear Title: Experimental Introduction of Marine Fish in Saline Waters of Western Texas Period Covered March 1, 1964 ~ February 28, 1965 Objectives: To determine the adaptability of certain marine species in inland waters. Procedures: -1. References on marine species were examined to gather ecological information. Time was limited fOr library research at the marine laboratory in Rockport because~field crews had to be directed in the quest for juvenile marine Species. 2. Liaison was maintained with coastal personnel to determine when seining efforts would be most productive. Trips to Rockport were made in April 1964, and February 1965, to obtain marine Species. A lOO-foot bagénmjm, 6 feet deep, with %~inch mesh was used to seine fingerlings. A 45-foot straight seine with l/8~inch mesh and a l/16-inch mesh push seine were used to obtain marine fry. Fish were transported in regional tank trucks; also, State and commercial airplanes were used to tranSport fish in plastic bags. These bags contained one-third water, two—thirds oxygen and a small quantity of acriflavine, a germicide. 3. Several small seepage pits, adjacent to the Pecos River near Imperial, Texas, were selected as marine fry rearing ponds because of their proximity to the major lakes to be stocked and because they contained saline water. An area of permanent water near the mouth and a section of deep water near Imperial, Texas, were the waters of the Pecos River selected to be stocked with fingerlings. Lake Imperial, Red Bluff Reservoir and a small lake near El Paso were also chosen as release sites for marine fingerlings. 4. In order to check mortality, growth rates and reproductive success of introduced Species, gill nets and seines were used in Lake Imperial, Red Bluff Reservoir and the Pecos River. Nets used were standard lSO-foot gill nets con- taining six, 25-foot sections of l-inch to 3%-inch mesh and specific nets with 200 feet of 3-inch mesh. Seines used ranged from 40-foot, r-inch mesh to 200- foot, l-inch mesh. f The following common and/or scientific names are used in this report. These names are specified in ”A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada”, Second Edition, American Fisheries Society, Special Publication No. 2, 1960. Longnose gar Lepisosreus osseus Alligator gar , Lepisosteus Spatula Gizzard shad Dorosoma gepedianum Carp gypginus carpio Red Shiner §2£r0pis lutrensis River carpsucker Carpioggg carpio Blue sucker gyglgptgg elongatus Smallmouth buffalo lcciobug bubalus . Gray redhorse Moxostoma congestum Blue catfish Ictalurgg furcatus Channel catfish Icralurus punctatus Flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris Pupfish Cyprinodon Sp. Rio Grande killifish Fundulggygebrinus Rainwater killifish nggg g parva Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis White bass ROCCUS-EthSOBS Green sunfish Lgpomis cyanellus Bluegill Lepomis macrochirgs Largemouth bass fliggppterus salmoidgg Freshwater drum' A lgdinotus grunniens Spotted seatrout Cvnosciog nebulosus Atlantic croaker Micropgggp gpdulatus Black drum Eggggias_cromis Red drum . Sgiaenopgjgcellata Pinfish Lagodgg rhomboides Rio Grande perch Cichlasoma Evanoguttatum Tidewater silverside fienidianervlliga Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma Findings: Review of Literature GafftOpsail catfish (Egggg marinus) range as far north as Cope Cod. l/ . Therefore, they could probably tolerate the mid-winter temperatures of the Pecos River's upland reservoirs in Texas. No gafftOps were seined during the regular procurement trips for other Species, and coastal personnel did not locate con~ centrations worthy of Special expeditions to the coast. The fact that these fish inhabit the open waters of the Gulf, rather than the shallower, more easily _- seined Laguna Madre, makes them more difficult to obtain. _ The unusual rearing habits these fish exhibit might be conducive to re- production and the survival of the young in inland lakes. "The eggs of this Species are extremely large, averaging about 22 mm. in diameter. They are carried about in the mouth of the male until hatched as are the young fish until they are about 3 inches and able to shift for themselves. A male of 22 inches may carry as many as 55 eggs in this manner. The yolk sac is absorbed before liberation, which may occupy about 65 days. On the Carolina Coast breeding occurs in June or July.” 2] 1/ Charles M. Breder, Jr., Field_Book of Marine Fishes of the Atlantic Coast From Mm Jun-r Labrador to Texas. (New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, Revised 1948) p. 45. 2/ Ibid Black drum (Eogonjas_cromis) is another marine species which may adapt to inland saline waters. They grow to 4 feet in length and weigh up to 146 pounds.§/ Only one was seined during the segment. Pearson reports that Z-year and older drum spawn in the Gulf of Mexico near the entrance to bays and lagoons from February to May. The larval forms then drift through the passes and congregate in shallow muddy bodies of water such as Oso and Nueces Bay. Here they remain until reaching a length of 4 inches at which time they move to deeper bays and, to a Slight extent, into the Gulf of Mexico.4/ No mention of pinfish (Lagpdon rhomboidep) was made in the job description for this project. However, during the year Marine Supervisor Ernest G. Simmons advised that this species would be easily obtainable, often reaches a weight of over 1 pound, and might reproduce in saline inland lakes. Reid, using trawls in the vicinity of Cedar Key, Florida, caught 5,132 specimens ranging from 20 to 90 mm. and 56 Specimens larger than 100 mm. He found them present in shallow waters throughout the year. Most fish were taken where vegetation was present. He concluded that spawning occurs in the fall, since young fish (10 to 20 mm.) first .appeared in late November. Other than plant material, crustaceans (Amphipods, cepepods shrimp and crabs) were the most commonly devoured food items.§/ , Stocking Marine Species The Laguna Madre near Rockport and Flour Bluff, Texas, was seined with a lOO-foot, %-inch mesh bag seine from April 6 through April 11, 1964. During this period 1,663 red drum (SciaenOpp ocellata), 263 southern flounder (Paralichthvs_ lethostigma), Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), Atlantic croaker (MicrOpogon ppdulatus), Spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) and uncounted numbers of pinfish were seined. The red drum retained for tranSporting were those averaging 9 grams in weight and 3 inches in length. Other transported species were of a similar size or smaller (Figure l). On April 7, 1964, several Species of marine fingerlings were placed in 2 plastic bags containing 1 gallon of water, oxygen and l teaSpoon of acriflavine and Shipped by commercial jet airliner to El Paso, Texas, in order to test this method of transportation. Flight time was 4 hours 11 minutes. This was 56 minutes longer than normal. On arrival at El Paso the following observations were made (Table 1). Table 1. Survival of Marine Species on Arrival at El Paso Airport. Species Number Living 'Number Dead Spotted seatrout . 0 l '_ Atlantic-croaker l 2 Red drum 10 2 Scuthern flounder 5 2 Brown shrimp ‘ 6 1 Totals 22 8 Q] Ibid p. 197 _ fi/ John C. Pearson, "Natural History and Conservation of Redfish and Other Commercial Sciaenids on the Texas Coast.” (unpublished report to Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Commission, 1927) 17-25. 5/ George K. Reid Jr., l‘An Ecological Study of the Gulf of Mexico Fishes, in the Vicinity of Cedar Key, Florida, ”Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1954.' “1,31?me '4” a a..- ._,“b'o-.A§vr' n... {a r’ “'M‘? “WEEH'W‘EEWWE‘. ,__ q. :..-___!,..I.__,_54...__.__ . n . - . .__-» 5.- .1-. ._ '3}. _ ’ a. l 1, Figure 1. Selecting Desirable Marine Fish for Transplantation in Inland Waters. ' anon-”mama's?" ‘ f *4- Figure 2. Pinfish Being Released in Lake Imperial. These fish were packaged 2 hours prior to departure so that the actual time in plastic bags to this point was approximately 6 hours 11 minutes. The air temperature at El Paso was 450 F. The'water temperature when shipped was 630 F.; the water termperature on arrival was estimated to have been over 700 F. (The bags were not opened at this point.) This leads to the conclusion that the fish were inside a heated compartment on the airplane. The two bags of fish were carried to Hideaway Lake near El Paso in the local game warden's automobile and released about 40 minutes after arrival in El Paso. Totalttime from packaging to release was approximately 6 hours 51 minutes. At the end of that time the observations recorded in Table 2 were made. Table 2. Survival of Marine Species at Time of Release in Hideaway Lake Near El Paso. $28—wa Spotted seatrout O 1 Atlantic croaker O 3 Red drum. . 8 4 Southern”flounder ‘ 3 4 Brown shrimp 4 3 Totals 15 15 From the foregoing experiment it was concluded that transporting marine fingerlings in plastic bags might be very successful under slightly more favorable circumstances. On April 8, 1964, a larger shipment was made to Pecos, Texas, using a Parks and Wildlife Department aircraft. Twenty~five plastic bags, filled with water, oxygen and acriflavine, and containing approximately 20 fish each, were packed in separate carboard containers. They were then flown, aboard the State's Cessna 185, to Pecos in 3 hours 30 minutes. At Pecos, one? half the fish were released in a hatchery agitator tank and the remainder were left in the plastic bags. The fish in bags arrived at Red Bluff Reservoir in - 45 minutes while the fish in the water tank arrived in 1 hour. Since speed was considered a prime factor in safe arrival, separate tabulation on mortality between fish dead in bags and fish dead in the tank was not undertaken. The results of the combined stocking attempt are given in Table 3. Table 3. Survival of Marine Species Flown from Rockport to Pecos and TranSported on to Red Bluff Reservoir by Pickup Truck on April 8, 1964. Species . Number Living Number Dead - Spotted seatrout 6 O ' Red drum 378 38 Pinfish 23 2 Southern flounder ‘ 15 l figpwn shrimp 48 2 Totals 470 43 Total time, from packaging to release ranged between 6 and 7 hours. All these fish had been seined in the 2 days preceding shipment and held in live boxes and aquaria. Their physical condition was possibly somewhat impaired. On April 12, 1964, the additional fish seined were transported to the Pecos River, one of the seepage pits adjacent to the Pecos River near Imperial, Texas, Lake Imperial and Red Bluff Reservoir.’ The tank trucks in which the seining crews had driven to the coast were used for these deliveries. A tabulation of fish that arrived alive at these various destinations is given in Table 4. Table 4. Marine Species Successfully TranSported to Inland Waters by Tank .Trucks on April 12, 1964. Lower Upper _ Pecos Pecos Pecos River Imperial Red Bluff Species River River Seenage Pit Reservoir Reservoir Black drum 0 0 O 0 1 Red drum 50 78 0 100 368 Pinfish 0 0 15 O 220 Southern flounder O O O 1 8 Brown Shrimp _ O 8 O 3 I 45 Totals . 5O 86 . 15 104 642 — d by both air shipment and land Table 5 is a compilation of all fish stocke ' ' ' ' ' Only those fish which swam away from the release sites in good condition are included. During April 1964. Location ' Totals _________________.__.'__.__.___———————————-— Imperial Red Bluff Pecos Seepage- Hideaway Species ' River Pit Lake Reservoir Reservoir ' Spotted seatrout O O O O 6 6 Black drum ' 0 _0 O O l 1 Red drum 128 0 8 100 746 982 Pinfish 0 15 O O 243 258 Southern flounder O 0 3 l 23 27 Brown shrimp 8 0 ' 4 - 3 93 108 Totals 136 15 15 104 1,112 1,382 ’ Pinaeus aztecus) stocked were dipped up incidentally and were left in the containers merely as a the establishment of this Species in the neficial both to man and fish. The small brown shrimp ( from the holding boxes and aquaria, possible source of forage. However, Pecos River Watershed would probably be be The last seining eXpedition to the coast was from February 22 to February 26, 1965. A severe norther impeded efforts for acquiring marine fingerlings the water off the nursery areas and driving the fish to deeper, by blowing um, pinfish and flounder were obtained. warmer waters. Small numbers of red dr The boat basins near the Rockport Marine Laboratory contained large numbers of fry of various species. Probably 90 per cent of these were spot and pinfish. They were easily obtained by using a Small-meshed push net and survival was high in the aquaria and holding boxes. However, the continual churning of the agitator paddles against their hail screen enclosures in the fish hauling tanks was apparently too severe for these small fishes. Most of them died in transit. Some of the larger (1- to 3-inch) pinfish were observed dying when only 50 miles from Rockport. Many scales had been knocked or scraped off these deceased fish., The agitators were turned off and the remainder of the load was safely transported to Imperial Reservoir. Survival without agitation was possible because of the cold water temperature (540 F.) (Table 6) (Figure 2). Table 6. Marine Fish Fingerlings Successfully Transported to Inland Waters by Tank Trucks on February 25, 26, 1965. Location ' ~ Small Large Imperial Red Bluff Species ' Seepage Pit Seepage Pit Reservoir Reservoir Red drum 2 8 O 186 Pinfish 51 0 408 365 0 0 0 6 Southern flounder _____.u____lrm____aa______________m_________r_____r________m*____*___nlfl______ 408 557 CI) Totals _ 53 The seepage pits near Imperial, Texas, were selected to receive assorted marine fry, which would have been later seined, sorted and stocked in the larger reservoirs as fingerlings. Since most of the fry died in transit, one small pit (about % acre) was stocked with fingerling pinfish and a larger one (approximately 3 acres) with fingerling red drum in an effort in eXpedite the acquisition of brood fish for future attempts at artificial propagation. (Table 7) (Figures 3 and 4). Table 7. A Tabulation of all Marine Fish Successfully TranSplanted to the Inland Waters of Fisheries Region 1*B from March 1, 1964, to February 28, 1965. Location Totals Pecos Seepage Hideaway Imperial Red Bluff Species -River Pits Lake Reservoir Reservoir Spotted seatrout 0 0 0 0 6 .6 Black drum 0 0 0 0 l 1 Red drum 128 10 8 100 932 1,178 Pinfish' 0 66 0 408 608 1,082 Southern flounder 0 0 3 l 29 33 Totals 128 76 11 509 1,576 2,300 y I.‘ \ ' -\_ . 1‘ B I p a“; . _m e u?- :_:. . v. .u c $73, 1"}. i" =,=\'mw‘-‘V€W 6* .-‘ h " ‘ kit .1 ‘33:? Pan " l r.;'.\|99 a Figure 4. Large Seepage Pit Where Red Drum Were Stocked. ;' . ‘fl' . 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