TPWD 1958 F-3-R-5 #360: Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species in Murvaul Bayou Reservoir

ME Report of Fisheries Investigations Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species in Murveul Bayou Reservoir by John No Dorchester Assistant Project Leader Dingell Johnson Project F 3wR- 5, Job B I3 December 1,1957 m Msy 3; 1958 En De Dodgen m.Executive Secretary Texas Game and Fish Commission Austin} Texas Marion Tools ' William Ho Brown Coordinator : Assto Coordinator —-— SEGMENT COMPLETION REPORT Investigations Project State of TEXAS Project No. F3R5 Name: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the waters of Region S-B. Job No. Bml3 Title: Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species in Murvaul Bayou Reservoir. Period Covered: December 1 1957 to May 3l, 1958 l_______m___lul_m______i_____L___l_____l_______n___m_________l__ ABSTRACT: This is only a brief report covering the activities and findings on the first half of a yearmlong survey on lake Murvaul, a new lake near Carthage, Panels County. Recommendations are made to prepare a full report at the end of the year covering the entire years work. OBJECTIVES: To gather fundamental data on this newly impounded reservoir in regard to its physical, chemical and biolOgical aspects. To determine the growth rates and food of game species stocked. To observe the influx of other fish species and to record chemical changes, if any, of the water. This is a follow up Job to Job 16au8, Project Flle, whereby the fish population in Murvaul Bayou were eradicated as near- ly as possible by the use of ProwNoxfish. PROCEDURE: This jOb is set up to run for one year from the initial work in December 1957. This starting date was set at that time to coincide as nearly as possible to the date of impoundment. For this reason only a brief report is presented at this time with the complete, fully detailed report to follow at the end of the job year. lake Murvaul is a new 3,890 surface acre (at spillway crest) lake located near Carthage in Panola County. A. Netting Six net sets are made at randomly selected locations either on or close to the 20th of each month. A total of eight experimental type gill nets are used. A tabulation is made of the numbers of rough fish caught. All game fish and bull» head catfish are saved, weighed, measured and their stomach and sex are spot checked. Condition factors are determined on these fish. B. Seining At least ten drags with a 26 foot bag seine are made each month at random locations. The catches are preserved in 10% formalin and brought back to the laboratory for identification and counting. A record is kept of the numbers of each species. C. ‘Water Samples There are three water sample stations set up on the lake ~ one near the dam, one at mid lake and one in the upper end. Water samples are taken at five foot intervals from surface to bottom at each station. Dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity and chlorides are determined. This data is collected each month. D. Temperature and Turbidity Temperatures of the water is taken at the same locations as the water samples. A reversing thermometer is used. Turbidity is determined with a seechi disk. FINDINGS: A. Netting The first month only AT fish were caught; however, the following month 1th fish were caught of which approximately 90% were rough fish species (70% bullheads). A high catch of bullheads was encountered for the next three months. There were numerous warmouth and bluegills caught also. .All fish caught were exceptionally fat and chunky. During February contract commercial fishermen removed 1,hh9 hullhead catfish weighing 1,270 pounds. They also removed over 1,700 small bluegills as a overpopulation control measure. Hardly any fish were caught by seining until March when several minnows and Gambusia were caught. In April a few more species showed up and in may fifteen species were collected including a good base spawn and a large school of shad.” There appear to be good populations of bass, shad, various minnows, bullhead catfish and sunfish in the lake. 0. Water Quality The water of this lake appears to be of a good quality for fish life. The chlorides are low (lb-78 ppm), the alkalinity is comparatively high for East Texas (26-115 ppm), the pH is slightly acid (6.2-7.1) and the dissolved oxygen ranged from 0.0 to 10.0 ppm. It was noted that there was an oxygen deficiency below the 10 foot level in May. STOCKING RECORD: During the first six months there was a total of 185,000 largemouth bass fry placed in the lake by the Tyler Hatchery as follows: May 5. 1958 75.000 May 8, 1958 100,000 May 22, 1958 10,000 Total 185,000 Additional stockings of channel catfish, crappie and possibly redear sunfish will be made as the fish become available. TERTATIVE CHECKLIST OF SPECIES: tr! (D H O 3 $4 to D? 5...) 1.49 m H" O H: to ”C5 (D o 1—] 6) m H) O S D {11 H. {3 cf 33' CD f-l Q3 pr CD cc to O H; :4 I...J \O \n (D Amie calva Dorosoma cepedianum Esox americanus Ictiobus bubalus Carpiodes carpio Moxostoma poecilurum _Minytrema melanops Erimyson sucetta Notemigonus crysoleucas 10. Notropis venustus 11. N. lutrensis é O o \om—qoxm-Frwmr—J 0 12. E: atrocaudalis 13. fl; maculatus ls. Pimephales vigilax l5. Ictalurus males 16. I; natalis l7. Fundulus notatus l8. Gambusia affinis 19. Aphredoderus sayanus 20. Micropterus salmoides 2l. Chaenohryttus gulosus 22. Lepomis cyanellus 23. In punctatus 2h. £;_macrochirus 25. in auritus 26. Pomoxis annularis 27. E; nigromaculatus 28. Centrarchus maculatus 29. Ammocrypta vivax 30. Etheostoma gracile CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION=: From the data collected to date the following can be concluded: I. The water quality is good for fish life. 2. There is a large population of rough fish present but the game fish population is improving. 3. All fish are in excellent condition due to a large fauna of natural foods. It is therefore recommended that: 1. This survey be continued until the end of the originally _planned time of one year. 2. That a fully detailed report be submitted at the end of the year-long segment covering the entire year. \ /" Prepared by: John N. Dorchester Approved by: 222% {M’é/ Assistant Project Leader Chief Aquatic Biologist Date: Jul 7 1958