TPWD 1972 F-6-R-19 #1441: Fisheries Investigations, Region 5-B: Job No. I, Fish Harvest Regulations and Stocking Recommendations, Project F-6-R-19

JOB PROGRESS REPORT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Project No. F-6-R-l9 FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS, REGION 5-B Job No. I, Fish Harvest Regulations and Stocking Recommendations Project Leader: R. L. McCabe Clayton Garrison Executive Director Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Lonnie Peters R. J. Kemp Chief, Inland Fisheries Director, Fish and Wildlife Division October 19, 1972 SUMMARY Changes in the Southeast, Oak Prairie, South Central Texas Hunting, Fish- ing, and Trapping Proclamation were approved in amended form by the Parks and Wildlife Commission on September 31, 1971. Live Oak County, which had been under general law during previous years, was placed under regulatory authority during segment 19. Fishing regulations will be in compliance with the 1971-72 Proclamation. Possession and bag limits on channel, blue, and flathead catfish were removed "in the Nueces River below Wesley Seale Dam.to Nueces Bay, in Medio Creek where it forms the boundary between Bee and Goliad Counties, and in the Aransas River where it forms the boundary of San Patricio County with Refugio County....” In all other areas of Region 5-B under regulatory author- ity, channel, blue, and flathead catfish now have a possession limit of fifty (50) in the aggregate and a minimum size limit of eleven (ll) inches. Another change removed the portion of Lake Corpus Christi in San Patricio and Jim.Wells Counties from a list of areas with special regulations and brought the whole lake under regulatory law. A new regulation affecting the entire South Central district states that ”all freshwater trotlines must be identified by a legible tag, constructed of a material as durable as the trotline, bearing the name and address of the fisherman and the date it was set out.” There were no newly constructed or renovated waters in Region S-B; there- fore, no stocking ratio determinations were necessary. Surveys to determine species composition and abundance of young game fish were conducted at the Frio, Nueces, and San Antonio Rivers, and at Lake Corpus Christi and Alice City Lake. Management practices have been ineffective in improving the river fisheries in area 5-B and plans to discontinue river surveys at the end of segment 19 have been made and approved. Alice City Lake received releases of 2,000 advanced young channel catfish during segment 19. Releases of advanced fingerling flathead catfish are recom— mended for Alice City Lake and Lake Corpus Christi when they become available from Region 5 hatcheries. JOB PROGRESS REPORT State Texas Project No. F—6-R-19 ' 1 Project Title: Fisheries Investigations - Region S-B Job No. I Job Title: Fish Harvest Regulations and Stocking Recommendations Period Covered: January 12 1971 to December 31, 1971 OBJECTIVES: To situate fish harvest regulations and stocking needs for Region 5-B waters. 1. To recommend fish harvest regulations to the Texas Parks and Wild- life Commission. 2. To recommend stocking ratios for newly constructed or renovated waters. 3. To determine the species composition and abundance of young game fishes in specified waters having established fish pOpulations. 4. To recommend stocking of specified waters having established fish populations which exhibit deficits of young game fishes. PROCEDURES: On March 26, 1971, a meeting of biologists and game management officers was conducted for the purpose of formulating changes in hunting and fishing regulations in the regulatory counties of Region 5-B. The proposed changes were forwarded through proper channels to Austin headquarters for approval prior to presentation to the public at hearings in each county under regulatory authority. The Proclamation changes, along with records of each hearing, in— cluding public testimony, were then submitted to the Parks and Wildlife Com- mission for final consideration. PROCEDURES: (Cont.) Date Time Town County Number Attending May 3 8:00 pm Beeville Bee 4 May 3 2:00 pm Sinton San Patricio 2 May 3 10:00 am Rockport Aransas 1 May 5 10:00 am San Diego Duval 0 May 5 2:00 pm Alice Jim Wells 0 Sept 14 8:00 am George West Live Oak 0 Sept 14 10:00 am Sinton San Patricio 0 Sept 14 2:00 pm Alice Jim Wells 0 There were no newly constructed or renovated waters in Region 5-B; there- fore, no stocking ratio determinations were necessary during segment 19. Fisheries surveys were conducted at sites on the Frio, Nueces, and San Antonio Rivers, Alice City Lake, and Lake Corpus Christi. Information pertaining to the location and description of each area was given in the 1969 job progress report. Overnight gill netting and marginal seining were the major sampling tech- niques used during Spring and fall surveys of each site. Limited use of a hoop net and trawl provided supplementary data. Netting equipment consisted of straight mesh gill nets (1; 1%; or 2-inch mesh and lOO-feet long), experimental gill nets (1—to 3%-inch mesh and 150-feet long), and graduated mesh gill nets (%-to 3-inch mesh and 100-feet long). Three seines were utilized in making fish collections. They included a 20-foot straight seine with 1/8—inch mesh, a 20-foot bag seine with 1/8-inch mesh, and a 32-foot bag seine with 1/8-inch mesh. Other sampling equipment consisted of a lO-foot otter trawl and a 3—foot diameter hoop net. A11 game fishes and a representative sample of rough fishes, taken by net and trawl, were weighed and measured individually. Numbers and bulk weights were recorded for each Species and game fish-rough fish ratios were determined. Seine samples were preserved in formalin and later categorized by Species and size range. Surface water samples were taken at each Site and tested for temperature, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, turbidity, alkalinity, pH, chlorides, and total hardness. All fish species encountered during segment 19 are included in Table 1. Common and scientific names are in accord with those found in Special Publi— cation No. 6, A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada (Third Edition), a publication of the American Fisheries Society. Table 1 Species Checklist Spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus Longnose gar Lepisosteus osseus Alligator gar Lepisosteus spatula Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum Threadfin shad Dorosoma petenense Mexican tetra Astyanax mexicanus Carp - Cyprinus carpio Golden Shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas Blackspot Shiner . Notropis atrocaudalis Pugnose minnow Notr0pis emiliae Red Shiner Notropis lutrensis Proserpine Shiner NotroEis proserpinus Blacktail Shiner Notropis venustus Bullhead minnow Pimephales vigilax River carpsucker Carpiodes carpio Smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus Blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus Black bullhead Ictalurus melas Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus Flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis Sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna Tidewater silversides Menidia beryllina White bass Morone chrysops Green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus Warmouth Lepomis gulosus Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus Longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis Redear sunfish Lepomis microlthus Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides White crappie Pomoxis annularis Black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus Freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens Rio Grande perch Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum FINDINGS: Fish Harvest Regulations The Southeast, Oak Prairie, South Central Texas Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping Proclamation was approved in amended form by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on September 31, 1971. The following changes were in- cluded: 1. A possession limit of fifty (50) in the aggregate and a minimum size limit of eleven (11) inches was imposed on channel, blue, and flathead catfish in all the regulatory counties of Region 5-B. 2. The portion of Lake Corpus Christi in San Patricio and Jim Wells Counties was removed from a list of areas with Special possession and bag limits and was placed under regulatory law. 3. Special possession and bag limits were removed on channel, blue, and flathead catfish ”in the Nueces River below Wesley Seale Dam to Nueces Bay, in Medio Creek where it forms the boundary between Bee and Karnes Counties, in Blanco Creek and the Sarco River where they form the boundary between Bee and Goliad Counties, and in the Aransas River where it forms the boundary of San Patricio County with Refugio County....” 4. In all regulatory counties of the South Central District ”all freshwater trotlines must be identified by a legible tag, con— structed of a material as durable as the trotline, bearing the name and address of the fisherman and the date it was set out.” 5. Live Oak County, which had been under general law during previous years, was placed under regulatory authority during segment 19. Fishing regulations will be in compliance with the 1971-72 Proc— lamation. Fishery Surveys Frio River (Live Oak County) Surveys were conducted over a one mile area of the river adjacent to Tips County Park extending above and below State Highway 72 bridge. Data obtained from seven experimental gill nets set overnight during the two sampling efforts showed no significant variation from past surveys. Of the 98 individuals taken, 19.4 per cent were game fishes and 80.6 per cent were rough fishes (Table 2). The game fish-rough fish ratio was lower than in 1970 when game fish comprised 33.8 per cent of the total yield, yet higher than the 1969 ratio when game fishes accounted for only 4.5 per cent of the total yield. Table 2 Frio River Netting Results, April and November 1971 -———-———r7-—r—-rrr——-rr——r—1rrvrr—r*r——v——r7r—rv—rr—-rr“——*——"“——“*———-**-—“_—' Spec1es No. AND. Wt. AWt. Avg. K Avg. Wt. Alligator gar 3 3.06 4.7 4.16 1.6 Spotted gar 13 13.27 20.3 17.98 1.6 Longnose gar 9 9.18 31.1 27.55 3.5 Gizzard shad 32 32.66 9.8 8.68 0.3 Smallmouth buffalo 15 15.31 28.7 25.42 1.9 Carp 2 2.04 1.9 1.68 1.0 Channel catfish* 7 7.14 5.5 4.87 1.64 0.8 Blue catfish* 1 1.02 1.5 1.33 1.76 1.5 Flathead catfish* l 1.02 1.1 0.97 1.59 1.1 White bass* 3 3.06 1.5 1.33 2.76 0.5 Warmouth* 2 2.04 0.6 0.53 4.58 0.3 White crappiev 4 4.08 1.5 1.33 2.76 0.4 Black crappie* 1 1.02 0.3 0.27 3.66 0.3 Freshwater drum 4 4.08 4.2 3.72 1.1 Rio Grande perch l 1.02 0.2 0.18 0.2 ————-————_—.—_—__—__—__—_ Total 98 100.00 112.9 100.00 Game fish 19 19.38 12.0 10.63 Rough fish 79 80.62 100.9 89.37 W v Denotes game fish FINDINGS: (Cont.) During the spring survey marginal seining produced adequate numbers of forage species with an abundance of red shiners and bullhead minnows. Mod- erate numbers of gizzard shad, threadfin shad, mosquitofish, and proserpine Shiner were found. Small numbers of young-of-the—year channel catfish and largemouth bass were seined. Seining was not attempted in the fall due to flood conditions and steep muddy banks. The setting of a hoop net with a 50-foot lead had negative results. Water analyses results are given in Table 3. High alkalinity and chloride readings were present in the April sample but were normal the following No— vember. These high readings were apparently related to drought conditions and low water levels which had persisted for several months prior to the survey. Nueces River (Jim Wells, San Patricio, and Nueces Counties) An area of the Nueces River below the Wesley Seale Dam extending south into Nueces County was sampled during May and December. The area is subject to wide fluctuations in water levels and frequent flooding. Fishing pressure is high for channel and blue catfish year—round and for white bass during the fall spawning season. Table 4 gives the results of gill netting efforts. Overnight sets of four experimental gill nets produced a poor rough fish-game fish ratio. Twenty-three game fish were caught and represented only 27.1 per cent of the total yield. Channel and blue catfish accounted for 91.3 per cent of the game fish netted. Longnose gar, spotted gar, smallmouth buffalo, and freshwater drum were the major rough fishes present. Gizzard shad, which had dominated net yields in past years, were not found in the nets and only two were taken by seine. Both netting and seining produced numerous blue crabs (Callinectes sp.). Marginal seining was not attempted during the spring survey due to the inaccessability of the area. Fall seining revealed large numbers of bluegills, bullhead minnows, and pugnose minnows; 14 immature white bass and 3 young-of- the-year channel catfish were taken. Other fish species, represented in small numbers, included mosquitofish, pugnose minnow, gizzard shad, warmouth, and freshwater goby. Water analyses results are considered normal for the area (Table 5). Table 3 Frio River Water Analyses Results, 1971 % April 27 November 24 Location Tips Park Tips Park Depth Surface Surface Water temperature (0F.) 730 580 Dissolved oxygen (ppm) 10.0 14.0 Carbon dioxide (ppm) - (4.0 2.5 M. O. alkalinity (ppm) 500.0 230.0 Turbidity (JTU) 10.0 65.0 pH 6.9 7.3 Chlorides (Cl") (ppm) 850.0 250.0 Table 4 Nueces River Netting Results, May and December 1971 S ecies No %No. Wt %Wt. Alligator gar 1 1.17 9.5 4.94 9.5 Spotted gar 4 4.71 6.1 3.17 1.5 Longnose gar 19 22.35 69.0 35.90 3.6 Smallmouth buffalo 15 17.65 78.5 40.84 5.2 Channel catfish* 14 16.47 7.21 3.75 1.66 0.8 Blue catfishi 7 8.24 12.22 6.35 1.66 2.4 Bluegi11* 2 2.35 0.2 0.11 4.51 0.1 Freshwater drum 23 27.06 9.53 4.94 0.6 ________l__l__l______________________________________1_________1________1____1___ Total 85 100 00 192.2 100 00 Game fish 23 27.06 19.6 10.21 Rough fish 62 72.94 172.6 89.79 W * Denotes game fish 1 Based on 9 fish 2 Based on 5 fish 3 Based on 15 fish FINDINGS: (Cont.) Table 5 Nueces River Water Analyses Results, 1971 __________________,__________-___——————————————-— December 21 ____________—_____________._____—.——-————-—-———- Location State Hwy. 359 Crossing Depth Surface Water temperature (OF.) ' 66O Dissolved oxygen (ppm) 8.0 Carbon dioxide (ppm) 4.0 M. 0. alkalinity (ppm) 110.0 Turbidity (JTU) 30.0 pH 7.25 Chlorides (C17) (ppm) 30.0 Total hardness (ppm) 160.0 __________________.________—__——-———————————— San Antonio River (Karnes County) The San Antonio River was sampled at Conquista Park in April and November. The park is located on F. M. 791 east of Falls City, Texas. This area of the river is characterized by steep-banks, deep pools, and rapids created by lime— stome outcroppings. Four experimental and eight l—inch mesh gill nets yielded 122 specimens (Table 6). Game fish accounted for 21.3 per cent of the total yield as com— pared with 34.8 per cent in 1969 and 18.7 per cent in 1970. The per cent of game fish by weight showed little deviation from past surveys. Red shiners and bullhead minnows were abundant in the spring seining collection. Young-of-the—year channel catfish were well represented in the fall, giving a good indication of a successful Spawn. Fall seining also pro— duced many bullhead minnows and Mexican tetras, with fewer numbers of gizzard shad, sailfin mollies, bluegills, and green sunfish. Results of water analyses are given in Table 7. A higher than normal turbidity reading was found during the October survey as a result of the heavy rains which occurred in the area prior to and during the survey. No other abnormal readings were noted.