TPWD 1955 F-7-R-3 #171: An Inventory of the Species of Fishes Present in Buffalo Lake, Texas

STATE Texas PROJECT N0. F733 Job B-9 PERIOD June 1 1955 - ea 31, 1955 Segment Completion Report ‘t(~ Leo D. Lewis, Project Leader Welter W. Dalquest, Assistant Project Leader TITLE An Inventory of the Species of Fishes Present in Buffalo Lake, Texas. OBJECTIVES To determine the species present and their relative abundance, as well as the ecological factors that govern their distribution. TECHNIQUES Each month, with the exceptions of October 1955 and March 1956, during the project year, collecting trips were made to Buffalo Lake. Several days were spent at the lake on each occasion. Ten to twelve experimental gill nets were set on each visit, and every fish taken in these nets was measured, weighed, and the stage of gona- dal develogment recorded. In addition, filled stomachs of predacious species were saved in formalin, as well as ripe ovaries, pathological tissues, and parasites. Samples of the forage fishes were obtained with the use of small-mesh seines and the complete collections preserved in formalin. In the laboratory.the formalin-preserved materials were identified and examined. A part of this data is reported elsewhere (Completion Report, Job B-h, Segment 3.) Physical data, including air temperature, water-surface temperature and turbid- tiy were recorded. Samples of lake water were saved and the pH and dissolved solids present were determined. Ecological data pertaining to the lake were obtained in the usual ways and detailed notes were taken. Insofar as possible, all available information has been presented in the fel- lowing pages in a somewhat standardized form, so that the data might be easily compared and Northwestern Texas. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS we wish to express here our appreciation to Dr. Carl Gray, Soils Scientist of Mfldwestern University and the Wichita County water Improvement Districts, for making the numerous water analyses so important to this study.‘ BACKGROUND Buffalo Lake lies in Randall County, in the Texas Panhandle, about three miles south of the town of Umbarger and approximately 35 miles southwest of the city of Amara 1110. It was constructed under the Federal Reli ‘ The lake measures, at spillway level, 1, 2. 18,300 acre-feet of water when filled. The lake is intended for fishing and recreation and is now under the control of the United States Forest Service. Annual patronage is from 250,000 to 300,000 persons per year. most of these are fishermen and their familie The lake is elongated and rather narrow, occupying the canyon of Tierra Blanca Creek. The dam is at the eastern end of the lake and the crack to the west of the lake is reduced to elongated holes except after rains. The creek below the lake is usually completely dry. The canyon of Tierra Blanca Creek is cut deeply into white Pliocene rock and in places the lake is bordered with white cliffs. The upland is the rolling grasslands of the High Plains, but the immediate environs of Buffalo Lake are more arid and desertlike, with prominent vegetation of yucca and various species of cacti. Close to the lake grow'groves of also, cottonwoods and other broad-leafed trees. The lake occupies an unusually beautiful setting - almost oasis-like in a rugged land of white rock. Good roads surround the lake and the lake is accessible to fishermen almost everywhere. Rarely is it necessary to park one's car*more than a few yards from a chosen fishing site, and usually the lake shore is of firm white sand and well shaded by trees. Overnight camping sites are numerous, and meals and cabins are available. FINDINGS Buffalo Lake is an extremely productive lake insofar as number of fishes is concerned. The fish fauna is rather small and unique in some ways. For example, there are no gars, buffalo-fishes or freshwater drum in the lake. White base were absent until stocked by us (see Completion Report, Job F-l). The flarage fish fauna is equally scanty. In total numbers of individuals, the lake is astonishingly rich. we would judge that Buffalo Lake contains more fishes per acre of water than any other lake in Region le. Unfortunately, the lake resembles other lakes in Region l-B in that the rough'fisha vastly outnumber the game species. Among lakes studied to date, Buffalo Lake seems to be most like Lake Kickapoo in fertility, water quality and turbidity. The plankton fauna of Buffalo Lake is rich, and part of the turbidity of the water is due to plankton. The insect fauna seems limited; dragonflies, damselflies, mid~ ges, mosquitos, etc , were noted Same crayfish, identified by Dr. Horton H. Hobbs of the University of Virgina as procm mbrus simula, are present, and a species of "freshwater shrimp” was reported but not found by us. Freshwater mussels were found,‘however. Mule ticellular aquatic vegetation is absent, probably as a result of fluctuating lake level and the extreme turbidity. Vast numbers of waterfowl spend the winter months on the lake, which is a federal game refuge. ANNOTATED GHEGKLIST OF FISH SPECIES Iorossaa cepedianuma Gizzard Shad. The shad is one of the commonest fishes of the lake and is the commonest of the larger fishes. It makes up about 40% of the population of the larger fishes. It is found almost throughout the lake, from shoreline to midwlake, but is primarily an openmwater, surface form. It is useless as a game fish and inedible for*man. Isung shad are much utilized by game fishes as food, but the harm done by shad in muddying the water and using space otherwise available to game fishes far offsets their value as forage. The large numbers of shad constitute one of the major problems in managing the fish resources of Buffalo Lake. Carpiedes carpio. River Carpsucker. In most North Texas Lakes, the carpm sucker is a problem as serious as the gizzard shad. The carpsucker is usually extremely abundant and almost inediable, occupying space that could be used by game fishes. Strange- ly enough, the carpsucker is not common in Buffalo Lake, where it constitutes less than two percent of the largemfish population. The carpsuckers of Buffalo Lake are, however, the largest specimens of the species we have ever seen. ' Cyprinus carpio. European Carp. The carp is the third—most abundant of the larger fishes found in Buffalo Lake, taking the place occupied in most North Texas lakes by the carpsucker. In Buffalo Lake, the relative numbers of the two species seem.to be almost the reverse of the usual condition. Although abundant, the carp from the lake rare- 1y seem to grow to large size. Caressius auratus. Goldfish. Goldfishes of large size are quite common in Buffalo Lake. They vary considerably in color but bright, orange-red individuals are most common. we suspect that the absence of gars in the lake has permitted the exist» - once of the goldfishes. Carp-goldfish Hybrids. Hybrids between the carp and goldfish are quite numerm cue in Buffalo Lake. Most individuals are small, less than a halpround, but some individuals weighing up to five pounds are taken. They are almost perfectly intermediate in characters: face shorter than the carp but longer than the goldfish; color somewhat redder than the carp but far less so than the goldfish; one set of barbels rather than two, as the carp, or none as the goldfish; the ”hump" on the back more pronounced than in the carp, but less so than in the goldfish; caudal peduncle deeper than in the carp but less so than in the goldfish. One distinctive feature of the hybrids is the diet» inctness of the lateral line. This is no stronger than in the two parent species, but in those forms it is obscured, in the carp by the scale markings and in the goldfish by the bright red colors. The sexual development of the hybrids is varied. It appears that most males have well-develOped gonads from.which milt can be pressed in the breeding season of the carp and goldfish. Some hybrids had gonads so small they could not be identified in the field and were preserved in formalin. In the laboratory all were found to be females. A few hybrid females had large ovaries filled with well-developed eggs that appeared ready for fertilization. Pimephales promelas. Fathead Minnow. This minnow is widespread but not abundant in the lake. It is primarily a fish of the pools of the rivers in the Panhandle, and the original stock may have been native to Tierra Blanca Creek before impoundment. Notropis lutrensis. Red Shiner. Shiners of various species are common in most Texas waters, and Buffalo Lake is the only large body of water known to us where only a single species is found. It is not unexpected that the shiner present is the widespread and abundant red shiner. This species is the only common forage minnow in the lake. Hybognathus nuchalis. Silvery Plains Minnow. This is the common bait minnow of Northern Texas. It is primarily a river species and those found in our seine drags were probably escaped or released bait. However, most of the lakes of Northern Texas now have populations of silvery minnows that apparently were established from released bait animals. Phenacobius mirabilis. Suckermouthed Minnow. Our single record of the sucker- mouthed minEEE7EE§iEEFe'EEEEfa"Eeleased bait or have come from a small population devel- oped from released baits. we doubt that it is endemic to Tierra Blanca Greek. Sucker- mouthed.minnows are primarily stream minnows, but the species is common in Lake Diversion, at least. This is our first record of this fish from the Texas Panhandle. Ictalurus punctatus. Spotted Channel Catfish. Large,channel catfish are common in Buffalo Lake and much fishing effortis devoted to the taking of them. The largest specimens are taken by "drift-fishing" and trot lining. Ameiurus males. Black Bullhead. Bullheads are common in most waters of the Panhandle and at one time were said to be very abundant in Buffalo Lake. we found the species uncommon, possibly as a result of competition with larger catfishes. Pilodictus olivaris. Flathead Catfish. Relatively few of these large catfishes are taken by fishermen at Buffalo Lake, but the species is moderately common there. Our nets did not take any individuals of large size, but doubtless many occur. (Commonly, flathead catfishcs exceed 30 pounds in weight and anything over 25 pounds may be consid~ cred large). Fundulus ksnsae. raging Killifish. Killifishes are common in most Panhandle streams. The Buffalo Lake population may have been trapped by the construction of the dam or may have been introduced as bait, although the species is not greatly used as bait. Killifishes are not lake fishes, but we know of several established popula- tions that have existed in lakes for years. Gambusia affinis. mosquitofish. The ubiquitous mosquitofish is not common in the lake. Host specimens were taken in shallows and heavy cover. Herons chgysops. White Bass. we introduced a small number of white bass from Lake Diversion to Buffalo Lake two years ago, and a larger number this past spring (under Jab Phi). The Species is noW'well established in Buffalo Lake, and many small individuals were taken by fishermen. we took some large specimens in our gill nets. The species has Innsbecome common inihe lake yet, and the introductions appear to be less successful than we would have hoped. Micropterus salmoides. Largemouth Black lass. Largemouth bass have been placed in Buffalo Lake by the Texas Game and Fish Commission on several occasions. Bass, some of large size, are quite common in the lake, and much fishing effort is devoted to their capture. Lepgmis humilis. Orangespotted Sunfish. Thissmall, brightlymcolored fish seems to be moderately common in Buffalo Lake. Over’most of Herthern Texas, it is wide- spread but rarely'cemmon. Lepomis macrochirus. Bluegill Sunfish. Bluegills are common in the lake but rarely reach one-half pound in weight. Under present conditions, the species is not abundant enough mecenstitute a pest. Lepgais_megalotis. Longear Sunfish. Like the bluegill, the longear sunfish is common, rarely reaches a half-pound in weight, but is not yet a post in Buffalo Lake. Pomoxis annularis. White Crappie. The crappie is the secondumost abundant .rge fish in the lake. Much angling effort is devoted to crappie, especially by inexperienced fishermen, flor they are so abundant that they may be easily taken. Large numbers of crappie large enough to cat are taken, but there remains enormous numbers of tiny individuals that constitute a threat to the population of larger game fishes of the lake. The crappie is distinctly overuabundant in Buffalo Lake at this time. Porcine caprodes. Logperch. The logperch is moderately common in the lake and in Tierra Blanca Creek. The population is probably endemic. This is the only popula~ tion of logperches in the Panhandle, to our knowledge. The species is of erratic distribu» tion in Northern Texas and does not occur in saline waters. Lepomis cyanellus. Green Sunfish. Although we took but one green sunfish in Buffalo Lake, we suppose the species is not.uncommon there. In lakes, the green sunfish prefers heavy cover and is difficult to take by ordinary coining methods. 6. Table l. Tbtal Number of Fishes Taken From Buffalo Lake. Species Number Taken Dorosoma cepedianum lhhl Gagiodes cagio 56 Cyprinus cagio 380 Caressius auratus 23 Caressius x Cyprinus hybrids 27 Pimephales promelas 3&2 Notropis lutrensis 2233 Hybognathusm nuchalis 1h Ictalurus pgnctatus 1&2 Phenacobius mirabilis l Ameiurus males 13 Pilodictus olivaris 10 Fundulus kansae 22 Gambusia affinis 35 Merone chryaops 16 Micmpterus salmoides 78 Lepgmis cygnellus l Lepgmis humilis 8 Lepgmis macrochirus l2 Lepgmis megalotis lO Pomoxis annularis 1260 Percina caprodes 2 l2 Table 2. Percentage Composition of the Forage Fish Fauna of Buffalo Lake. W Species Number Taken % of Total Pimcphaiea promelas 31m 12 . 7 Notropis lutrensis 2233 83.1 Hybogggthus nuchalis 11:. .5 Phenacobius mirabilis 1 .Oh Fundulus kansae 22 .8 Gambusia affinis 35 1.3 Lepomis cyanellus l .04 Lepgmis humilis 8 .3 Lepggis macrochirus l2 .5 Lepgmis mogalotis 10 .h Porcine caprodes 2 .3 ' ' 2 7 100.0 8. Table 3. Percentage Composition and Sex Ratios of Larger Fishes from Buffalo Lake. W Species Number Taken % of Total % of Males % Females Dorosoma eepedianum. 1369 80.9 88.6 55.8 UEBSEEEEs carpio 52 1.6 59.6 80.8 ayprinus carp o 371 11.1 51.8 88.2 Garassius auratus 22 .7 50.0 " 50.0 HyEFIds 26 .8 65.8 38.6 TctEIurus punctatus 180 8.2 88.6 51.8 Ifieiurus males 13 .8 38.5 61.5 Filodictus olivaris 10 .3 20.0 80.0 Hfirone Chrysops l6 .5 31.3 68.7 Rioro torus salfibides 78 2.2 36.5 63.5 Fomoxis annularis 12 2 37.8 89.8 50.2 33'5 . 100.1 Table 8. Percentage Composition by weight andNban weights of Larger Fishes from Buffalo Lake. Species weight Taken % of Total weight mean weight Dorosoma cepgdianum. 829.7 lbs. 39.0% .6 lbs. 0a iodes earpio ' 186.0 6.9 2.8 Eigginuamhagpio 878.3 22.3 1.3 arassius auratus 19.7 .9 .9 fiZBrids 18.3 .7 .6 Iotalurus netatus 112.8 5.3 .8 EEEiurus me§as 6.2 .3 .5 Pilodiotus olivaris 62.8 2.9 6.3 fifirone ofigzsops 15.3 .7 1.0 m cropterus salmoides 178.3 8.2 2.8 Pomoxis annularis 278.3 . 12.2 .2 2129.7 LBS. .l Note: Not included in the above two tables are the following fishes taken in seine hauls and counted but not measured or weighed: 72 Dorosoma, 8 Cagpiodes, 9 Ciprinus, 1 hzbrid, 2 Iotalurus, 8 Micropterus, 8 Pomoxis, l Carassius. 90 Table 5. Physical Conditions of Buffalo Lake water when Fish Samples were Taken. WW .te Air Temperature water Temperature Turbidity (mm.) pH WWW 6/23/55 18 18 350 8.30 7/20/55 20 23 205 8.05 8/9/55 28 25 220 7.73 9/15/55 26 22 170 11/9 55 16 7 270 7.90 12/1 /55 -1 1 210 8.32 1/18/56 ,3 0 200 8/27/56 15 15 110 5/12/56 17 15 200 Table 6. Chemical Conditions of Buffalo Lake Water when Fish Samples were Taken. __11____________11____._____a1________________________._______n Date Calcium. Sodium. Chloride Sulfate Carbonates Total Salts 6/23/55 70 33 58 50 127 338 7/20/55 68 23 36 88 159 838 8/9/55 76 28 85 888 633 9/15/55 70 30 86 318 860 71/9 55 78 21 33 292 828 ,/1 /55 92 36 55 317 500 2/28/56 82 92 so 36 329 589 8/27/56 108 118 62 98 379 761 5/7/56 106 128 61 138 339 768 5/12/56 108 128 61 138 339 762 W Note: The water sample taken January 18, 1956, froze and shattered in transit. Physical data for February 28, 1956, was lost. Turbidities were measured with an eightminch Seichi disk. pH was determined with a Beckman pH meter. This machine was out of order on dates when pH is indicated by a dash. Sulfates indicated by dash were insignificant, less than 5 ppm., but were not measured exactly. Carbonates include carbon dioxide, carbonate and bicarbonate but, at the prevailing pH, were largely bicarbonate. Figures for calcium inclum magnesium as well. 10. RECOMMENDATIONS Buffalo Lake can be made into a highly productive game fish lake, if the present overpOpulation of gizzard shad, European carp and.small crappie can be reduced. Once this is accomplished, the game fishes should keep the fry and young of the rough fish species under natural control for several years, at least. During this period fishing should be excellent. we therefore recommend a selective kill of gizzard shad followed by appropriate measures to reduce the carp and crappie populations. SUMMARY Buffalo Lake is located in the Texas Panhandle, approximately 35 miles southwest of Amarillo. It contains 18,300 acre-feet of water at spillway level, and is operated primarily for fishing and recreation, under control of the U. S. Forest Service. Accommodations for fishermen are excellent. At the present time, fish are abundant in the lake, but belong to relatively few species. Red shiners and fathead minnows make up the bulk of the forage fish population. Game fishes include black bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish and flathead catfish. Rough fishes include .gizzard shad, European carp, river carpsuckers and goldfishes, with a large number of carp-goldfish hybrids. The lake is greatly overpopulated with gizzard shad, European carp and undersized crappie. Control measures for these species are suggested.