TPWD 1971 F-6-R-18 #1424: Fisheries Investigations in Region 5B: Stocking Recommendations, Job Progress Report

JOB PROGRESS REPORT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Project No. F=6wR-18 FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS m REGION 5wB Job No” II Stooking Recommendations Project Leader: Roger L. McCabe James U. Cross Executive Director Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Fred G. Lowman Roy T. Huffman Branch Head3 Inland Fisheries Director3 Current Operations November 113 1971 SUMMARY As in the previous two years, there were no newly constructed or renovated waters Which warranted stocking surveys this segment. Surveys were conducted at the Frio, Nueces, and San Antonio Rivers and at Corpus Christi and Alice Lakes. Species composition, numbers of young game fishes, and/or rough fish to game fish ratios were considered less than desirable in data from the Frio and Nueces Rivers. These factors were found to be satisfactory at Corpus Christi and Alice Lakes. although some game species have indicated declines in numbers. No fingerling stockings are recommended at this time. but releases of advanced young channel catfish are planned for Alice Lake at a later date. Releases of young flathead catfish are recommended at Alice Lake and Lake Corpus Christi when they become available from.Region V hatcheries. JOB PROGRESS REPORT State Texas_ _ Project No.\ Fwélle8 Project Title: Fisheries Investigations m Re_ion SDB Job No. II Job Title: Stocking Regommendations n-flm Period Covered: January l:L l9?0 to December 312 1220 H mun-mm M Objectives: To determine the waters in Region 50B which would benefit from stocking. 1. To recommend stocking ratios for newly constructed or renovated ‘waters. 2. To determine the species composition and abundance of young fishes in specified waters having established fish pepulations. 3. To recommend stocking of speeified waters having established fish populationS'Whioh exhibit deficits of young game fishes. Procedures: As in the previous two years. there were no newly constructed or renovated public waters Which warranted stocking surveys this segment. Surveys were conducted at the Frio. Nueces. and San Antonio Rivers and at Corpus Christi and Alice Lakes. Locations and descriptions of the areas sampled are provided in the job progress report prepared last year (segment 17). Two surveys were conducted at each of the sites. Additional data were obtained from.Lake Corpus Christi in conjunction with a fish aging study (Job IV) being conducted there during this period. Sampling methods consisted of overnight gill netting and marginal seining. Various numbers of nylon straight mesh and experimental gill nets were employed. Straight mesh nets consisted of lm3 1%». or 2minch mesh and were 100 feet long. Experimental gill nets were constructed of graduated mesh sizes from.1m3% inches square and were 150 feet long. A Zwaoot straight seine having onemfourth of an inch mesh and a 32wfoot bag seine also having onemfourth of an inch mesh were used to capture youngmofuthemyear and other small Specimens. Numbers and bulk weights were determined by species and game fishmrough fish percentages were calculated. Individual weight and length data were rem corded for all game fishes and for representative rough fish individuals from various size groups. Procedures: (Con.) Water analyses were conducted during each survey. Surface samples were tested for temperature. dissolved oxygen. carbon dioxide. alkalinity. turw bidity. pH. chlorides. and total hardness. Since common names are used in this report. a checklist of all Species encountered is provided in Table 1. This checklist gives the common and scientific names recognized by the American Fisheries Society as featured in their Special Publication No. 6. A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes From.the United States and Canada (Third Edition). Findings: Frio River (Live Oak County) . Six experimental gill nets were set in a onewmile stretch of the river near and adjacent to Tips County Park along State Highway 72. Water levels fluctuate greatly at this site and frequent flooding results in redistribution of fish populations. Table 2 shows the combined netting results from the Frio River during June and October. Cars and smallmouth buffalo-were the most numerous species captured and comprised the largest percentages by weight. Two unusually large alligator gar. one weighing 100 pounds and the other 60 pounds. greatly influenced the per cent by weight of rough fishes. Game fishes accounted for 33.75 per cent of the 80 individuals caught. while rough fish species comprised 66.25 per cent of the total. The 1970 game fishmrough fish ratio was much more favorable than in 1969. when game fishes comprised only 4.49 per cent of the total yield. Seining efforts were.also more productive than in 1969. YOungmofwthemyear channel catfish. largemouth bass. white bass. and white crappie were taken in relatively good numbers during both of the 1970 surveys. In addition. red shiners of all age classes were very abundant. Bullhead minnows. threadu fin shad. Mexican tetra. and tidewater silverside were other forage species recorded in moderate numbers. Approximately 2,000 channel catfish fingerlings were released in the Tips Park area of the river in August. Few of these individuals were in evidence during the October survey. Results of the 1970 water analyses are shown in Table 3. A rather high carbon dioxide reading of 12.0 ppm was recorded during the June 24 survey. Although this reading is far from lethal when accompanied by a dissolved oxygen reading of 6.0 ppm. it is worthy to note the marked increase over the less than 5.0 ppm.reading taken during the May 1969 survey. The June pH reading of 7.1 is somewhat lower than the 8.5 recorded‘in May 1969. The increase in carbon dioxide and decrease in pH during the June analysis could possibly be the result of a high carbonic acid content at the time of sampling. All other readings were considered normal. _ 0mm ame Spotted gar Longnose gar Alligator gar Ladyfish Gizzard shad Threadfin shad Mexican tetra Carp Speckled chub Golden shiner Blackspot shiner Ghost shiner Pugnose minnow Red shiner Proserpine shiner Blacktail shiner Bullhead minnow River carpsucker Smallmouth buffalo Blue catfiSh Black bullhead Yellow bullhead Channel catfish Flathead catfish Atlantic needlefish Sheepshead minnow Mosquitofish Sailfin molly Tidewater silverside White bass Green sunfish Warmouth Bluegill Longear sunfish Redear sunfish Table 1 Species Checklist _ScientificmNameflp_ Lepisosteus oculatus Lepisosteus osseus Lepisosteus spatula Elops saurus Dorosoma cepedianum Dorosoma petenense Astyanax mexicanus Cyprinus‘gagp;g Hybopsis aestivalis Notemigonus crysoleucas Notrogis atrocaudalis NotroEis buchanani Notrogis emiliae NotroBis lutrensis NotroEis proserpinus Notropis venustus Pimephalgg vigilax Carpiodes carpio Ictiobug bubalus Ictalurus fggcatus Ictalurus melas Ictalurus natalis Ictalurus punctatus Pylodictis oli.varis Strongylura marina Cyprinodon variegatus Gambusia affinis Poecilia latipinna Menidia beryllina Morone chrysoEs Lepomis gygnellus Lepomis gulosus Lepomis macrochirus Lepomis megalotis Lepomis microlophus Largemouth bass White crappie Black crappie Freshwater drum Atlantic croaker Rio Grande perch Striped mullet MicroEterus salmoides Pomoxis annularis Pomoxis nigromaculatus Aplodinotus grunniens MicropogonW undulatus Cichlasoma oyanoguttatum Mugil cephalui 14- Table 2 Frio River Netting Results. June and October 1970 “H er I I I A h A ‘ I Per Cent . 'I I . Mhea I - h I .NQ-J.;_ .WPa,.... Alligator gar 2 .0 .0 Spotted gar 6 9.0 .5 Longnose gar 20 71.0 .6 .Smallmouth buffalo 20 132.8 .6 Channel catfish* 2 0.3 .2 Flathead catfish* 4 31.6 .9 Redear sunfish* 3 0.6 .2 Bluegi11* -5 0.6 .l' White-crappie* 7 2.0 .3 _B1ack crappie* 6 1.1 .2 Freshwater drum. 5 5.7 .1 Game fish Rough'fish * denotes game fish Table 3 Frio River Water Analyses Results, 1970 Date: I June 24 October 22 Location: Tips Park Tips Park 5 Depth: Surface Surface Water temperature: 80°F 70°F Dissolved oxygen (ppm): 6.0 . 8.0 Carbon dioxide (ppm): 12.0 8.0 M. 0. alkalinity (ppm): 260.0 235.0 Turbidity (secchi): 260 mm ‘ 260 mm pH: 7.1 . “8.3 Chlorides (ppm c1"): - - 145.0 175.0 Total hardness (ppm CaCO3): 270.0; 280.0 Findings: (Con.) Nueces River (Nueces County) Three experimental gill nets each were set in the Bazemore Park and River Park vicinities. These areas are also subjected to frequent flooding and popu« lation fluctuatiOn. Rough fish species normally constitute-a very large peru centage of the total netting yield. as can be seen in Table 4. Saltwater species such as croaker. striped mullet. and blue crab are frequently encounu tered during surveys in the area between Wesley Seale Dam and Nueces Bay. Rough fish species comprised 92.26 per cent of the total number caught and 95.84 per cent of the total weight as compared to 90.74 per cent by number and 97.85 per cent by weight in the 1969 sample. Longnose gar and gizzard shad jointly accounted for 73.80 per cent of the total number and 55.20 per cent of the total weight. There were no youngmofathemyear game fishes taken in either of the two gill netting efforts. Steep banks and swift. deep water characterize the Nueces River at the two sampling sites. These conditions limit seining activities to only a few areas. which are less than Optimum. There were no youngwofathewyear game species taken by seining and forage fish (pugnose minnow. red shiner. sheeps— head minnow and sailfin molly) numbers were-down considerably from the prem -vious year. Freshwater shrimp_(Palaemontes_sp.) were very noticeable. as they have been for the past several years. Approximately 4.000 channel catfish fingerlings were released on August 26. 1970. at sampling sites on the Nueces River. As in the Frio River. there -were no individuals representative of this release in the sampling yields. which suggests very poor survival or relocation of these fish. Table 5 shows results of the spring and fall water analyses. These results are very comparable to those of 1969. although the methyl orange alkalinity readings were down an average of 40 ppm. No detrimental readings were revealed. San Antonio River (Karnes County) Two experimental and one 1%minCh straight mesh gill nets were set during each survey in a rather isolated area of the San Antonio River known as Conquista Park. near PM Road 791. Karnes County. The presence of 71 longnose gar (55.04 per cent of the total number of fishes caught) greatly overbalanced the netting yield of the June and October samples. This resulted in a decline in the overall game fish percentages as compared to the previous year's data. The combined 1970 netting results (Table 6) included data from 12 species. while only'seven species were netted in 1969. Channel catfish comprised the largest percentage of game fishes captured during 1969 and 1970. The mean weights from this Species for those two years were 1.0 and 1.1 pounds. respectively. Although several sexually immature channel catfish were noted. there were no Owl age group game fishes taken in gill nets. m6m Table-4 Nueces River Netting Results, May and October 1970 ' Pea- Cent " " S.ecies_ -- - . - - - - - - - m Alligator gar Spotted gar Longnose gar Threadfin shad Gizzard shad Smallmouth buffalo. Channel catfish* Blue catfish* Striped mullet White bass* Bluegill* Black crappie * Freshwater drum Croaker U3 UsadNI—ewkoo-Dwmb—‘NOOO Ln 33<3<D<D¢D<314t3im<3<oidlfl=q -uninterenu~o<3<wip:quexoroifi Game fish Rough fish 7"denotes game fish Table-5 Nueces River Water Analyses Results. 1970 Date: . May 14 .: October 26 Location: - Nueces River Park Bazemore Park Depth: - Surface Surface Water temperature: 77°F 8lOF Dissolved oxygen (ppm): 8.0 _ 7.0 Carbon dioxide (ppm): 5.0 5.0 M. O. alkalinity (ppm): 200.0 _ 180.0 Turbidity (secchi): - 325 mm .- * 250 mm a szfi .* '. '8.2 1 8.0 ' Chlérides (ppm Cl ): . 105.0 _ l65.0 Total hardness (ppm CaCO3): 180.0 , 220.0 “M“ p Table 6 San Antonio River Netting Results. June and October. 1970 Per Cent; m____m Per Cent Mean ____ No 1. it __Wt. - t Spotted gar 5.43 l 4 9 2.71 0.7 Longnose gar i5.04 97.’ 53.71 1.4 Gizzard shad _0.08 9.. 5.09 0.7 Smallmouth buffalo C0.08 34. 19.30 2.7 River carpsucker 0.77 2. 1.38 2.5 Channel catfish* 8.53 11. 6.42 1.1 Flathead catfish“ 2.33 17.. 9.68 5.8 Largemouth basst 0.77 0. 0.33 0.6 Warmoutht 0.77 0. 0.05 0.1 Longear sunfish* 1.55 0.‘ 0.11 0.1 White crappie* 3.88 l. 1.05 0.4 Rio Grande perch 0.77 0.5 0.17 0.3 7‘ .: “0.00.0 _ . _ - Game fish j 23 17.83 ' 17.64 Rough fish 3 106 82.17 ' 82.36 *denotes game fish Table 7 San Antonio River Water Analyses Results3 1970 Date: _ June 11 . - October 19 Location: I Conquista Park Conquista Park Depth: ' Surface Surface Water temperature: : 78oF ' 64°F Dissolved oxygen (ppm): 1 6.0 ' 6.0 Carbon dioxide (ppm): . 12.0 ' m M. O. alkalinity (ppm): . 280.0 240.0 Turbidity (secchi): j 368 mm '363 mm pH: _ ' 7.8 7.5 'Chlorides (ppm Cl ): i 115.0 85.0 Total hardness (ppm CaCO3): E 300.0 ' 290.0 - Findings: (Con.) Seining attempts were very successful in procuring younguofmthe year specimens, particularly channel catfish. Nighttime sampling was very prom ductive in a wide stretch of shallow rapids approximately 50 yards long and in an area directly below these rapids. The fastumoving water necessitated the use of a shorter straight seine rather than the 32mfoot bag seine normally used. The June survey yielded 52 youngwofmthewyear channel catfish. and the October survey captured 20 of these juveniles with relative ease. In addition to the channel catfish. two juvenile largemouth bass comprised the remainder of the game fish seining yield. Numerous gizzard shad (616) of all age groups were also captured. Red shiner. bullhead minnow. and mosquitofish were forage species found in moderate numbers. A species nOt normally encountered in other areas of Region SwB. the speckled chub. was also recorded during the October sample. As shown in Table 7. the San Antonio River water analyses results were much like those from the Frio River. A relatively high carbon dioxide reading (12.0 ppm) was recorded during the June survey and was accompanied by a somem what lower than normal pH reading (7.8). Normally. the carbon dioxide reading is around 5.0 ppm at midday and pH readings are in the vicinity of 8.5. As in previous analyses. alkalinity readings were higher than other waters tested due to the many large limestone outcrOppings found in and along the river basin. Lake Corpus Christi (Live Oak. Jim Wells. and San Patricio Counties) Two experimental and one 1%minch straight mesh gill nets were set overnight during each of the spring and fall sampling trips to Lake Corpus Christi. Data from these surveys were supplemented with those from four additional netting ventures made in conjunction with an experimental aging study (Job IV) being conducted by Fw6~R personnel. Results of the two regular surveys (May and December) are presented in Table 8. Freshwater drum and spotted gar exhibited marked increases in the overall netting yield while smallmouth buffalo and gizzard shad numbers have remained relatively stable. Although blue and channel catfishes have maintained satisfactory numbers. flathead catfish were not represented in spring and fall samples. Similarly. large— mouth bass. white crappie. and black crappie have maintained adequate p0pu— lations. but white bass. while not lacking. were not obtained in quantities experienced previously. Marginal seining captured limited numbers of Owl age group largemouth bass and crappie. Ch nnel and blue catfishes were not taken by this rEg§2EEEEi22_2E_Eh22E_EB2SLSfi—lfi—bfllaamnd_adaaga£2‘ umerous juvenile bluem g1 an redear sunfishes were recorded. .Forage species were strongly evident in all drags. with threadfin shad, Mexican tetra. Rio Grande perch, and pugnose minnows comprising the majority of the catch. Water chemistry information is provided in Table 9. Other than lower alkalinity and pH readings. conditions were much as they were in 1969. N0 deleterious readings were disclosed.