TPWD 1954 F-2-R-1 #91: Inventory of Species Present in the Belton Reservoir: Segment Completion Report

--- Page 1 --- STATE Texas ; PROJECT NO, Pae~R-1y Job B-4 Segment Completion Report by Kenneth C. Jurgens FILE Inventory of Species Present in the Belton Reservoir. TITLE OBJECTIVES To determine the species present and their relative abundance as well as to deter- mine the ecological factors influencing their distribution. METHODS Specimens were collected from the Leon River and Cowhouse Creek, its principal tributary within the Belton Reservoir Area, mainly though the use of small mesh seines. Several gill net collections, using nets with experimental mesh sizes in 25 ft. sec- tions ranging in size from one to three inches (sq. mesh) in 4 inch intervals, were also made. In the case of seined specimens, all fish were preserved in 10% formalin solution and later counted and identified in the laboratory. Gill net specimens were identified, counted, weighed, measured and sexed in the field. Only the stomachs of these speci- mens were preserved for later stomach analysis werk. FINDINGS Since water was not impounded in the Belton Reservoir prior to March 10, 1954 only limited work in the nature of a preimpoundment study could be done during the 1953-54 segment period. To date, 476 fish specimens were collected from the various stations within the reservoir area by seining and only 117 specimens were collected in gill nets. The re- sults of the seining collections are shown in Table I, while the results of the gill net collections are shown in Table II. A checklist of species now known to exist in the reservoir is given in Table III. Water analysis made at several stations in the reservoir area during the past seg- ment pericd showed the following ranges in water quality. Tests Made Prior to Impoundment Tests Made After Tmpoundment Oxygen 7.4 - 7.6 ppm 6.0 ppm Carbon dioxide trace - 1.0 ppm 5.0 ppm Chlorides 2.0 ~ 8.0 ppm 16.0 ppm pH 8.1 - 8.2 7.7 ppm Turbidity in the reservoir area prior to impoundment varied from none during times of little Plow in the Leon River to very high during times of heavy run-off. After im- poundment, the water in the lower end of the reservoir, where there is no current, was --- Page 2 --- Qe clear but stained brown by decaying vegetation. In the upper portion of the reservoir while there was current in the old river channel, turbidity was high due to the influx of silt laden runoff water from the Leon River watershed. At present, June 1954, approximately 13,144 acre ft. of water have been impounded behind Belton Dam. This volume of water has a total surface area of 1,500 acres. Ac- cording to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the reservoir will be used mainly for flood control and water conservation purposes. The lake at conservation pool eleva- tion, 569 feet above sea level, will cover 7,400 surface acres and is estimated to extend "about 22 miles up the Leon River Valley and about eight miles up the Cowhouse Creek Valley" with an irregular shoreline of approximately 110 miles. The lake at that level will have an average depth of 28 ft. Prior to the beginning of impoundment, most of the timber including: all trees, down timber, windfalls, logs, floatable materials and fences were to be removed be- tween elevations 554 and 569. Only that timber below elevation 554 was to remain standing to provide a measure of cover for aquatic life during the impoundment period. This timber is almost entirely restricted to the banks of the old river channel. On the basis of the seining collections made prior to and after the beginning of water impoundments, the stocking of either channel catfish, flathead catfish or white crappie is not to be recommended since they are already present in relative abundance in the reservoir area. It is also quite obvious that no sunfish species should be stocked with the possible exception of the redear sunfish, Lepomis microlophus. Largemouth bass have already been stocked in the new lake. These consisted of 75,000 bass fry from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 95,000 fingerlings, two inches long, from the Texas Game and Fish Commission. SUMMARY il. Water in the Belton Reservoir was not impounded until the March 10th start- ing date. 2, A total of 4,676 specimens representing 30 species were collected by seining while only 117 specimens of 14 species were taken in gill nets. 3. A checklist of 32 species representing 9 families are now known to exist in the Belton Reservoir. 4k, As@ June 1954, the Belton Reservoir contained a total of 1,500 surface acres and 13,144 acre ft. of water. 5. The Belton Reservoir will be used mainly for flood control and water conser- vation purposes. 6. Seining results indicate no need for stocking either channel catfish, flat- head catfish or white crappie. 7. A total of 170,000 bass fry and fingerlings have already been stocked in the new lake. --- Page 3 --- Species ° a ° ° ° ° ° ° e ° ° o o ° . ° BOW PHAWNR eee eaBzarr ° platostomus cepedianum carpio congestum carpio erysoleucas venustus lutrensis volucellus buchanani vigilax promelas anomalum punctatus natalis olivaris mollis notatus affinis punctulatus treculli salmoides eyanellus macrochirus humilis megalotis annularis scierus caprodes spectabile Total L 2 Ll 1 Ll 2 271 114 36 ee 1 60 2 10 «37 2 3 14 3 1 2 6 1 2 3 23 «16 h 2 65 468 272 3 T 7 1 a) 6 15 15 92. 152 329 3h 14 #10 ~—o7B 5 23 ek 58 13 1 6 1 15 13 29 h 1 1 12 3 13 2 3 +10 2 6 2 1 10 39 «63298 5 9 230 307 671 Table 1 Seining Collections 1 2 1 12 110 535 46 65 43 9 8 hl k k 2 18 120 7 9 2 15 6 2 690 =e ney O 9 ero 6 64 126 2 29 36 27h i 3 6 80 18 15 k 1 7 #5 6 y 3 SL 3 2 1 16 8 73 27 6 5 } T 2 31 (74 3 315 350 314 ho 15 13 1943 Ar NM FON 106 213 Belton Reservoir - Results of Seining Collections for the Period June 1953 through May 1954. a “Rotel No. F 9h. 22 195 64 d. 9 53 if 31 375 106 10 14 186 372 4,676 of Total No. | 0.034 5133 0.038 0.015 0.030 0.004 7-827 ib 43.733 1.583 1.518 7-293 1.069 2.010 3.201 0.009 0.015 2,010 0.470 4.170 1. 369 0.002 0.182 1.133 0.034 0.662 8.020 2.267 0.213 0.299 3.977 98. 326 --- Page 4 --- 4, Table No. 2 Netting Collections Species A 6 Total No. % of Total Total % of Total _—— Number Weight = Weight _ L. platostomus 15 1 2 9 27 23.076 28#ihoz. 37.714 L. productus 1 3 2 6 5.128 10# 20z. 13.22h D. cepedianum 6 2 5 y 17 14.529 10#9 oz, 13.795 Carpiodes carpio 2 2 1 3 7 15 12.820 5#130z. 7.592 I. punctatus 6 1 1 8 6.837 99#150z, 12.979 A. natalis 1 1 0.855 80z. 0.653 A. melas 1 zt 0.855 100z. 0.816 C. eoronarius 3 3 2.564. lloz, 0.898 M. punctulatus 2 e 1.709 8oz. 0.653 i salmoides 1 1 0.855 hoz. 0.327 L. eyanellus 1 2 1 h 3.418 lloz. 0.989 L. macrochirus 8 4 3 15 12,820 # 302. 4,163 L. megalotis 1 1 8 10 8.57 150z. 1,224 P. annularis 1 4 2 7 5.982 3# ihoz, 5,061 Total 25 20 9 1 37 2 EVy 99.995 T6#9 oz. 99.997 = termine tg — Belton Reservoir: ~ Results of netting collections for the period June 1953 through May 1954. --- Page 5 --- 5 ge Table No. 3 Belton Reservoir - - Checklist of Species. Family Lepisosteidae il. Lepisosteus platostomus - shortnose gar 2. Lepisosteus productus - spotted gar Family Clupeidae 3. Dorosoma cepedianum - gizzard shad Family Catostomidae he ee Carpiodes carpio Moxostoma congestum Family Cyprinidae Ts 8. 9. 10. 12. 12s 13. 14. Cyprinns carpio Notemigonus crysoleucas Notropis venustus Notropis lutrensis Notropis volucellus Notropis buchanani Pimephales vigilax Pimephales promedas Campostoma anomalum Family Ameiuridae 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Ictalurus punctatus Ameiurus natalis Ameiurus melas Pilodictus olivaris Schilbeodes mollis Family Cyprinodontidae 20. Fundulus natalis Family Poecilidae Pile Gambusia affinis Family Centrarchidae 22, 23. 2h, 25. 26. 27. 28, 29. Micropterus punctulatus Micropterus treculi = Micropterus salmoides - Lepomis cyanellus Lepomis macrochirus Lepomis humilis Lepomis megalotis Pomoxis annularis Family Percidae 30... Save 32. Hadropterus scierus Percina caprodes me river carpsucker gray redhorse carp ~ golden shiner blacktail or spottail shiner redhorse or red shiner Mimic shiner ghost shiner parrot minnow fathead minnow stoneroller southern channel catfish yellow bullhead black bullhead flathead or yellow catfish tadpole madtom blackstripe topminnow gambusia or pot-gut minnow =~ spotted black bass Texas spotted bass Largemouth bass Green sunfish Bluegill orangespotted sunfish longear sunfish white crappie or white perch dusky darter log perch Etheostoma spectabile - orangethroated darter