TPWD 1956 F-4-R-3 #255: Inventory of Species Present in Possum Kingdom Lake: Job Completion Report, Project No. F4R3

--- Page 1 --- JOB COMPLETION REPORT STATE OF TEXAS Project No. F4R3 Name Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region 4-B. Job No. B-4 Title Inventory of Species Present in Possum Kingdom Lake. Period Covered November 1, 1955 to October 31, 1956 ABSTRACT “1. Possum Kingdom Lake is a multipurpose reservoir constructed, by the Brazos River Conservation and Reclamation District, on the Brazos River near, Graford, Texas. This lake covers 19,991 surface acres at spillway level and extends into Stephens, Young, and Jack counties with the major portion in Palo Pinto County. 2. The inventory of species present together with relative abundance estimates of the fish population were made from data collected between June 1, 1953 and October 31, 1956. 3- Rough fish made up 76 percent of the total population by number and 80 percent by weight. 4. The most abundant species in the catch was gizzard shad. This species made up 62 percent of the total net catch. 5» Bluegill sunfish were the most numerous game fish but channel catfish pro- vided the greatest poundage of the game species. 6. Redear sunfish introduced into Possum Kingdom in 1951 have become well estab- lished and are increasingly prominent in the catch of the still and fly fishermen. OBJECTIVES To determine the species present and their relative abundance as well as to determine the ecological factors influencing their distribution. HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION Possum Kingdom was completed in 1941 as a multipurpose reservoir. The primary purposes of this impoundment are to provide water for hydroelectric, irrigation and municipal uses. The secondary purposes are fishing, hunting and recreation. It is owned and operated by the Brazos River Conservation and Reclamation District. This lake is located on the Brazos River near Graford, Texas and impounds 19,991 surface acres at spillway level. The lake is long and narrow with a shoreline of 310 miles that winds among the foothill type mountains comprising the terrain of these portions of Palo Pinto, Stephens, Young, and Jack Counties. The major portion of the lake lies in Palo Pinto County. The shoreline is. irregular and consists of a mixture of gently sloping valleys and high limstone bluffs. These bluffs often extend as far below the water ’ they do above with many submerged ledges. --- Page 2 --- 2. Early rains that filled the lake soon after completion of the dam made removal of the original vegetation impossible. This vegetation consisted of large pecan and other hardwood trees along the banks of the river together with large and small mesqui.tes and cedars. These trees are. still to be seen during periods of low water and have been augmented with thick stands of willow and salt cedar. The encroachment of terrestrial vegetation follows each period of low water and tends to add to the fertility of the lake. Aquatic vegetation is generally limited to the shoal areas and consists of heavy growths of bushy pondweed (Najas guadalupensis). This plant occurs in the shallow water in such quantities that many of the better fishing areas are choked and motor boats are unable ‘to penetrate water less than six feet in depth. Water having a depth greater than six feet. offers no vegetation problem and although this species of vegetation grows at that depth there is clear water above the vegetation and fishing is generally good. TECHNIQUES USED Collections and observations were made monthly during the period from November 1, 1955 to October 31, 1956. Seine collections were made at established seine stations when the water level permitted. The heavy growth of terrestrial vegetation in the areas that were exposed during the periods of low water made the findings of suitable seine sites difficult as the water rose. The problem was much the same when the lack of rainfall together with an excessive demand for water lowered the lake below the usual low level. The vegetation that had originally covered the lake bed was not cleared, therefore many obstructions were present and as the level descended these were to be contended with when seining was attempted. Net collections were made with gill nets. These nets were usually 14 inch square mesh nets 100 feet long and 8 feet deep. Some 2 inch and 3 inch square mesh nets were used but the majority of the nets were of the smaller size. These nets were set at stations established during the previous segments but the changes in water level forces the net stations to be shifted. The middle one-half of the lake was netted as this area was the most accessible and provided habitats similar to those found at either extremity. This area is also the most heavily fished. The specimens taken were weighed and measured to provide comparative data and field analysis of the stomachs were made to determine food habits. These specimens were examined to detect the presence of parasites or disease. The data taken was recorded on forms devised for that purpose and taken to the laboratory for further processing. DISCUSSION The checklist of species from Possum Kingdom Lake, (Table 1), includes thirty- six species. Two of these species are generally confined to marine habitats. The Rio Grande tetra and striped mullet were introduced by bait dealers and have not become established as yet. There is some evidence that the striped mullet have been able to survive since the first record was made in 1954 when two specimens were taken by contract fishermen. These fish weighed over ten pounds as did the last record which was taken by contract fisherman, H. L. Moon in February 1956. This specimen weighed twelve pounds. The Rio Grnade tetra has not appeared in collections since 1954 and are presumed to be unable to adapt to the lower temperatures of this region. The fluctuations of the water level made seiningat the eleven seining beaches (Map 1) rather difficult. Stations 6, 10, and 11 were usable and collections at these totaled 251 specimens (Table 2). The smaller sunfishes made up the bulk of these collections. Except for Station 10 they were the most predominant group in the catch. --- Page 3 --- The sunfish group provided 170 specimens or 68 percent while the two species of Notropis made up 19 percent along with largemouth bass which were the fifth most numerous species with 10 percent of the total. The net collections provided some rather interesting comparisons. Table 3 presents the comparative data on the catch as far as rough fish and game fish are concerned. A total of 2,086 specimens were taken, weighing 1,316.69 pounds. Rough fish made up 84.65 percent of this number and 84.51 percent of the total weight. The average weight of the rough fish was .63 pounds and of the game fish was .64 pounds. These fish were taken in overnight sets of gill nets at the twelve net stations established in the central portion of the lake (Map 2). All of these stations could not be used on each netting trips as the fluctuations of the water level left some of them in water too shallow for netting at times and made others unprofitable when the water became to deep. There were some stations that could be used by moving in or out as the water level changed. The data presented in Table 4 shows the results of the netting in terms of fish taken per 100 feet of gill net set overnight in Possum Kingdom Lake. The variations in the catch for the different months of the netting period is shown. The 87 net sets totaled 8,750 feet of net and took 2,086 fish weighing 1,316.69 pounds. The best catches from the standpoint of numbers taken per 100 feet of net were made in November, March, and July when 55.25, 44.88, and 32.33 fish were taken respectively. The weights varied from month to month and February with only 24.13 fish per 100 feet of net provided 21.41 pounds to follow the January total of 36.86 pounds. March and July produced 21.14 ana 21-25 pounds respectively. The June catch was lowest in both number and weight with 6.38 fish weighing 5.16 pounds per 100 feet of net. The catch is further broken down in Table 10 to show the number of each species taken per month per 100 feet of gill net. Gizzard shad dominated the catch each month with November and March providing the greatest average catch with 48.25 and 36.75 specimens per 100 feet of gill net. The average for the entire period was 18.81 shad while the bluegill sunfish made a rather poor second with 1.1 specimens per 100 feet of net. The highest bluegill catch was in May when 3.62 were taken per 100 feet of net and November and March with 2.13 and 2.5 respectively. The length, weight, and coefficient of condition for each species taken in the gill nets are presented in Table 5 and show some change from the previous two segments. The average lengths and weights of the various species are compared in Table 16. The average length and weight of these fish generally rose in the 1954 - 1955 period when the lake filled after a prolonged period of low water. This condition was reversed in the 1955 - 1956 period when a declining lake level tended to reduce the growth rate appreciably. There were notable exceptions to this, however, for gizzard shad, large~ mouth bass, and white crappie showed an increase in average length and weight each period while yellowbelly sunfish increased in average length but had a loss of average weight. The gain experienced by the gizzard shad was very pronounced since the 1,646 specimens taken in the 1955 - 1956 segment exceeded the total of the otler two segments by 122 fish. The average gain in length was 13 millimeters and in weight was 84 grams. ‘The gain was less pronounced in the largemouth bass and white crappie. The 1,646 gizzard shad made up 78.9 percent of the total catch (Tables 6 - 7) while 96 bluegills and 76 channel catfish comprised 4.6 and 3.64 percent, respectively. In Tables 8 and 9 the dominance of gizzard shad, in the population of Possum Kingdom ake, is quite apparent. Although this is a comparatively small species, 812.2 pounds or 62.2 percent of the total weight were shad. The larger species such as longnose gar, viver carpsucker and channel catfish provided 10.9, 7.2 and 5.7 percent respectively. Largemouth bass were rather low in number but constituted 4.1 percent of the total weight. --- Page 4 --- 4, The stomachs of the majority of fish taken in the gill nets were empty but of the 138 that contained food, 72.6 percent contained algae (Table 11). The 50 sunfish that had fed on algae represented 89.2 percent of the total and of the 53 channel catfish, 45 or 84.9 percent had consumed algae. White bass proved to be primarily feeding upon fish since 50 percent had eaten unidentifiable fish and 37.5 percent had eaten shad. Largemouth bass also preferred fish since 50 percent contained shad and 30 percent had eaten fish that were unidentifiable. White crappie fed largely on fish as 63.6 percent contained unidentifiable fish remains while 27.3 percent had consumed algae. Stocking records are available for Possum Kingdom since 1945 (Table 12). The original stocking was made in 1941 but the fish were planted by more than one hatchery and exact figures have not been available to the writer. The bulk of the stocking has been bass fry. A total of 15,179,002 bass have been planted since 1945 along with 339,000 sunfish, 142,050 channel catfish, 35,000 white crappie, and 10,000 warmouth bass. The 1956 stocking was limited to 44,000 sunfish and 5,400 channel catfish since the 1955 spawn of bass and crappie appeared to be more than ample. The presence of natural salt deposits together with saltwater from oil produc- tion above Possum Kingdom Lake are of some concern to those using or planning to use the water from this lake. Table 13 presents monthly data as reported by the U. S. Geolog- ical Survey from their analysis of the water released from Possum Kingdom Dam. Consider- able fluctuation in the concentration of various elements is noted but as yet the only mortality has occurred on the river above the lake when excessive salinity in a pool above a small retention dam was observed. Chemical data is available from the publica- tions of the U. S. Geological Survey for 1952, 1953, 1954, and 1956 but data on 1955 was not available to the writer. Table 18 presents such comparative data as is at hand and it will be noted that 1953 and 1956 were periods of highest concentration of the chemicals present. These periods of concentration are also the periods of low rainfall on the watershed. This lack of rainfall reduces the dilution of salinity and other mineral content of the effluent from the natural salt deposits and salt pits in the oil fields along the Clear Fork and Salt Fork of the Brazos above the lake. The three segments covered by this project reflect the complete cycle of lake levels. The 1953 - 1954 segment was a period of low water while the lake filled and remained at a High level during the 1954 - 1955 segment and dropped to a low level during the 1955 - 1956 segment. Table 14 presents a comparison of the results of seine collec- tions made during each of the three segments covered by the project. The 1953 - 1954 segment was highly productive of forage species with 85.1 percent of the total being species that provide considerable food for the bass, sunfish and catfish as well as other predacious species. The 1954 - 1955 seine collections were composed of 36 percent forage species and 64 percent game fish. Largemouth bass made up 18.7 percent of the game fish with the remaining 45.3 percent sunfish, largely bluegill and yellowbelly. The 1955 - 1956 collection was composed of an even smaller percentage of forage species since 78.1 percent were game fish. Only 10.4 percent were largemouth bass and the majority of the remaining game fish was divided between three species of sunfish. The bluegill, yellowbelly, and redear sunfish provided 37.4, 18.7 and 10.8 percent of the total catch respectively. The increase in the catch of redear sunfish is of importance because this species was introduced into Possum Kingdom in the fall of 1951 and is beginning to show in increasing numbers in the catch of the fishermen. A comparison of the catch of rough fish and game fish for the three segments is presented in Table 15. The 1954 - 1955 segment provided the smaller number of speci- mens but the greater weight. The 1955 - 1956 segment provided the greatest number of --- Page 5 --- specimens but the predominance of gizzard shad in the catch reduced the total weight to lower of the three segments. The percentage of rough fish both by weight and number showed a rather regular increase from segment to segment. Table 17 offers comparative data on species distribution by weight and percen- tage for the three segments covered by this study. Gizzard shad made up 21.86 percent of the total net catch in the 1953 - 1954 segment but increased to 30.99 percent in 195) - 1955 and to 62.2 percent in the 1955 - 1956 segment. A similar increase was noted for the redear sunfish, but the longnose gar, smallmouth buffalo, white bass, and drum suffered a decrease in percentage. The decrease of the smallmouth buffalo was quite significant Since an examination of data collected drom the contract netters reports reveals that the catch ofthis species declined from 1.33 pounds per surface acre-per month in 1954 to 1.18 pounds in 1955 and 1.08 pounds in 1956. The other species did not show a consistent loss or gain from segment to segment. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. The increase of rough fish in the catch both by number and weight indicates a need for better rough: fish control methods. 2. The dominance of gizzard shad is more pronounced in each succeeding segment. This species is controlled very little by the contract netting operation since there is no market for them. A selective kill of shad could serve a useful purpose, but would be quite expensive. Prepared by _ Leonard D. Lamb Approved by , PF apeadaprad 8 protts te = Project Leader Chief Aquatic Biologist Date March 27, 1957 --- Page 6 --- 6. Map. 1. Seine Collection Stations on Possum Kingdom Lake. nn = O = #1 --- Seine Station --- Page 7 --- 7. Map 2. Netting Stations on Possum Kingdom Lake. EL A CL ze Y #7 #1. --- Gill Net Stations --- Page 8 --- B.. Table 1. Checklist of Fishes from Possum Kingdom Lake, June 1, 1953 through October 31, 1956. Scientific Name Common Name Lepisosteus platostomus Lepisosteus productus Lepisosteus osseus Dorosoma cepedianum Carpiodes carpio Ictiobus bubalus Moxostoma congestum Cyprinus carpio Notropis oxyrhynchus Notropis fumeus ~ Notropis umbratilis Notropis venustus Notropis lutrensis Notropis deliciosus Notropis atrocaudalis Pimephales vigilax Ictalurus punctatus Ictalurus natalis Pylodictus olivaris Fundulus notatus Gambusia affinis Roccus chrysops Micropterus punctulatus Micropterus salmoides Chaenobryttus gulosus Lepomis cyanellus Lepomis punctatus Lepomis microlophus Lepomis macrochirus Lepomis auritus Pomoxis annularis Pomoxis nigromaculatus Percina caprodes Aplodinotus grunniens Astyanax fasciatus * Mugil cephalus shortnose gar spotted gar longnose gar gizzard shad river carpsucker smallmouth buffalo gray redhorse Buropean carp sharpnose shiner ribbon shiner redfin shiner blacktail shiner Plains red shiner Southern sand shiner spottail shiner parrot minnow channel catfish yellow bullhead flathead catfish plackstripe topminnow mosquitofish white bass spotted bass largemouth black bass warmouth green sunfish spotted sunfish redear sunfish bluegill sunfish yellowbelly sunfish white crappie black crappie logperch freshwater drum Rio Grande tetra striped mullet * Note - This species is a marine form that has probably been introduced by bait dealers. --- Page 9 --- Table 2. Species of Fishes Collected by Seining, from Possum Kingdom, by Number of each Species taken at each Seining Station, November 1, 1955 - October 31, 1956. eee Fish Species Station 6 Station 10 Station 11 Total I Dorosoma cepedianum 6) 0 L d; Ictiobus bubalus ie) 0 1 1 Notropis venustus 2h 12 ) 36 Notropis lutrensis 10) 12 0) 12 Pimephales vigilax 2 6) 0) 2 Fundulus notatus ; (©) 0 1 1 Gambusia affinis 0) 0 2 2 Micropterus salmoides 2 @) oh 26 Lepomis punctatus 1 0 O 1 Lepomis cyanellus fe) 1 6) 1 Lepomis microlophus 2 0) 25 27 Lepomis macrochirus 5h ) xe) Oh fo) fe) A7 LT Lepomis auritus - Total 141 251 eee (es) Ni nN wi --- Page 10 --- 10. Table 3. A Comparison of Game and Rough Species Caught in Gill Nets from Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, November 1, 1955 - October 31, 1956. * Total Number Specimens Caught 2,086 Total Weight Specimens Caught (Pounds) 1,316.69 Average Weight Per Specimen (Pounds) .6312 Total Weight of Rough Fish (Pounds) 1,112.75 Total Weight of Game Fish (Pounds) 203.94 Total Number of Rough Fish 1,766 Total Number of Game Fish 320 Average Weight Per Rough Fish (Pounds) .63 Average Weight Per Game Fish (Pounds) 64 Percent Rough Fish (by Weight) 84.51 Percent Game Fish (by Weight) 15.48 Percent Rough Fish (by Number) 84.65 Percent Game Fish (by Number) 15.34 * All catfish included in game fish. --- Page 11 --- di Table 4. Success of Gill Netting at Possum Kingdom Lake in Terms of Number and Pounds of Fish Caught, November 1, 1955 - October 31, 1956. eee Month No. of No. Ft. No. Fish No. Lbs. Fish Avg. No. Avg. No. Avg. No. Avg. No. Net Sets Net Sets Caught Caught Fish Fish Per Lbs. Fish Pounds Fish Per Net 100' Net Per Net Per 100! ee November 8 800 he 294.90 55.25 55.25 36.86 36.86 December 6 600 72 52.87 12.00 12.00 8.81 8.81 January 8 800 109 66.75 13.63 13.63 8.34 8.34 February 8 800 193 171.26 2h 13 24.13 21.41 21.41 March 8 800 359 169.12 hh 88 Lh, 88 21d 21.14 April 8 800 191 125.23 23.88 23.88 15.65 15.65 May 10 1050 157 131.71 15.70 1h .95 13.17 12.54 June 8 800 51 41.28 6.38 6.38 5 16 5.16 July 3 300 97 63.75 32 .33 32.33 21.25 21.25 August 6 600 91 55.75 15817 15.17 9.29 9.29 September 8 800 163 97-81 20.38 20.38 12.23 12.23 October 6 600 161 100.26 26.83 26.83 16.71 16.71 eee Totals 87 8,750 2,086 1,316.69 oo Monthly Avg. 23.98 23.84 15.14 15.05 --- Page 12 --- Table 5. Length, Weight, and Coefficient of Condition of Fish Collected by Gill Nets from Possum Kingdom Lake November 1, 1955 - October 31, 1956. ; td. (mm em. em Species Total No. Length Range Length Av. Weight Range Weight Av. K Range K Average. L. productus 19 hus - 610 518 624 -1531 680 56-64 60 L. osseus 36 470 -1100 769 652 -6265 1918 47-63 055 D. cepedianun 1,646 180 - 290 235 160 - 482 321 1.9 -2.7 2.3 IT. bubalus 6 220 - 402 300 280 -22h0 1030 2.6. -3.4 3.2 C. carpio 54 200 - 350 275 205 -1106 655 2.5 -2.6 2.5 Cy. carpio 3 220 - 255 2he 265 - 380 338 2.4 -2.5 2.4 I. punctatus 76 225 - 460 293 115 -1843 43 1.3 -2.13 i.7 P. olivaris 1 320 - 320 320 510 - 510 510 1.57-1.57 1.57 R. chrysops 30 180 - 300 240 200 - 709 451 2.6 -3.5 3.0. M. salmoides 38 180 - 480 28h 102 -3289 678 1.55-3.4 2.37 C. doronarius 3 170 - 175 173 159 - 177 171 3.23-3.40 3.29 L. microlophus 14 125 - 180 152 65 - 180 118 2.9 -3.9 3.30 L. macrochirus 96 100 - 160 130 20-1ho - 80 3.0 =3.45 3.23 L. auritus 12 130 - 156 139 82 - 126 101 3.23-4..60 3.92 P. annularis 47 130 - 253 192 55 = 45 235 2.5 -2.83 2.67 P. nigromaculatus 3 170 - 180 175 128 - 139 134 2.2 -2.9 2.52 A. grunniens 2 230 - 230 230 235 - 2ho 238 1.95-1.95 1.95 --- Page 13 --- 13. Table 6. Species Distribution in Net Catch by Number in Possum Kingdom Lake, November 1, 1955 - October 3L, 1956. nee Species November December January February March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Total er L. productus 1 1 0 fe) y 5 6 1 0 0 0 1 19 L. osseus 1 0 0 0 1 3 13 4 5 3 2 4 36 D. cepedianum 386 61 68 177 29h 132 66 33 Bh 77 132 136 1646 i. bubalus 1 fo) @) fe) 2 2 fe) fe) 6) 0) fo) 1 6 C. carpio 9 fe) 4 3 5 13 17 2 ) ) @) a 5h Cy. carpio ) 0 0 O fo) 2 1 fe) 0 fe) 6) @) 3 I. punctatus 3 1 26 9 5 0 ) 4 4 6 12 6 76 P. olivaris e) fe) 0 0 0 fe) 0 fe) O e) e) L - R. chrysops 2 1 4 1 if @) 1 @) 2 3 10 2 30 M. salmoides 11 7 2 2 6 S 5 fo) @) 1 0) 2 38 C. gulosus 0 ) O 0 0 3 O ) O 0 0 0 3 L. microlophus 2 fo) 0 1 4 fo) 6 = 0 0 9) oO 14 L. macrochirus 17 1 5 0 20 6 38 6 2 1 0 0 96 L. auritus © fo) ©) ) 0 11 1 @) 0 fo) ) 0) 12 P. annularis 9 0 ) 0 10 12 3 0 0 ) 7 6 47 P. nigromaculatus 0 fe) e) 0 3 ie) e) 0 0 0 fe) 0 3 A. grunniens @) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 @) ©) ©) 1 2 ha 109 193 359 191 157 163 161 2,086 eee =) co) B ~] Ny) WI bh No) —~ ‘9 --- Page 14 --- TeyOL 00° OOT 00° OOT 00° OOT 00° OOT 00° OOT 00° OOT Petrol re 'B sn4 tine Ssnityooroeu °* 7 Sue TUuUtLI sn1e TNoswoistTu Stie Thu Bp Q 3 pat 1,9 E a owl 0°0 0°O 0°S Oo < Oro Oo FO 0°0 0°0 0°O OFO 0°0O 0°O 0°0 i o ° OOu 0°O 0°O 00 of ou B MOoonr oO NWIW O OW ONO 0°O saad iG aa 18/2122 |e leis |g a aceite O};a be c we 42) be OS a Q fe) a gi ° snjonpoid < oO Kg oO Qu > F oO oN o °o o oO . 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Fala Thu sny}e[noewlors tu STIe T Sus TuUunt 00°0 00°0O ec°O 00°0 00°0O 00°0 00°0 00°0 00°0 00° 0 00° 0 00° 0 00°0 00°0O 88°O LT°0 00°0 00° T © 12 15 15 [03 | 12.10, * lealalelo c p> fo, 5° ine el@lislolals rf 4 g ols B15 Rt S13 o 5. t1O]olalSlalslakdiele are l& SIQIFISIRIOTRIDPIFElolelelalo aAISIO|nla Bl ct n]o ct Be lets ee Se 5 nin OQDWODDDOCOOFODFO FPAVUOFFOOHFENONNDYU ONMNNODOCDCOON OO F-] SCOCOCOOOCOOOOroO°O SGAKrPOWDVVWWOVUONOKHUE OMWOODOOO OWN Ow Ow nM DOODOCCOOFCOO@MEHO oo 8@ e@ 8® 8© © &@ © e@ 8 & © @ ONDVWONQWWODDAONO OADCONOWOOOOT50 ed OOCOOCOOrFCOONOSO OQFrFOOrRPWOODODOO MUO ONDONCOCOCADOWOSO | od COCDCOOFOKHFOCOONOCO 2eeegoaonogoyvcodouno (ORO ORORORC RO RORORORORORG Ke) Wy, OCOOCVDODDOFODOONOCO QDWODQWWHOOHKEFAQH PDO OWWAO OANA AA SCS9S9SHODD0D0000BOO BE OEwSRODO@EN NWEFODNWWFRPAWMAPERN HSI oll) lal ol eles saTtoodg SJ°N .OOT °ON S°OT I3QO79O 9 Te LO, G°LE ° (penutzu99) °OT eTqey, ° TS --- Page 22 --- Table ll. Frequency of Occurrence of Food Organisms from Stomachs of Fish taken in Gill Nets, from Posswn Kingdom Lake, November 1, 1955 - October 31, 1956. eee Bood Items Algae Maize Grasshopper -Beetles ‘Bugs -Shad . Sunfish Fish Remains Total Species No. % No. % No. v No. %, No..-%4 No. &@ No. % No. % No. % neem Channel Cat 45 OhA.Q 1.9 2 3.8 0 0.0 0.0.0 3 5.6 1 1.9 2 1.9 .°53 100.0 White Bass 1 12.5 0 0.0 O 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 37.5 0 0.0 4 50.0 8 100.0. L. M. Bass 1 10.0 0O 0.0 O 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 110.0 5 50.0 3 30.0 10 100.0 Sunfish 50 89.2 0 0.0 O 0.0 h 7.2 2 3.6 0 0.0 0 0.0 O 0.0 56 100.0 White Crappie 3 27.3 0 0.0 O 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 9.1 0 0.0 7 63.6 11 100.0 Totals 100 1 2 4 2 8 ES shel. 138 Averages 72.6 0.7 1h 2.9 1.4 5.8 Ly 10.9 100.0 --- Page 23 --- 23. Table 12. Stocking of Fish In Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, Since 1915. eee SPECIES PLANTED Year Bass White Crappie Black Crappie Channel Catfish Warmouth Sunfish Total 1945 2,190,000 2,190,000 1946 1,934,000 1,934,000 1947 3,665,000 35,000 51,500 10,000 265,000 4,026,500 1948 2,023,000 7,000 2,030,000 19h9 200,000 200,000 1950 2,200, 000 2,200, 000 1951 205,950 38,150 30,000 274,000 L952 235,497 235,197 1953 970,555 970,555 1954. 754,000 754,000 1955 701,000 40,000 741,000 1956 5,400 hh. ,O00 49,400 eee Totals 15,079,002 35,000 142,050 10,000 339,000 15,605,052 eee --- Page 24 --- Table 13. Monthly Variations in Chemical Content of Brazos River Water at Possum Kingdom Dam From January 1, 1956 - October 31, 1956. x LL CC CL OE CL LCCC LL nnn h-npernn-cenesenessnsngeneners qunmereseonens Month January February March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Average Parts per million ppm ppm ppm pen = ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm. ppm. ppm Silica (Si02) 13 9.6 12 10 10 i 9.6 10 11 12 11 Calcium (Ca) 266 234 212 189 184 183 185 203 214 219 209 Magnesium (Mg) 4O 30 32 28 26 23 oT 30 32 30 30 Sodium+Potassium (Na#K) (Calculated) 620 511 458 374 340 359 379 Bh 515 501 hho Bicarbonate (HCO3) 128 T20 117 109 112 116 118 122 129 128 120 Sulfate (SO4) 660 581 550 4.3) 452 hho 465 466 530 518 516 Chloride (C1) 980 790 700 572 525 545 578 700 800 790 698 Nitrate (No3) 1.3 0.8 0.9 0.8 3.2 1.2 0.8 0.7 1.2 0.8 1.2 Dissolved solids 2640 2220 2050 1710 1750 1630 1700 1900 2170 2130 1999 Specific conductance (Micromhos at 25° C.) 4230 3570 3220 2770 264.0 2650 2780 3110 3440 3430 3184 Total hardness as CaC03 828 708 660 586 566 551. 572 630 666 670 6h Non-Carbonate hardness 723 609 564 LOT Lyi 456 476 530 560 565° KS pH 7.8 7.8 ros TO 15 7.6 fof 15 Te5 TG 6, Percent sodium 62 61 60 58 ST 59 59 60 63 62 60 * Analyzed by U. 8S. Geological Survey. --- Page 25 --- 25. Table 14. Results of Seining Collections by Number and Percent of each Species taken from Possum Kingdom Lake, by Seining During the Period June 1, 1953 - October 31, 1956. Species 1953-54 1954-55 1955-56 Total No. No. No. - No. i.) = Oo Dorosoma cepedianum Astyanax fasciatus ictiobus bubalus Carpiodes carpio Notropis oxyrhynchus Notropis fumeus Notropis umbratilis Notropis venustus Notropis lutrensis 501 Notropis deliciosus 0 Notropis atrocaudalis 0 Pimephales vigilax 62 Fundulus notatus i) Gambusia affinis 18 Micropterus salmoides108 Lepomis cyanellus L Lepomis punctatus 6) Lepomis microlophus 1 Lepomis macrochirus 3 0) Lepomis auritus fe) 129 176 7.54 Percina caprodes ) 2 2 0.08 eee Totals gh2 «100.0 1,142 100.0 251 100.00 2,335 100.0 eS e HPIUOCOKONWO ° MWRHOHOO ° 4 HOANOCOOKFONO PPWRreEDnD to © be k hk FOOOCO0O0O0 292 12.51 670 28.69 12 0.52 63 2.70 101 4,33 h 0.17 61 2.61 347 14.86 4 O.17 SY 1.59 98 4.20 hok 17-30 wanes) NONCODOCOFOFH e wn BDBFOKHOOO0O0O bt AS) =<] = WDBFONDCOOOOH DMWODO0O0 FOE ° ° ° ° Ve) pa Ww im xed e COMHPOHPWWOROOhNW i be ° NRFPRPOANEFNDWOO ne) ON FOFFFOFOO e Powe ~ SCMONISCCODCDCOOCOF ye) F fo OP FAWO OW OWUH * KH POWOCOPHOMOoO MWUEMMAIAWNWHOUDO ote --- Page 26 --- 26. Table 15. A Comparison of Game and Rough Species Caught in Gill Nets from Possum Kingdom Lake, June 1, 1953 to October 31, 1956.* a 1953-54 1954-55 1955-56 Total Total No. of Species Caught 1,516 1,467 2,086 5,069 Total Wt. of Specimens Caught 1,497.45 1,518.52 1,316.69 4, 332.66 Average Wt. per Specimen (1bs.) 0.99 1.04 0.63 ~ 0.85 Total Wt. of Rough Fish 1,143.81 1,205.54 1,112.75 3,462.10 Total Wt. of Game Fish 354.64 312.98 203.94 870.56 Total No. of Game Fish val 420 320 1,213 Total No. of Rough Fish 1,045 1,043 1,766 3,854 Average Wt. Per Rough Fish 1.09 1.06 0.63 0.90 Average Wt. Per Game Fish 0.75 0.74 0.64 0.72 Percent Rough Fish (by wt.) 76.38 79.39 84.51 80 .00 Percent Game Fish (by wt.) 23.62 20.61 15.48 20.00 Percent Rough Fish (by No.) 68.94 TL.1T 84.65 76.00 Percent Game Fish (by No.) 31.06 28.83 15.34 2k .00 a * - Drum and catfish included in game fish. --- Page 27 --- Table 16. Comparison of Average Lengths and Weights of the Species Taken from Possum Kingdom Lake from June Ls 1953 to October 31, 1956. Total Number Taken Average Length (MM) Average Weight {GM) 1953- 1954- 1955- 1953- 1954- = 1955. 1953- 195h- 1955- 1954 1955 1956 1954 1955 1956 1954 1955 1956 Lepisosteus productus 10 9 19 530 518 522 976 680 Lepisosteus osseus 90 52 36 786 769 1348 2059 1918 Dorosoma cepedianum 729 795 1646 220 222 235 207 237 321 Ictiobus bubalus 160 96 6 349 348 300 1238 1503 1030 Carpiodes carpio 36 = 80 5h 289 293 275 645 72h 655 Cyprinus carpio 19 23 3 250 316 2he 4.87 882 338 Ictalurus punctatus 77 56 76 325 352 293 624 913 Ag Pylodictus olivaris 1. 1 1 4.06 410 320 1063-1021 510 Roccus_chrysops 126 31 30 2h3 266 2ho 388 pa OL Micropterus punctulatus 6) 1 6) 300 Micropterus salmoides 59 «75 38 261 280 284 456 627 678 Chaenobryttus gulosus ) 2 3 166 173 158 171 Lepomis microlophus 4h 16 14 149 133 152 95 98 118 Lepomis macrochirus 32 = hg 96 114 148 130 70 112 80 Lepomis auritus 9 1 12 134 138 139 108 111 101 Pomoxis annularis 75 ho 7 187 187 192 175 185 235 Pomoxis nigromaculatus ) 3 3 173 175 189 134 Aplodinotus grunniens 87 17 2 197 196 230 179 170 238 eee --- Page 28 --- oP Table 17. Comparison of Species Distribution, by Weight and Percentage of the Species taken from Possum : Kingdom Lake from June 1, 1953 to October 31, 1956. I Species Weight in Pounds Percentage of Catch 4 1955-56 1953-54 1954-55 1955-56 Lepisosteus productus 11.50 14.31 36.12 O.T7 0.95 2.7 Lepisosteus osseus 267.61 229.93 143.96 17.89 15.19 10.9 Dorosoma cepedianum 327-40 68.91 812.20 21.86 30.99 62.2 Ictiobus bubalus 47.62 315.14 16.06 29.90 20.82 1.2 Carpiodes carpio 65.13 116.97 95.12 4.35 7-73 7.2 Cyprinus carpio 2h 655 48.59 2.24 1.63 3.21 0.2 Ictalurus punctatus 99.86 109.05 75 48 6.66 7.21 BT Pylodictus olivaris 2.34 2.25 1.13 0.15 0.15 0.1 Roccus_chrysops 134.16 33.45 23.02 7.62 2.21 asf Micropterus punctulatus 0.00 1.50 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.0 Micropterus salmoides 62 4b 103.47 53.97 4 17 6.84 a Chaenobryttus gulosus 0.00 0.68 1.13 0.00 0.04 0.1 Lepomis microlophus 2.05 434 3.83 0.14 0.29 0.3 Lepomis macrochirus 3.72 37.10 23.46 0.28 2.45 1.8 Lepomis auritus 3.11 3.06 2.57 0.20 0.20 0.2 Pomoxis annularis 27.66 16.82 18.47 1.85 1.11 1.4 Pomoxis nigromaculatus 0.00 1.26 0.88 0.00 0.08 O.1 Aplodinotus grunniens 38.30 6.50 1.05 2.55 0.43 O.1 enna Total 1h9O7 45 1513.33 1316.69 100.00 100.00 100.00 NN — ee --- Page 29 --- 29. Table 18. Comparison of Average Annual Variations in the Chemical Conten Possum Kingdom Dam for 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1956. * t of Brazos River Water at I Year 1952 1953 1954 1956 Parts per million ppm ppm ppm ppm suse (G06) SSS Silica (Si02) 13 13 11 Calcium (Ca) 135 152 118 209 Magnesium (Mg) 23 29 18 30 Sodium and Potassium (Na*k) (Calculated) 331 388 289 khg Bicarbonate (HCO3) 12h 130 113 120 Sulfate (SO) 295 322 ahs 516 Chloride (C1) 527 636 460 698 Nitrate (No3) 1.5 1.0 1.3 1.2 Dissolved Solids 1390 1610 1200 1999 Specific Conductance (Micromhos at 25°C.) 2h10 2770 2100 3164 Total Hardness as CaC03 4302 498 368 6h Non-Carbonate Hardness 330 392 276 SL5 pH 7-6 7.6 Tel 7.6 Percent Sodium 63 63 63 60 een * ~ Data for 1955 has not been published and was not available to this writer. Te