TPWD 1955 F-2-R-2 #173: Inventory of the species present and their distribution in those portions of the San Gabriel River and Brushy Creek within Region 6-E

STATE _ Texas _ PROJECT F~2uRm2, Job Bmlo PERIOD gone 1, 1955 to Nov. 30. 1955 Job Completion Report -w fl n,i§ by Billy D. Cooper TITLE Inventory of the species present and their distribution in those portions of the San_Gabriel River and Brushy Creek within Region 6~E, which were not covered in JOb B37, Project Fm2mle. OBJECTIVES To continue andcmmpbte the study of the rivers begun under Job BwT, Project Fmele. METHODS Seine and rotenone collections were made in the following waters of Burnet and Milam Counties; the North San Gabriel River in Burnet County, six collections; The San Gabriel River in Milan County, four collections; Brushy Creek in Milan Counm ty, two collections. (See Table l and the appended map for location of stations.) All seine collections were made with 6‘ x h? and 10' x h“ common sense seines and/or with a 26? X 6’ bag seine with %“ mesh. ' Seining collections were made at stations one, three, four, five, six and . seven on the North San Gabriel River in Burnet County and at stationaeight and elevw "en on the San Gabriel in Milan County. Rotenone collections were made at stations eight and eleven on the San Gabe riel River and thirteen and fourteen on Brushy Creek.in Milam County. Seine and rotenone specimens were taken to the laboratory for identification and counting after preservation with ten percent formalin. Large rotenone'specimens were identified and counted in the field. Thermal, chemical and ecological data were recorded for each station in conm junction with Job Ash, Project Fm2-R~2. FINDINGS The coMbined streams yielded a total of 33 species representing nine famiu lies. A total of 12 species were taken in the North San Gabriel River in Burnet county, 32 species were taken in the San Gabriel River_in Milan County, and 18 spec~ ies were collected in the Brushy Creek in Milan County. Table II shows a breakdown by species of the specimens collected by seining. Table :11 gives the percentages and numbers of each species taken in two rotenone collectbns from each stream. A list showing the distribution of the species collected during the study has not been included since the study area is small and the work done is merely a continuation of the work began under Job Bm7, Project F-EuRul. :"\ " c: . Seining collections in the North San Gabriel River, in Burnet County, prom duced 12 species of fishes. The fishes most abundant and most widely distributed were the red shiner, blacktail shiner and the longear sunfish. The green sunfish, largemouth black bass, spotted bass and the stoneroller were taken in onemhalf or more of the collections but were limited in number. The bluegill sunfish, orangew throat darter, mosquitofish, parrot minnow and mimic shiner were fishes taken in only one collection. Scarcity of water in the Sanéhbriel River in Milan County limited collecm tions to two locations. These areas were first seined and later treated with rotenone. A total of 10 species were taken by seining in the first collection while 28 species were later collected with rotenone. The most abundant species were the: longear sunfish, tadpole madtom, blach'bullhead, ghost shiner and the red Shiner. Those fish next in order of abundance were the: blacktail shiner, parrot minnow, channel catfish and the river carpsucker. Collection stations on Brushy Creek were dry or had very little water when first visited and could not be collected. After a rain the stations were again visited and two of them were treated with rotenone. The creek was not rune ning buttmierwaspmesent in the larger pools. A total of 18 species were collects ed from two stations using the rotenone. The presence of channel catfish in the collections might indicate that a repopulation of the stream section occured from downstream since no catfish were taken from upstream collections. (Job BmT, Projm ect Fm2me1.) This occurrence could be explained in that the catfish were more resistant to turbid conditions following a rain and could move into an area that other fishes could not tolerate. The remainder of the fish population might ease ily have'existed in the very shallow pools along the stream before the rain. No ecological preference of the fishes could be noted since all fish were restricted to shallow or medium depth pools at all collection stations. 'SUMMARY 1. The field work of this job was done in conjunction with Job Amt and is a continuation of Job BmT, Project F~2mel. 2. A total of two collections were made on Brushy Creek, Milam County, six collections on the North San Gabriel River in Burnet County and four collections on the San Sabriel River in Milam County. 3. The distribution.breakdown is as follows: Brushy Creek, 18 species, 7 families North San Gabriel, 12 species, h families San Gabriel, 32 species, 9 families' A. No ecological distribution of the fishes found in the streams could be :noted since all fish were restricted to shallow or medium depth pools. Table 1 North San Gabriel River (Burnet County) ' "“ ”“ “ T“' “”' Station No. Location 1. Russell Fork North San Gabriel, 6 mi. NE Bertram 2. Russell Fork North san Gabriel, 5 mi. N Burnet on Farm Road 963. 3. North San Gabriel River, 5 mi. SE Lake Victor A. North San Gabriel River 3 mi. NNW Tamega 5 North San Gabriel River, crossing at Joppa 6 Russell Fork North San Gabriel, 2 mi. 8 Joppa 7 North San Gabriel River, A mi. SW Mahomet on Farm Road 2H3 San Gabriel River (Milam County) , . Station No. Location 8. %~mi. S town San Gabriel on Farm Road #86 9. 6 mi. SE town San Gabriel on county road' 10. 7 mi. NW Rockdale on county road 11. 6 mi. N Rockdale on Farm Road #87 Brushy Creek (Milan County) Station No. Location 12. 1 mi. E Thorndale on Texas Highway 79 13. 6 mi. E Thorndale on county road 1h. 5 mi. NW Rockdale on county road Locations of survey stations used during study period under Job B-lO, Project_Fm2~R-2, Basic Survey of the Remaining Portions of the San Gabriel River and Brushy Creek within Region 6-B, Which Were Not COvered in Job B—7, Project Fm2gfim. L. E; F: kn ya no PU F3 Et“ “3 Species Eroductus venustus . lutrensis . volucellus . Vigilax . anomalum . notatus . affinis . punctulatus . salmoides . megalotis . cyanellus . spectabile . macrochirus . scierus . Eromelas Total 1 9 Stations 1 3 h 5 6 7 9 57 21 12 37 l” 3 8 3h 2 l 6 13 13 2h 52 l 3 A Table ll. 2 7 6 Table 11. .To- 't of tal Total ' 99 26 259 63 16.710 8 2.122 3h 9 018 16 4.2uu 2 0.530 10 2.652 12 3.183 11h 30.238 13 3.uus 2. 0.530 t 1.061 377 99-995 Station 8 11 62 1 22 l 176 3 'To- tal 23 35 179 Seining Collections North San Gabriel River, Burnet County and San Gabriel River, Milan County. JOb B-lO Project F~2nR-2, June Through November 1959. 0.558 35.195 12.889 0.558 21.229 3.910 l9~553 3.910 1.675 0.558 11___l______11_l__l__1________l__________________1___________________1_____________. 18 30 67 1&0 99 23 ..mmfl_l.______l_l_______l____ll______l___l_n_._____l____.___oom_____.fl______uw__.. 99°995 5. Table 111 San Gabriel River Brushy Creek“ Name of Species Number Percent Number Percent Lepisosteus platostomus 7 0.686 -- —~ Dorosoma cepedianum 5 0.h90 2h 1.758 Carpiodes carpio 37 3.627 6 0.839 beosto a congestum '2 0.196 -- -- Cyprinus carpio 1 0.098 2 0.1t6 Notropis venustus ha h.313 -~ -~ Notropis lutrensis 127 12.h50 186 10.695 Notropis volucellus h 0.392 —— «m Notropis buchanani 9% 9.215 -- _- Hybognathus nuchalis -w -- 1 0.073 ' Pimephales vigilax 70 6.682 56 u.102 Campostoma anomalum 30 2.981 -e -_ Ictalurus punctatus 53 5.196 5 0.366 Ameiurus melas 133 13.039 219 16.0h3 Ameiurus natalis 20 1.960 113 8.278 Pilodictus olivaris 5' 0.h9o 2 0.1u6 Schilbeodes gyrinus 92 9.019 22 1.611 Gambusia affinis 11 1.078 508 37.216 Micropterus punctulatus 9 0.882 ~~ _- .Micropterus salmoides 9 0.392 -- c- Chaenobryttus coronarius 18 1.768 10 0.732 Lepomis cyanellus 18, 1.769 92 6.739 Lepomis macrochirus 1h 1.372 8 0.293 Lepomis humilis_ 7 0.686 37 2.710 Lepomis megalotis 186 18.235 117 8.571 Hadropterus scierus 5 0.890 -m w- Eercina caprodes 10 0.980 -— mm EtheOstoma chlorosomum 1 0.098 1 0.073 Etheostoma spectabile. 9 0.882 m— we Aplodinotus grunniens h ..0.392 -~ mm 1:920 99-989 1:355 99-991 Table 111. 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