_Rotenone_
Rotenone was applied to an intermittent pool in 1957. In 1958 and 1959
rotenone was applied to the upper end of a pool and mixed by agitating
the water. The concentration in the pool was maintained by slowly
introducing part of the rotenone into the riffle at the head of the
pool. This was the most effective means of obtaining a large sample of
fish from the deeper, slowly flowing water of the upper Neosho. Pools in
which rotenone was used had areas of as much as one-half acre and depths
in excess of six feet.
_Shocker_
In 1959 the shocker was used extensively in several areas of the upper
Neosho. Because of the small size of the stream, "tennis-racket"
electrodes were used effectively by two men--one carrying the electrodes
and one picking up fish and placing them in a live-box. In fast water,
many fish floated into a seine placed across the lower end of the area.
A large segment of the population was collected in this manner. Areas in
which fish were collected by means of the shocker included riffles, and
pools having flowing water no more than three feet in maximum depth. The
bottom-type was usually gravel, rubble or bedrock, but a small amount of
mud bottom was present in many pools.
Because of the necessity of wading, we could not use the shocker
effectively in water more than three feet deep. In addition, turbidity
of the water prevented effective collection of stunned fish in the
deeper pools. Therefore, rotenone was more effective in deep water than
was the shocker. In shallow, swift riffles and pools, the shocker
yielded more reliable samples than did rotenone, because of difficulty
in maintaining adequate concentrations of rotenone where flow was swift.
The relative abundance of each species in the upper Neosho was
calculated from cumulative results obtained by use of the shocker in
seven areas in 1959. Population estimates were made by collecting fish
with the shocker, marking them by clipping fins or staining them in
Bismark Brown Y at a concentration of 1:20,000 (Deacon, 1961), returning
them to the stream, and making a second collection three hours (Areas 1
and 3) or 24 hours (Area 6) later. The same area was shocked again
within two to eight days. Collections throughout the one-half-mile
section yielded information on movement.
Changes in the Fauna at the Upper Neosho Station, 1957 Through 1959.
The following discussion is based principally on collections made with
rotenone in 1957, 1958 and 1959 (Table 12). Other supplementary data aid
in understanding the changes that occurred after the resumption of
normal flow at the upper Neosho station.
The population in 1957 was strongly dominated by black bullhead and
young-of-the-year channel catfish. Other common species were long-eared
sunfish, red shiner, yellow bullhead, orange-spotted sunfish and green
sunfish. This fauna, with the exception of young-of-the-year
individuals, was a fauna produced during the years of drought. Deacon
and Metcalf (1961:318-321) found a similar fauna in streams of the
Wakarusa River Basin that had been seriously affected by drought.
The black bullheads taken in 1957 were predominately yearlings. It is
likely that by 1956 the total fish population in the upper Neosho had
been decimated by drought. The ponded conditions prevalent in that year
were conducive to production and survival of young black bullheads. Fig.
3 shows that this dominant 1956 year-class reached an average length of
approximately 6.5 inches by August, 1959.
Reproduction by black bullheads was limited in 1957, 1958, and 1959, and
slight reduction in relative abundance occurred from 1957 to 1958. The
relative abundance in 1959 remained nearly stable. If stream-flow
remains essentially continuous for the next few years, the number of
black bullheads probably will decline as individuals of the 1956
year-class reach the end of their life-span.
Reference has been made to the large hatch of channel catfish in 1957,
in a discussion of that species. Conditions for survival of young
channel catfish at the upper Neosho station in 1957 were good because
there was continuous flow over many gravel-rubble riffles, which were
largely unoccupied by other fish, in the spring and summer of 1957.
TABLE 12. PERCENTAGE-COMPOSITION OF THE FISH-FAUNA AT THE UPPER
NEOSHO STATION IN 1957, 1958 AND 1959, AS COMPUTED FROM COLLECTIONS
OBTAINED BY USING ROTENONE.
============================================================
SPECIES | 1957 | 1958 | 1959
----------------------------------+--------+-------+--------
Big-mouthed Buffalo...............| ...... | T[D] | T
Small-mouthed Buffalo.............| ...... | ..... | T
River Carpsucker..................| T | 0.8 | 1.8
Golden Redhorse...................| T | 3.0 | 5.7
Creek Chub........................| ...... | T | 0.8
Red-finned Shiner.................| 1.3 | 3.0 | 0.8
Red Shiner........................| 6.5 | 13.1 | 12.1
Ghost Shiner......................| T | T | ......
Blunt-nosed Minnow................| T | T | T
Fat-headed Minnow.................| T | T | 1.4
Stoneroller.......................| 0.8 | 1.5 | 3.5
Black Bullhead....................| 40.8 | 30.5 | 32.0
Yellow Bullhead...................| 5.3 | 8.8 | 2.5
Channel Catfish...................| 28.4 | 15.5 | 18.5
Flathead..........................| T | T | T
Stonecat..........................| T | T | 1.4
Spotted Bass......................| T | T | 0.8
Largemouth........................| T | T | T
Green Sunfish.....................| 3.1 | 6.8 | 6.4
Long-eared Sunfish................| 8.8 | 3.7 | 1.9
Orange-spotted Sunfish............| 3.1 | 8.9 | 2.5
Bluegill..........................| T | T | T
White Crappie.....................| T | ..... | T
Logperch......................... | T | 2.1 | 0.8
Slender-headed Darter.............| 0.6 | 0.6 | 3.1
Orange-throated Darter............| ...... | T | 2.5
Total number of fish..............| 786 | 965 | 513
Size of sample-area in acre-feet..| .002 | .33 | .33
----------------------------------+--------+-------+--------
[D] T denotes less than one-half of one per cent of the population.
Channel catfish also showed a slight decline in relative abundance after
1957, resulting from mortality in the 1957 year-class. With continuous
flow, channel catfish will probably remain abundant, although annual
reproductive success probably will be less than in 1957.
The big-mouthed buffalo, small-mouthed buffalo, creek chub and
orange-throated darter were not taken in 1957, but appeared in
collections in 1958. The river carpsucker, golden redhorse, red shiner,
fat-headed minnow, stoneroller, stonecat, and slender-headed darter also
increased in abundance between 1957 and 1959. The increased abundance of
all these species in 1958 and 1959 resulted in a more diversified fauna,
with lesser predominance by any single species, than in 1957 (Table 12);
this change is related to the increased, permanent flow in 1958 and
1959.
Local Variability of the Fauna in Different Areas at the Upper Neosho
Station, 1959
The shallow areas in which the shocker was used in 1959 are the
prevalent habitat in the upper Neosho River. The relative abundance of
fishes found in these areas is presented in Table 13. The red shiner was
most abundant and was followed (in decreasing order) by long-eared
sunfish, minnows of the genus _Pimephales_, green sunfish, red-finned
shiner, channel catfish, and stoneroller. Other species combined
comprise less than ten per cent of the population.
Table 13 also shows the variability in relative abundance of different
species among areas that have the same general kind of habitat. The
species composition is similar in all areas. The sample obtained with
rotenone in 1959 is included in Table 13 to show differences in the
fauna of deep, slowly flowing areas and shallower areas with stronger
current. The differences in relative abundance indicate the kind of
habitat that each species is able to utilize most fully.
Golden redhorse and black bullhead were most abundant in large, deep,
quiet pools (5.7 per cent and 32 per cent of the total population)
and were more abundant in Area 5 (3.2 per cent and 7.3 per cent
respectively) than in any of the other shallow areas. Area 5 has greater
average depth, more mud bottom, and less riffle area than areas 1, 3 and
6.
The golden redhorse and black bullhead have specific habitat preferences
that are not evident in the above discussion. My collections indicate
that the golden redhorse prefers deep water having some current, whereas
the black bullhead prefers little or no current.
Species that prevailed in or near riffles were: creek chub,
sucker-mouthed minnow, stoneroller, channel catfish (young-of-the-year
only), flathead (young-of-the-year only), stonecat, slender-headed
darter, and orange-throated darter. Of these species, the sucker-mouthed
minnow, slender-headed darter and orange-throated darter reached their
greatest abundance at Area 3, where the riffle is shallow, slow, and has
a bottom composed of flat limestone rubble.
The riffle at Area 1 is, for the most part, deeper and faster than at
Area 3 and has a bottom composed of gravel and small rocks. The creek
chub, stoneroller, channel catfish (young-of-the-year), flathead
(young-of-the-year), and stonecat reached their greatest abundance in
Area 1. All species that showed a preference for riffles were rare or
absent in Area 5 where no riffle-habitat was sampled. The
riffle-dwelling species that were present in collections made with
rotenone in the deeper pools were taken from the riffle into which
rotenone was introduced.
The river carpsucker, blunt-nosed minnow, fat-headed minnow, channel
catfish (yearlings and two-year-olds), flathead (yearlings and
two-year-olds), green sunfish and long-eared sunfish showed a preference
for shallow, quiet water. All of these species were more common in
collections from Areas 5 and 6 than in collections from other areas.
TABLE 13. RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF FISH (PER CENT OF TOTAL POPULATION
MADE UP BY EACH SPECIES), IN THE FIRST COLLECTION MADE IN EACH OF
FOUR DIFFERENT SHALLOW AREAS BY MEANS OF THE SHOCKER, IS SHOWN IN
VERTICAL COLUMNS 1-4. RESULTS OF THE USE OF ROTENONE IN A FIFTH,
DEEPER AREA ARE SHOWN IN COLUMN 5. COLUMN 6 COMBINES DATA FROM
ALL COLLECTIONS MADE BY USING THE SHOCKER IN SEVEN SHALLOW AREAS
(INCLUDING COLUMNS 1-4).
======================================================================
| Area | Area | Area | Area | | All
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | Rotenone | areas
------------------------+------+------+------+------+----------+------
Big-mouthed Buffalo | .... | .... | T[E] | .... | T | T
Small-mouthed Buffalo | .... | .... | .6 | .... | T | T
River Carpsucker | .... | T | 10.6 | T | 1.8 | .8
River Carpsucker (yy)[F]| .... | .8 | T | 3.7 | .... | 1.0
Short-headed Redhorse | .... | .... | .6 | .... | .... | T
Golden Redhorse | .8 | 1.0 | 3.2 | .... | 5.7 | T
Carp | .... | .... | .... | .... | .... | T
Golden Shiner | .... | .... | .... | .... | .... | T
Creek Chub | 1.6 | T | T | T | .8 | T
Sucker-mouthed Minnow | .... | 11.2 | T | 3.4 | .... | 1.4
Red-finned Shiner | .... | .... | .... | 4.0 | .8 | 8.1
Red Shiner | 18.2 | 24.0 | 7.8 | 20.1 | 12.1 | 35.9
Sand Shiner | .... | 5.2 | .... | 1.1 | .... | T
Pimephales (yy) | .... | .... | .... | .... | .... | 6.7
Mountain Minnow | .... | .... | .... | T | .... | T
Blunt-nosed Minnow | .... | .8 | 4.1 | 11.7 | T | 3.4
Parrot Minnow | .... | .... | .... | .... | .... | T
Fat-headed Minnow | T | T | 3.4 | 12.1 | 1.4 | 2.6
Stoneroller | 27.7 | 17.4 | .6 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 5.1
Black Bullhead | 2.1 | T | 7.3 | T | 32.0 | .6
Yellow Bullhead | T | T | .... | T | 2.5 | T
Channel Catfish (j)[G] | 5.8 | 7.6 | 41.3 | T | 14.6 | 4.2
Channel Catfish (yy) | 9.5 | 7.0 | T | 4.3 | 3.9 | 2.5
Flathead (j) | .... | .8 | 2.1 | T | T | T
Flathead (yy) | 1.6 | T | .... | .... | .... | T
Stonecat | 10.3 | 1.4 | .... | .... | 1.4 | .7
Spotted Bass | .... | T | .6 | T | .8 | T
Largemouth | .... | .... | T | .... | T | T
Green Sunfish | 11.2 | 3.5 | 5.9 | 12.2 | 6.4 | 10.1
Long-eared Sunfish | 5.4 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 14.6 | 1.9 | 12.8
Orange-spotted Sunfish | T | T | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.5 | .5
Bluegill | .... | .... | 1.0 | .... | T | T
White Crappie | .... | .... | .... | .... | T | T
Logperch | T | T | T | T | .8 | T
Slender-headed Darter | T | 11.4 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 1.3
Orange-throated Darter | .8 | 1.8 | T | .5 | 2.5 | T
Freshwater Drum | .... | .... | T | .... | .... | T
Total number of fish | 242 | 484 | 727 | 924 | 513 |17,796
Area in square feet | 840 | 6324 |12500 |10000 | .... | ....
Volume | .... | .... | .... | .... | 1/3 |
| | | | |acre-foot |
------------------------+------+------+------+------+----------+------
[E] "T" designates species that comprised less than 0.5 per cent
of the population.
[F] (yy) signifies young-of-the-year.
[G] (j) signifies yearlings or two-year-olds.