Fish Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Fish Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fish Texas Mid-coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex Bastrop Bayou Fishing Pier Bullhead minnow Creek chub River carpsucker Blue sucker Lake chubsucker Smallmouth buffalo Black buffalo Spotted sucker Gray redhorse Family Mugilidae Striped mullet White mullet Lady fish Gulf pipefish Chain pipefish The following 127 fish ranges Goldfish Black bullhead are expected to include Bra- Red shiner Yellow bullhead zoria County and the refuges. Blacktail shiner Blue catfish Common carp Channel catfish Spotted gar Mississippi silvery minnow Tadpole madtom Longnose gar Plains minnow Freckled madtom Alligator gar Ribbon shiner Flathead catfish American eel Shoal chub Sea catfishes Inshore lizard fish Silver chub Hardhead catfish Least puffer Golden shiner Gafftopsail catfish Bowfin Blackspot shiner Gulf toadfish Skipjack herring Smalleye shiner Atlantic midshipman Gizzard shad Ghost shiner Pirate perch Gulf Menhaden Sharpnose shiner Brook silverside Threadfin Shad Chub shiner Inland silverside Bay anchovy Silverband shiner Atlantic needlefish Goldeye Sand shiner Western mosquitofish Grass pickerel Mimic shiner Sailfin molly Central stoneroller Pugnose minnow Western starhead topminnow Grass carp Suckermouth minnow Golden topminnow Fathead Minnow Gulf killifish Diamond killifish Slop Bowl Aerial Photo Blackstripe topminnow Bayou topminnow Longnose killifish Plains killifish Rainwater killifish Sheepshead minnow White bass Crevalle jack Flier Redbreast sunfish Green sunfish Warmouth Orangespotted sunfish Bluegill Dollar sunfish Longear sunfish Redear sunfish Dusky darter Silver Seatrout Spotted sunfish Spotfin mojarra Spotted Seatrout Bantam sunfish Silver jenny Spot Spotted bass Tidewater mojarra Atlantic croaker Largemouth bass Flagfin mojara Silver perch White crappie Pigfish Sheepshead Black crappie Freshwater Drum Pinfish Banded pygmy sunfish Black Drum Southern Flounder Western sand darter Red Drum Fringed flounder Scaly sand darter Gulf Kingfish Bay whiff Slough darter Sand Seatrout Hogchoker Lined sole Blackcheek tonguefish Cedar Lake Creek Boat Ramp Southern stingray Atlantic stingray Naked goby Clown goby Darter goby Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex 2547 CR316 Brazoria, TX 77422 Phone 979-964-4011 Fax 979-964-4021 Photographs © Greg Lavaty.
Recommended publications
  • Tennessee Fish Species
    The Angler’s Guide To TennesseeIncluding Aquatic Nuisance SpeciesFish Published by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Cover photograph Paul Shaw Graphics Designer Raleigh Holtam Thanks to the TWRA Fisheries Staff for their review and contributions to this publication. Special thanks to those that provided pictures for use in this publication. Partial funding of this publication was provided by a grant from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service through the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Authorization No. 328898, 58,500 copies, January, 2012. This public document was promulgated at a cost of $.42 per copy. Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is available to all persons without regard to their race, color, national origin, sex, age, dis- ability, or military service. TWRA is also an equal opportunity/equal access employer. Questions should be directed to TWRA, Human Resources Office, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204, (615) 781-6594 (TDD 781-6691), or to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Human Resources, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203. Contents Introduction ...............................................................................1 About Fish ..................................................................................2 Black Bass ...................................................................................3 Crappie ........................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • Spatial Criteria Used in IUCN Assessment Overestimate Area of Occupancy for Freshwater Taxa
    Spatial Criteria Used in IUCN Assessment Overestimate Area of Occupancy for Freshwater Taxa By Jun Cheng A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto © Copyright Jun Cheng 2013 Spatial Criteria Used in IUCN Assessment Overestimate Area of Occupancy for Freshwater Taxa Jun Cheng Masters of Science Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto 2013 Abstract Area of Occupancy (AO) is a frequently used indicator to assess and inform designation of conservation status to wildlife species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The applicability of the current grid-based AO measurement on freshwater organisms has been questioned due to the restricted dimensionality of freshwater habitats. I investigated the extent to which AO influenced conservation status for freshwater taxa at a national level in Canada. I then used distribution data of 20 imperiled freshwater fish species of southwestern Ontario to (1) demonstrate biases produced by grid-based AO and (2) develop a biologically relevant AO index. My results showed grid-based AOs were sensitive to spatial scale, grid cell positioning, and number of records, and were subject to inconsistent decision making. Use of the biologically relevant AO changed conservation status for four freshwater fish species and may have important implications on the subsequent conservation practices. ii Acknowledgments I would like to thank many people who have supported and helped me with the production of this Master’s thesis. First is to my supervisor, Dr. Donald Jackson, who was the person that inspired me to study aquatic ecology and conservation biology in the first place, despite my background in environmental toxicology.
    [Show full text]
  • Gar (Lepisosteidae)
    Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Animal Information Series Gar (Lepisosteidae) Gar species found in Indiana waters: -Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus) -Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) -Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) -Alligator Gar* (Atractosteus spatula) *Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) Alligator gar were extirpated in many states due to habitat destruction, but now they have been reintroduced to their old native habitat in the states of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Because they have been stocked into the Ohio River, there is a possibility that alligator gar are either already in Indiana or will be found here in the future. Alligator gar are one of the largest freshwater fishes of North America and can reach up to 10 feet long and weigh 300 pounds. Alligator gar are passive, solitary fishes that live in large rivers, swamps, bayous, and lakes. They have a short, wide snout and a double row of teeth on the upper jaw. They are ambush predators that eat mainly fish but have also been seen to eat waterfowl. They are not, however, harmful to humans, as they will only attack an animal that they can swallow whole. Photo Credit: Duane Raver, USFWS Other Names -garpike, billy gar -Shortnose gar: shortbill gar, stubnose gar -Longnose gar: needlenose gar, billfish Why are they called gar? The Anglo-Saxon word gar means spear, which describes the fishes’ long spear-like appearance. The genus name Lepisosteus contains the Greek words lepis which means “scale” and osteon which means “bone.” What do they look like? Gar are slender, cylindrical fishes with hard, diamond-shaped and non-overlapping scales.
    [Show full text]
  • The Feeding Habits and Relative Abundances of Bowfin, Spotted Gar, and Largemouth Bass: Can Native Piscivores Control Invasive Common Carp?
    INHS Reports SEPTEMBER 2014 • NO. 412(3) The Feeding Habits and Relative Abundances of Bowfin, Spotted Gar, and Largemouth Bass: Can Native Piscivores Control Invasive Common Carp? The Illinois River is a very productive, health of the Illinois River and other near Hennepin, Illinois experienced floodplain river system; however, its nat- rivers worldwide. Thompson and Flag Common Carp survival after a rotenone ural biological productivity has changed lakes at The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) application to eradicate them during the through floodplain disconnection, excess Emiquon Preserve serve as one example initial restoration. Due to rapid population nutrient loading, and invasive fish species and have experienced increased Com- growth of Common Carp, Hennepin and introductions. As just one example, Com- mon Carp relative abundances since Hopper lakes experienced major declines mon Carp (Cyprinus carpio) directly and restoration. Management of Common in aquatic macrophyte densities and indirectly degrade aquatic ecosystems Carp is critical for maintaining healthy waterfowl use shortly after restoration. through benthic foraging behaviors. aquatic ecosystems and piscicides, such In addition to a rotenone treatment, as rotenone, are not 100% effective. For biomanipulation of the Largemouth Bass Currently, floodplain restoration efforts example, a floodplain restoration project (Micropterus salmoides) population has are intended to improve the natural known as Hennepin and Hopper Lakes been tested at the Emiquon Preserve and results suggested
    [Show full text]
  • Life History and Status of Alligator Gar Atractosteus Spatula, with Recommendations for Management
    Life History and Status of Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula, with Recommendations for Management Prepared by: David L. Buckmeier Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Inland Fisheries Division 5103 Junction Highway Mountain Home, TX 78058 July 31, 2008 Alligator gar Atractosteus spatula is the largest freshwater fish in Texas and one of the largest species in North America, yet has received little attention from anglers or fisheries managers. Although gars (family Lepisosteidae) have long been considered a threat to sport fishes in the United States (summarized by Scarnecchia 1992), attitudes are changing. Recreational fisheries for alligator gar are increasing, and anglers from around the world now travel to Texas for the opportunity to catch a trophy. Because little data exist, it is unknown how current exploitation is affecting size structure and abundance of alligator gar in Texas. In many areas, alligator gar populations are declining (Robinson and Buchanan 1988; Etnier and Starnes 1993; Pflieger 1997; Ferrara 2001). Concerns by biologists and anglers about alligator gar populations in Texas have led the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to consider management options for this species. In addition to this review, the TPWD has recently initiated several studies to learn more about Texas alligator gar populations. The purposes of this document are to 1) summarize alligator gar life history and ecology, 2) assess alligator gar status and management activities throughout their range, and 3) make recommendations for future alligator gar management in Texas. Life History In the United States, alligator gar spawn from April through June (Etnier and Starnes 1993; Ferrara 2001), coinciding with seasonal flooding of bottomland swamps (Suttkus 1963).
    [Show full text]
  • Species Composition and Invasion Risks of Alien Ornamental Freshwater
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Species composition and invasion risks of alien ornamental freshwater fshes from pet stores in Klang Valley, Malaysia Abdulwakil Olawale Saba1,2, Ahmad Ismail1, Syaizwan Zahmir Zulkifi1, Muhammad Rasul Abdullah Halim3, Noor Azrizal Abdul Wahid4 & Mohammad Noor Azmai Amal1* The ornamental fsh trade has been considered as one of the most important routes of invasive alien fsh introduction into native freshwater ecosystems. Therefore, the species composition and invasion risks of fsh species from 60 freshwater fsh pet stores in Klang Valley, Malaysia were studied. A checklist of taxa belonging to 18 orders, 53 families, and 251 species of alien fshes was documented. Fish Invasiveness Screening Test (FIST) showed that seven (30.43%), eight (34.78%) and eight (34.78%) species were considered to be high, medium and low invasion risks, respectively. After the calibration of the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK) v2 using the Receiver Operating Characteristics, a threshold value of 17 for distinguishing between invasive and non-invasive fshes was identifed. As a result, nine species (39.13%) were of high invasion risk. In this study, we found that non-native fshes dominated (85.66%) the freshwater ornamental trade in Klang Valley, while FISK is a more robust tool in assessing the risk of invasion, and for the most part, its outcome was commensurate with FIST. This study, for the frst time, revealed the number of high-risk ornamental fsh species that give an awareness of possible future invasion if unmonitored in Klang Valley, Malaysia. As a global hobby, fshkeeping is cherished by both young and old people.
    [Show full text]
  • Fish I.D. Guide
    mississippi department of wildlife, fisheries, and parks FRESHWATER FISHES COMMON TO MISSISSIPPI a fish identification guide MDWFP • 1505 EASTOVER DRIVE • JACKSON, MS 39211 • WWW.MDWFP.COM Table of Contents Contents Page Number • White Crappie . 4 • Black Crappie. 5 • Magnolia Crappie . 6 • Largemouth Bass. 7 • Spotted Bass . 8 • Smallmouth Bass. 9 • Redear. 10 • Bluegill . 11 • Warmouth . 12 • Green sunfish. 13 • Longear sunfish . 14 • White Bass . 15 • Striped Bass. 16 • Hybrid Striped Bass . 17 • Yellow Bass. 18 • Walleye . 19 • Pickerel . 20 • Channel Catfish . 21 • Blue Catfish. 22 • Flathead Catfish . 23 • Black Bullhead. 24 • Yellow Bullhead . 25 • Shortnose Gar . 26 • Spotted Gar. 27 • Longnose Gar . 28 • Alligator Gar. 29 • Paddlefish. 30 • Bowfin. 31 • Freshwater Drum . 32 • Common Carp. 33 • Bigmouth Buffalo . 34 • Smallmouth Buffalo. 35 • Gizzard Shad. 36 • Threadfin Shad. 37 • Shovelnose Sturgeon. 38 • American Eel. 39 • Grass Carp . 40 • Bighead Carp. 41 • Silver Carp . 42 White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis) Other Names including reservoirs, oxbow lakes, and rivers. Like other White perch, Sac-a-lait, Slab, and Papermouth. members of the sunfish family, white crappie are nest builders. They produce many eggs, which can cause Description overpopulation, slow growth, and small sizes in small White crappie are deep-bodied and silvery in color, lakes and ponds. White crappie spawn from March ranging from silvery-white on the belly to a silvery-green through May when water temperatures are between or dark green on the back with possible blue reflections. 58ºF and 65ºF. White crappie can tolerate muddier There are several dark vertical bars on the sides. Males water than black crappie. develop dark coloration on the throat and head during the spring spawning season, which can cause them to be State Record mistaken for black crappie.
    [Show full text]
  • Occurrence and Co‐Occurrence Patterns of Gar in River–Floodplain
    North American Journal of Fisheries Management 40:622–637, 2020 © 2019 American Fisheries Society ISSN: 0275-5947 print / 1548-8675 online DOI: 10.1002/nafm.10402 SPECIAL SECTION: ALLIGATOR GAR Occurrence and Co-Occurrence Patterns of Gar in River–Floodplain Habitats: Methods to Leverage Species Coexistence to Benefit Distributional Models David A. Schumann1 and Michael E. Colvin* Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Box 9690, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA Leandro E. Miranda U.S. Geological Survey, Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Box 9691, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA D. Todd Jones-Farrand U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA Abstract Habitat segregation and hypothesized biotic interactions among coexisting gar species may confound attempts to describe the distributions of these species by using only macrohabitat availability in the presence of conspecifics. How- ever, the strength of interactions among gar species and the spatial scale at which they occur are largely unknown. We used an existing data set to evaluate the co-occurrence patterns (i.e., random assemblages versus species co-occur- ring more or less than expected at random) of three gar species in 62 dynamic river–floodplain habitats associated with the lower Mississippi River and its major tributaries. A novel parameterization of a multispecies occupancy model was utilized to examine the spatial relationships among the full array of possible gar assemblages across a gra- dient of floodplain habitats. Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus were the most abundant and frequently encountered species (~78% of samples). Shortnose Gar L. platostomus (~27% of samples) and Longnose Gar L.
    [Show full text]
  • Kyfishid[1].Pdf
    Kentucky Fishes Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Kentucky Fish & Wildlife’s Mission To conserve, protect and enhance Kentucky’s fish and wildlife resources and provide outstanding opportunities for hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, shooting sports, wildlife viewing, and related activities. Federal Aid Project funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuels Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources #1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601 1-800-858-1549 • fw.ky.gov Kentucky Fish & Wildlife’s Mission Kentucky Fishes by Matthew R. Thomas Fisheries Program Coordinator 2011 (Third edition, 2021) Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources Division of Fisheries Cover paintings by Rick Hill • Publication design by Adrienne Yancy Preface entucky is home to a total of 245 native fish species with an additional 24 that have been introduced either intentionally (i.e., for sport) or accidentally. Within Kthe United States, Kentucky’s native freshwater fish diversity is exceeded only by Alabama and Tennessee. This high diversity of native fishes corresponds to an abun- dance of water bodies and wide variety of aquatic habitats across the state – from swift upland streams to large sluggish rivers, oxbow lakes, and wetlands. Approximately 25 species are most frequently caught by anglers either for sport or food. Many of these species occur in streams and rivers statewide, while several are routinely stocked in public and private water bodies across the state, especially ponds and reservoirs. The largest proportion of Kentucky’s fish fauna (80%) includes darters, minnows, suckers, madtoms, smaller sunfishes, and other groups (e.g., lam- preys) that are rarely seen by most people.
    [Show full text]
  • Fish Species Management Plan for Alligator Gar (Atractosteus Spatula) in Illinois
    Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource Conservation Division of Fisheries Fish Species Management Plan for Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) in Illinois The last vouchered Alligator Gar collected in Illinois waters (Cache-Mississippi R Diversion Channel - 1966) Courtesy of Brooks Burr Fish Species Management Plan for Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) in Illinois April, 2017 Rob Hilsabeck District 4 Fisheries Biologist Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource Conservation Division of Fisheries Trent Thomas Region III Streams Biologist Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource Conservation Division of Fisheries Nathan Grider Impact Assessment Section Biologist Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Realty and Environmental Planning Division of Ecosystems and Environment Michael McClelland Rivers, Reservoirs, and Inland Waters Program Manager Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource Conservation Division of Fisheries Dan Stephenson Chief of Fisheries Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource Conservation Division of Fisheries ii Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………….………...............…………1 Historical Distribution……………..………………….…………...............……..1 Life History and Ecological Information…….……....………................…...…...2 Characteristics……………………………….………...............…………2 Diet ………………………………………….………...............…………3 Reproduction ……………………….……….………...............…………3 Causes of Decline………………………………………….................…………..3
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Temperature and Light on Aerial Breathing of the Shortnose Gar, Lepisosteus Platostomus1
    EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND LIGHT ON AERIAL BREATHING OF THE SHORTNOSE GAR, LEPISOSTEUS PLATOSTOMUS1 VISHNU P. SAKSENA Department of Biology, Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio J+3762 SAKSENA, VISHNU P. Effects of Temperature have been reported by McCormack and Light on Aerial Breathing of the Shortnose Gar, Lepisosteus platostomus. Ohio J. Sci. (1967, 1970) and Rahn et al. (1971). 75(4): 178, 1975. The present study evaluates the effects The aerial breathing rate of the shortnose gar of temperature and light on the rate of {Lepisosteus platostomus), as affected by tem- aerial breathing of the shortnose gar (L. perature and light, was investigated by using an E & M Physiograph. Aerial breathing of platostomus) under experimental condi- the three small and the two large fish was tions. simultaneously recorded at 10.0°, 15.5°, 21.1°, and 26.6°C. The rate of aerial breathing in- MATERIALS AND METHODS creased with increase in temperature. Be- Three small (A, B, and C) and two large (D tween 10.0° and 15.5°C, the average aerial and E) shortnose gar (L. platostomus) were breathing rate was less than one per hour but collected on June 14, 1967 from Lake Texoma, beyond 15.5°C the rate increased markedly. an impoundment of the Red and Washita At all experimental temperatures, the larger Rivers, Oklahoma and Texas. The fish were fish had a significantly higher aerial breathing brought to the University of Oklahoma Bio- rate than the smaller fish. The average aerial logical Station and were held in a large concrete breathing rate of each experimental fish was tank, filled with lake water for two weeks until consistently higher during the night than dur- the start of the experiment.
    [Show full text]
  • Fishes of Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area
    TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE FISHES OF G U S E N G E L I N G WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA A FIELD CHECKLIST “Act Natural” Visit a Wildlife Management Area at our Web site: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us Cover: Illustration of Flathead Catfish by Rob Fleming. HABITAT DESCRIPTION he Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area is located in the northwest corner of Anderson County, 20 miles Tnorthwest of Palestine, Texas, on U.S. Highway 287. The management area contains 10,941 acres of land owned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Most of the land was purchased in 1950 and 1951, with the addition of several smaller tracts through 1960. It was originally called the Derden Wildlife Management Area, but was later changed to the Engeling Wildlife Management Area in honor of Biologist Gus A. Engeling, who was killed by a poacher on the area in December 1951. The area is drained by Catfish Creek, an eastern tributary in the upper middle basin of the Trinity River. The topography is gently rolling to hilly, with a well-defined spring-fed drainage system of eight branches that empty into Catfish Creek. These streams normally flow year-round and the entire drainage system is flooded annually. Diverse wetland habitats include hardwood bottomland floodplain (2,000 acres), riparian corri­ dors (491 acres), marshes and swamps (356 acres), bogs (272 acres) and several beaver ponds of varying sizes and ages. The soils are mostly light colored, rapidly permeable sands on the upland, and moderately permeable, gray-brown, sandy loams in the bottomland along Catfish Creek.
    [Show full text]