Fish Populations, Following a Drought, in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers of KansasDeacon, James E.
Science
Fish Populations, Following a Drought, in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers of Kansas
Deacon, James E.
Fish populations; Freshwater fishes -- Kansas -- Population dynamics -- Stocks
_Area 3_
The order of abundance of the species at Area 3, in terms of the
estimated population per 500 square feet, was as follows: red shiner
(77.1), stoneroller (19.2), sucker-mouthed minnow (10.0), channel
catfish (young-of-the-year) (8.1), sand shiner (5.8), channel catfish
(yearlings and older) (3.1), long-eared sunfish (0.5), golden redhorse
(0.4). Insufficient data make inclusion of other species unreliable.
For comparison with the estimates of total population, the
percentage-composition in the first collection gives the following
results: red shiner (24.0%), stoneroller (17.4%), sucker-mouthed minnow
(11.2%), channel catfish (yearlings and older) (7.6%), channel catfish
(young-of-the-year) (7.0%), long-eared sunfish (6.0%), sand shiner
(5.2%), and golden redhorse (1.0%).
For the most part, the species have the same order of abundance in both
methods of analysis. Those that are apparently out of order are channel
catfish (yearlings and older) and long-eared sunfish. The first species
is mobile (excepting young-of-the-year) and commonly fluctuates widely
in numbers in the same area; the second species was treated differently
in that only adults were considered in the population-estimation
whereas both young and adults were considered in calculating
percentage-composition. (I found that I could not confidently
distinguish between young-of-the-year of green sunfish, long-eared
sunfish and orange-spotted sunfish after staining.)
_Area 6_
The order of abundance of the species at Area 6, in terms of the
estimated population per 500 square feet, was as follows: red shiner
(64.0), fat-headed minnow (41.5), blunt-nosed minnow (16.0), stoneroller
(13.8), green sunfish (8.8), long-eared sunfish (1.9). Insufficient data
make inclusion of other species unreliable.
Calculations of percentage-composition give the following results: red
shiner (20.1%), long-eared sunfish (14.6%), green sunfish (12.2%),
fat-headed minnow (12.1%), blunt-nosed minnow (11.7%), stoneroller
(5.8%). The two species of sunfish form a more significant part of the
population in the latter analysis because young are included. Only
adults were considered in the estimation of total population.
The fact that estimates of the total population and the
percentage-composition agree in most respects lends support to the
validity of both methods of analysis. It should be re-emphasized that
differences in the order of abundance in the various areas reflect the
ability of each species to utilize each particular kind of habitat.
Movement of Marked Fish
TABLE 16. DATA ON MOVEMENT OF MARKED FISH AT THE UPPER NEOSHO
STATION, SEPTEMBER, 1959.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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