Year 1 report for ‘Conserving Texas Biodiversity: Status, Trends, and Conservation Planning for Fishes of Greatest Conservation Need’

State Wildlife Grant Program, grant TX T-106-1 (CFDA# 15.634), Contract No. 459125 UTA14-001402Substantive progress was made on all major Project Activities in this first year: Activity 1. Coordinate and Facilitate Science and Conservation Actions for Conserving Texas Biodiversity - We expanded and strengthened UT-TPWD coordination, transitioning the relationship between these partners into a much more collaborative one than was previously realized. The flow of data between TPWD and the Fishes of Texas Project (supported in part by this project) has become much more bi-directional. Many newly collected TPWD specimens, agency databases, legacy data products and reports, and feedback from resource managers are now beginning to contribute substantively to growth and diversity (now including non-specimen-vouchered records) of data served through the FoTX Project’s websites. Work on cleaning and normalizing of FoTX’s online specimen-vouchered database continued, and the updated FoTX occurrence and distribution data are being actively used. Most recently they were used by this project, together with expert (TPWD, UT and others’) opinions, to develop recommendations on conservation status of native fishes of Texas’ Species of Greatest Conservation Need for TPWD’s consideration in anticipated updates to the Texas Conservation Action Plan. Within two months of this report, a new and substantially larger and improved version of the FoTX website/database and related collection of images, field notes, and ancillary datasets, will be formally announced. Activity 2. Identify Priority Geographic Management Units for Conserving Fishes of Greatest Conservation Need - We used FoTX data in a systematic conservation area prioritization analysis to identify Native Fish Conservation Areas (NFCAs) for large portions of Texas where such comprehensive planning had not been previously carried out. Updated and new FoTX data for all Texas fish Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) were used in production of newly improved Species Distribution Models for input into this planning process, and the results of the planning exercise have already been integrated by TPWD into management prioritizations of both those species and the resultant NFCAs. Activity 3. Develop Monitoring and Conservation Plans for Native Fish Conservation Areas - Monitoring and conservation plans were delivered to TPWD for all NFCAs identified in Activity 2. Activity 4. Conduct Field-Based Surveys Detailed Biodiversity Assessments (i.e. Bioblitzing), and Citizen-Based Monitoring - Field surveys with detailed biodiversity assessments (“bioblitzes”) and citizen-based monitoring were conducted in three areas selected collaboratively by TPWD and FoTX Project staff from within the identified NFCAs: Nueces River headwaters, Big Cypress Bayou basin, and Village Creek basin. Along with this field effort, FoTX Project staff developed and circulated guidelines and best practices, and provided training for citizen-based monitoring that leverages iNaturalist for capture and reporting of photo-vouchered occurrence records in ways that will help assure scientifically useful data are obtained. All specimens acquired during these field efforts, and from many other routine specimen acquisitions from across the state (1845 total records/jars of specimens), were cataloged in the UT Fish Collection database. From there, these new records will soon be fed into GBIF, VertNet, FishNet2 and other major online data aggregators, including the online Fishes of Texas database.Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceIntegrative Biolog

Changes in fish populations in the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande

The Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande suffer from environmental degradation that has negatively impacted native fish populations and their distributions. Macrhybopsis aestivalis (speckled chub), Notropis jemezanus (Rio Grande shiner), Rhinichthys cataractae (longnose dace) and Cycleptus elongatus (blue sucker) populations appear to have suffered recent declines. Although diminished water quantity is likely an important factor in these declines, related changes in channel morphology precipitated by massive stands of Arundo donax (giant reed) and Tamarix sp. (salt cedar) may also be responsible. These invasive exotics have essentially channelized the river, disrupted normal sediment distribution and reduced shallow, low-velocity habitats. Much of the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande are devoid of sandy sediment and most riffles are now composed of gravel and cobble.Integrative Biolog

Preliminary Checklist of the Fishes of the Illinois River, Arkansas

A survey of the fishes of the mainstream of the Illinois River in northwestern Arkansas produced 51 species representing 11 families. Four of these species, Ictiobus bubalus, smallmouth buffalo; Moxostoma carinatum, river redhorse; Lepomis gulosus, warmouth; and Percina phoxocephala, slenderhead darter, have not been recorded previously from the Arkansas part of the Illinois. Eleven additional species have been reported previously that were not collected during this survey, for a total of 62 species known in the Illinois River

Fishes of the Eleven Point River Within Arkansas

A survey of the fishes of the Eleven Point River and its tributaries was made between 31 January 1976 and 13 February 1977. Sixty-three collections, literature records and personal communications revealed 90 species distributed among 19 families. This study revealed 31 species previously not reported for this river system. The Eleven Point River is a clear, predominantly springfed Ozark stream which is located in western Randolph County. From the Arkansas-Missouri state line, the Eleven Point River flows south for approximately 64 km before joining the Spring River. Terrain in the Arkansas portion of this river is rugged as the river meanders through the Salem Plateau of the Ozark Mountains

Fishes of the Caddo River, Arkansas, After Impoundment of DeGray Lake

Fifty-five collections of fishes were made with small-mesh seines and electrofishing gear in the Caddo River and four of its tributaries during 1974-75. Eighty-two species representing 17 families were collected; 14 of the species had not previously been reported from the Caddo River

The Fishes of Chadron Creek, Dawes County, Nebraska

This first modern comprehensive survey of fishes collected from Chadron Creek, Dawes County, Nebraska, documents collections made with a small seine and backpack electrofisher during November 2007 and February and March 2008. Chadron Creek’s fish community is of low diversity. The total of 3 collections at each of 9 stations along the length of Chadron Creek resulted in 254 individual fishes, which represented only 7 species within 4 families. Water quality parameters, including dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, temperature and fecal coliform counts indicate that Chadron Creek is a healthy stream capable of supporting a greater diversity of fishes. Land management practices may be responsible for elevated fecal coliform levels at one locality on the creek. Comparisons of fishes collected herein are made with historical records of fish collected between 1893 and 2000, and show that there are 50% fewer species present than those known from historical accounts

Longitudinal Differences in Habitat Complexity and Fish Assemblage Structure of a Great Plains River

We investigated the spatial variation in the Kansas River (USA) fish assemblage to determine how fish community structure changes with habitat complexity in a large river. Fishes were collected at ten sites throughout the Kansas River for assessing assemblage structure in summer 2007. Aerial imagery indicated riparian land use within 200 m from the river edge was dominated by agriculture in the upper river reaches (.35%) and tended to increase in urban land use in the lower reaches (.58%). Instream habitat complexity (number of braided channels, islands) also decreased with increased urban area (,25%). Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that species that prefer high-velocity flows and sandy substrate (e.g., blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus and shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) were associated with the upper river reaches. Abundance of omnivorous and planktivorous fish species were also higher in the lower river. The presence of fluvial dependent and fluvial specialist species was associated with sites with higher water flows, more sand bars, and log jams. Our results suggest that conserving intolerant, native species in the Kansas River may require maintaining suitable habitat for these species and restoration of impacted areas of the river.Funding for this project was provided through the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks State Wildlife Grant T-15-R-1

Fishes of the Antoine River, Little Missouri River System, Southwestern Arkansas

The fishes of the Antoine River (Little Missouri River system) in southwestern Arkansas were surveyed from September, 1980 - June, 1982. Thirty-four field collections plus literature and museum records, revealed a total of 60 species in 29 genera representing 16 families to presently inhabit the river system. Comments are presented on life history aspects, systematics and occurrence of fishes in the study area

Iowa Fishing Report, September 28, 2017

Fishing report for the citizens of Iowa. This is a e-newsletter