Chapter I: Part 1

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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Volume 13, No. 9, pp. 359-427, pls. 26-30, 3 figs.
August 11, 1961

Fish Populations, Following a Drought,
In the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers
of Kansas

BY

JAMES EVERETT DEACON

(Joint Contribution from the State Biological Survey and
the Forestry, Fish, and Game Commission)

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
LAWRENCE
1961

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Henry S. Fitch,
Robert W. Wilson

Volume 13, No. 9, pp. 359-427, pls. 26-30, 3 figs.
Published August 11, 1961

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Lawrence, Kansas

PRINTED IN
THE STATE PRINTING PLANT
TOPEKA, KANSAS
1961

28-7576

Fish Populations, Following a Drought,
In the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers
of Kansas

BY

JAMES EVERETT DEACON

CONTENTS

PAGE
INTRODUCTION 363

DESCRIPTION OF NEOSHO RIVER 366

DESCRIPTION OF MARAIS DES CYGNES RIVER 367

METHODS 368
Electrical Fishing Gear 368
Seines 369
Gill Nets 370
Sodium Cyanide 370
Rotenone 370
Dyes 370
Determination of Abundance 371
Names of Fishes 371

ANNOTATED LIST OF SPECIES 371

FISH-FAUNA OF THE UPPER NEOSHO RIVER 405
Description of Study-areas 405
Methods 406
Changes in the Fauna at the Upper Neosho Station,
1957 through 1959 407
Local Variability of the Fauna in Different Areas
at the Upper Neosho Station, 1959 409
Temporal Variability of Fauna in the Same Areas 411
Population-Estimation 412
Movement of Marked Fish 416
Similarity of the Fauna at the Upper Neosho Station
to the Faunas of Nearby Streams 418

COMPARISON OF THE FISH-FAUNAS OF THE NEOSHO AND MARAIS
DES CYGNES RIVERS 419

FAUNAL CHANGES, 1957 THROUGH 1959 420

CONCLUSIONS 423

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 425

LITERATURE CITED 425

TABLES

PAGE
1. Stream-flow in Cubic Feet per Second (C. F. S.), Neosho
River near Council Grove, Kansas 364

2. Stream-flow in Cubic Feet per Second, Neosho River near
Parsons, Kansas 364

3. Stream-flow in Cubic Feet per Second, Marais des Cygnes
River near Ottawa, Kansas 364

4. Stream-flow in Cubic Feet per Second, Marais des Cygnes
River at Trading Post, Kansas 365

5. Numbers and sizes of long-nosed gar 372

6. Numbers and sizes of short-nosed gar 374

7. Length-frequency of channel catfish from the Neosho River 388

8. Length-frequency of freshwater drum 402

9. Average number of individuals captured per hour 402

10. Numbers of fish seen or captured per hour 403

11. Numbers of occurrences and numbers counted 404

12. Percentage composition of the fish fauna at the Upper
Neosho station in 1957, 1958 and 1959, as computed
from results of rotenone collections 408

13. Relative abundance of fish 410

14. Changes in numbers of individuals 411

15. Data used in making direct proportion
population-estimations 414

16. Data on movement of marked fish 416

INTRODUCTION

This report concerns the ability of fish-populations in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes rivers in Kansas to readjust to continuous stream-flow following intermittent conditions resulting from the severest drought in the history of the State.

The variable weather in Kansas (and in other areas of the Great Plains) markedly affects its flora and fauna. Weaver and Albertson (1936) reported as much as 91 per cent loss in the basal prairie vegetative cover in Kansas near the close of the drought of the 1930's. The average annual cost (in 1951 prices) of floods in Kansas from 1926 to 1953 was $35,000,000. In the same period the average annual loss from the droughts of the 1930's and 1950's was $75,000,000 (in 1951 prices), excluding losses from wind- and soil-erosion. Thus, over a period of 28 years, the average annual flood-losses were less than one-half the average annual drought-losses (Foley, Smrha, and Metzler, 1955:9; Anonymous, 1958:15).

Weather conditions in Kansas from 1951 to 1957 were especially noteworthy: 1951 produced a bumper crop of climatological events significant to the economy of the State. Notable among these were: Wettest year since beginning of the state-wide weather records in 1887; highest river stages since settlement of the State on the Kansas River and on most of its tributaries, as well as on the Marais des Cygnes and on the Neosho and Cottonwood. The upper Arkansas and a number of smaller streams in western Kansas also experienced unprecedented flooding (Garrett, 1951:147). This period of damaging floods was immediately followed by the driest five-year period on record, culminating in the driest year in 1956 (Garrett, 1958:56). Water shortage became serious for many communities. The Neosho River usually furnishes adequate quantities of water for present demands, but in some years of drought all flow ceases for several consecutive months. In 1956-'57, the city of Chanute, on an emergency basis, recirculated treated sewage for potable supply (Metzler _et al._, 1958). The water shortage in many communities along the Neosho River became so serious that a joint project to pump water from the Smoky Hill River into the upper Neosho was considered, and preliminary investigations were made. If the drought had continued through 1957, this program might have been vigorously promoted. Data on stream-flow in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes (1951-'59) are presented in Tables 1-4.

These severe conditions provided a unique opportunity to gain insight into the ability of several species of fish to adjust to marked changes in their environment. For this reason, and because of a paucity of information concerning stream-fish populations in Kansas, the study here reported on was undertaken.

TABLE 1. STREAM-FLOW IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND, NEOSHO RIVER
NEAR COUNCIL GROVE, KANSAS. DRAINAGE AREA: 250 SQUARE MILES.

=========================================================
WATER-YEAR[A] | Average flow | Maximum | Minimum |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+
1951 | 498.0 | 121,000 | 3.0 |
1952 | 82.1 | 4,850 | .7 |
1953 | 5.37 | 202 | .1 |
1954 | 8.53 | 2,720 | .1 |
1955 | 31.2 | 6,480 | 0 |
1956 | 10.1 | 5,250 | 0 |
1957 | 68.5 | 12,300 | 0 |
1958 | 131.0 | 5,360 | .8 |
1959 | 114.0 | 7,250 | 8.5 |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+

TABLE 2. STREAM-FLOW IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND, NEOSHO RIVER
NEAR PARSONS, KANSAS. DRAINAGE AREA: 4905 SQUARE MILES.

=========================================================
WATER-YEAR[B] | Average flow | Maximum | Minimum |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+
1951 | 8,290 | 410,000 | 124.0 |
1952 | 2,021 | 20,500 | 20.0 |
1953 | 173 | 4,110 | .3 |
1954 | 430 | 27,900 | .1 |
1955 | 645 | 18,600 | 0 |
1956 | 180 | 6,170 | 0 |
1957 | 1,774 | 25,000 | 0 |
1958 | 3,092 | 27,200 | 78.0 |
1959 | 1,609 | 22,600 | 139.0 |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+

TABLE 3. STREAM-FLOW IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND, MARAIS DES CYGNES
RIVER NEAR OTTAWA, KANSAS. DRAINAGE AREA: 1,250 SQUARE MILES.

=========================================================
WATER-YEAR | Average flow | Maximum | Minimum |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+
1951 | 2,113 | 142,000 | 25.0 |
1952 | 542 | 12,000 | .2 |
1953 | 36.5 | 2,690 | .2 |
1954 | 73.6 | 5,660 | .5 |
1955 | 75.7 | 5,240 | .7 |
1956 | 26 | 1,590 | .7 |
1957 | 442 | 11,200 | .7 |
1958 | 775 | 9,130 | 5.6 |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+

TABLE 4. STREAM-FLOW IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND, MARAIS DES CYGNES
RIVER AT TRADING POST, KANSAS. DRAINAGE AREA: 2,880 SQUARE MILES.

=========================================================
WATER-YEAR | Average flow | Maximum | Minimum |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+
1951 | 5,489 | 148,000 | 36.0 |
1952 | 1,750 | 20,400 | 3.0 |
1953 | 261 | 7,590 | 0 |
1954 | 334 | 12,500 | 0 |
1955 | 786 | 16,100 | .2 |
1956 | 202 | 10,000 | 0 |
1957 | 871 | 14,700 | 0 |
1958 | 2,453 | 20,400 | 120.0 |
[C]1959 | 750 | 10,900 | 3.4 |
---------------+--------------+------------+------------+

[A] (Oct. 1-Sept. 30, inclusive)

[B] (Oct. 1-Sept. 30, inclusive)

[C] The gaging station was moved a short distance downstream
to the Kansas-Missouri state line.

DESCRIPTION OF NEOSHO RIVER

The Neosho River, a tributary of Arkansas River, rises in the Flint Hills of Morris and southwestern Wabaunsee counties and flows southeast for 281 miles in Kansas, leaving the state in the extreme southeast corner (Fig. 1). With its tributaries (including Cottonwood and Spring rivers) the Neosho drains 6,285 square miles in Kansas and enters the Arkansas River near Muskogee, Oklahoma (Schoewe, 1951:299). Upstream from its confluence with Cottonwood River, the Neosho River has an average gradient of 15 feet per mile. The gradient lessens rapidly below the mouth of the Cottonwood, averaging 1.35 feet per mile downstream to the State line (Anonymous, 1947:12). The banks of the meandering, well-defined channel vary from 15 to 50 feet in height and support a deciduous fringe-forest. The spelling of the name originally was "Neozho," an Osage Indian word signifying "clear water" (Mead, 1903:216).

_Neosho River, Upper Station._--Two miles north and two miles west of Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas (Sec. 32 and 33, T. 15 S., R. 8 E.) (Pl. 28, Fig. 2, and Pl. 29, Fig. 1). Width 20 to 40 feet, depth to six feet, length of study-area one-half mile (one large pool plus many small pools connected by riffles), bottom of mud, gravel, and rubble. Muddy banks 20 to 30 feet high.

According to H. E. Bosch (landowner) this section of the river dried completely in 1956, except for the large pool mentioned above. This section was intermittent in 1954 and 1955; it again became intermittent in the late summer of 1957 but not in 1958 or 1959.

A second section two miles downstream (on land owned by Herbert White) was studied in the summer of 1959 (Sec. 3 and 10, T. 16 S., R. 8 E.) (Pl. 29, Fig. 2 and Pl. 30, Figs. 1 and 2). This section is 20 to 60 feet in width, to five feet in depth, one-half mile in length (six small pools with intervening riffles bounded upstream by a low-head dam and downstream by a long pool), having a bottom of gravel, rubble, bedrock, and mud, and banks of mud and rock, five to 20 feet in height.

_Neosho River, Middle Station._--One mile east and one and one-half miles south of Neosho Falls, Woodson County, Kansas (Sec. 3 and 4, T. 24 S., R. 17 E.) (Pl. 26, Fig. 1). Width 60 to 70 feet, depth to eleven feet, length of study-area two miles (four large pools with connecting riffles), bottom of mud, gravel and rock. Mud and rock banks 30 to 40 feet high.

According to Floyd Meats (landowner) this section of the river was intermittent for part of the drought.

_Neosho River, Lower Station._--Two and one-half miles west, one-half mile north of Saint Paul, Neosho County, Kansas (Sec. 16, T. 29 S., R. 20 E.). Width 100 to 125 feet, depth to ten feet, length of study-area one mile (two large pools connected by a long rubble-gravel riffle), bottom of mud, gravel, and rock. Banks, of mud and rock, 30 to 40 feet high (Pl. 26, Fig. 2).

This station was established after one collection of fishes was made approximately ten miles upstream (Sec. 35, T. 28 S., R. 19 E.). The second site, suggested by Ernest Craig, Game Protector, provided greater accessibility and a more representative section of stream than the original locality.

DESCRIPTION OF MARAIS DES CYGNES RIVER

The Marais des Cygnes River, a tributary of Missouri River, rises in the Flint Hills of Wabaunsee County, Kansas, and flows generally eastward through the southern part of Osage County and the middle of Franklin County. The river then takes a southeasterly course through Miami County and the northeastern part of Linn County, leaving the state northeast of Pleasanton. With its tributaries (Dragoon, Salt, Pottawatomie, Bull and Big Sugar creeks) the river drains 4,360 square miles in Kansas (Anonymous, 1945:23), comprising the major part of the area between the watersheds of the Kansas and Neosho rivers. The gradient from the headwaters to Quenemo is more than five feet per mile, from Quenemo to Osawatomie 1.53 feet per mile, and from Osawatomie to the State line 1.10 feet per mile (Anonymous, 1945:24). The total length is approximately 475 miles (150 miles in Kansas). The river flows in a highly-meandering, well-defined channel that has been entrenched from 50 to 250 feet (Schoewe, 1951:294). "Marais des Cygnes" is of French origin, signifying "the marsh of the swans."

_Marais des Cygnes River, Upper Station._--One mile south and one mile west of Pomona, Franklin County, Kansas (Sec. 12, T. 17 S., R. 17 E.) (Pl. 27, Fig. 1). Width 30 to 40 feet, depth to six feet, length of study-area one-half mile (three large pools with short connecting riffles), bottom of mud and bedrock. Mud banks 30 to 40 feet high.

According to P. Lindsey (landowner) this section of the river was intermittent for most of the drought. Flow was continuous in 1957, 1958 and 1959.

There are four low-head dams between the upper and middle Marais des Cygnes stations.

_Marais des Cygnes River, Middle Station._--One mile east of Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas (Sec. 6, T. 17 S., R. 20 E.) (Pl. 27, Fig. 2). Width 50 to 60 feet, depth to eight feet, length of study-area one-half mile (one large pool plus a long riffle interrupted by several small pools), bottom of mud, gravel, and rock. Mud and sand banks 30 to 40 feet high.

This section of the river was intermittent for much of the drought. In the winter of 1957-'58 a bridge was constructed over this station as a part of Interstate Highway 35. Because of this construction many trees were removed from the stream-banks, the channel was straightened, a gravel-bottomed riffle was rerouted, and silt was deposited in a gravel-bottom pool.

_Marais des Cygnes River, Lower Station._--At eastern edge of Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Refuge, Linn County, Kansas (Sec. 9, T. 21 S., R. 25 E.). Width 80 to 100 feet, depth to eight feet, length of study-area one-half mile (one large pool plus a long riffle interrupted by several small pools), bottom of mud, gravel, and rock. Mud banks 40 to 50 feet high.

This section of the river ceased to flow only briefly in 1956.

METHODS

_Electrical Fishing Gear_

The principal collecting-device used was a portable (600-watt, 110-volt, A. C.) electric shocker carried in a 12-foot aluminum boat. Two 2 x 2-inch wooden booms, each ten feet long, were attached to the front of the boat in a "V" position so they normally were two feet above the surface of the water. A nylon rope attached to the tips of the booms held them ten feet apart. Electrodes, six feet long, were suspended from the tip and center of each boom, and two electrodes were suspended from the nylon rope. The electrodes extended approximately four feet into the water. Of various materials used for electrodes, the most satisfactory was a neoprene-core, shielded hydraulic hose in sections two feet long. These lengths could be screwed together, permitting adjustment of the length of the electrodes with minimum effort. At night, a sealed-beam automobile headlight was plugged into a six-volt D. C. outlet in the generating unit and a Coleman lantern was mounted on each gunwale to illuminate the area around the bow and along the sides of the boat (Pl. 3a). In late summer, 1959, a 230-volt, 1500-watt generating unit, composed of a 115-volt, 1500-watt Homelite generator was used. It was attached to a step-up transformer that converted the current to 230 volts. The same booms described above were used with the 230-volt unit, with single electrodes at the tip of each boom.

A 5.5-horsepower motor propelled the boat, and the stunned fish were collected by means of scap nets. Fishes seen and identified but not captured also were recorded. On several occasions fishes were collected by placing a 25-foot seine in the current and shocking toward the seine from upstream.

The shocker was used in daylight at all six stations in the three years, 1957-'59. Collections were made at night in 1958 and 1959 at the middle Neosho station and in 1959 at the lower Neosho station.

_Seines_

Seines of various lengths (4, 6, 12, 15, 25 and 60 feet), with mesh-sizes varying from bobbinet to one-half inch, were used. The 4-, 12-, and 25-foot seines were used in the estimation of relative abundance by taking ten hauls with each seine, recording all species captured in each haul, and making a total count of all fish captured in two of the ten hauls. The two hauls to be counted were chosen prior to each collection from a table of random numbers. Additional selective seining was done to ascertain the habitats occupied by different species.

_Trap, Hoop, and Fyke Nets._--Limited use was made of unbaited trapping devices: wire traps 2.5 feet in diameter, six feet long, covered with one-inch-mesh chicken wire; hoop nets 1.5 feet to three feet in diameter at the first hoop with a pot-mesh of one inch; and a fyke net three feet in diameter at the first hoop, pot-mesh of one inch with wings three feet in length. All of these were set parallel to the current with the mouths downstream. The use of trapping devices was abated because data obtained were not sufficient to justify the effort expended.

_Gill Nets_

Gill-netting was done mostly in 1959 at the lower Neosho station. Use of gill nets was limited because frequent slight rises in the river caused nets to collect excessive debris, with damage to the nets.

Gill nets used were 125 feet long, six feet deep, with mesh sizes of 3/4 inch to 2-1/2 inches. Nets, weighted to sink, were placed at right angles to the current and attached at the banks with rope.

_Sodium Cyanide_

Pellets of sodium cyanide were used infrequently to collect fish from a moderately fast riffle over gravel bottom that was overgrown with willows, making seining impossible. The pellets were dissolved in a small amount of water, a seine was held in place, and the cyanide solution was introduced into the water a short distance upstream from the seine, causing incapacitated fish to drift into the seine. Most of these fish that were placed in uncontaminated water revived.

_Rotenone_

Rotenone was used in a few small pools in efforts to capture complete populations. This method was used to check the validity of other methods, and to reduce the possibility that rare species would go undetected. Rotenone was applied by hand, and applications were occasionally supplemented by placing rotenone in a container that was punctured with a small hole and suspended over the water at the head of a riffle draining into the area being poisoned. This maintained a toxic concentration in the pool for sufficient time to obtain the desired kill. Rotenone acts more slowly than cyanide, allowing more of the distressed fish to rise to the surface.

_Dyes_

Bismark Brown Y was used primarily at the upper Neosho station to stain large numbers of small fish. The dye was used at a dilution of 1:20,000. Fishes were placed in the dye-solution for three hours, then transferred to a live-box in midstream for variable periods (ten minutes to twelve hours) before release.

_Determination of Abundance_

In the accounts of species that follow, the relative terms "abundant," "common," and "rare" are used. Assignment of one of these terms to each species was based on analysis of data that are presented in Tables 9-16, (pages 402, 403, 404, 405, 408, 410, 411, 414-415, and 416). The number of fish caught per unit of effort with the shocker (Table 10) and with seines (Table 11) constitute the main basis for statements about the abundance of each species at all stations except the upper Neosho station. Species listed in each Table (10 and 11) are those that were taken consistently by the method specified in the caption of the table; erratically, but in large numbers at least once, by that method; and those taken by the method specified but not the other method.

For the species listed in Table 10, the following usually applies: abundant=more than three fish caught per hour; common=one to three fish caught per hour; rare=less than one fish caught per hour.

Tables 12-16 list all fish obtained at the upper Neosho station by means of the shocker, seines, and rotenone.

_Names of Fishes_

Technical names of fishes are those that seem to qualify under the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature. Vernacular names are those in Special Publication No. 2 (1960) of the American Fisheries Society, with grammatical modifications required for use in the University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History.

ANNOTATED LIST OF SPECIES

#Lepisosteus osseus# (Linnaeus)

Long-nosed Gar

The long-nosed gar was abundant at the lower and middle Neosho stations and the lower Marais des Cygnes station. Numbers increased slightly in the period of study, probably because of increased, continuous flow. The long-nosed gar was not taken at the upper Neosho station. At lower stations the fish occurred in many habitats, but most commonly in pools where gar often were seen with their snouts protruding above the water in midstream. Gar commonly lie quietly near the surface, both by day and by night, and are therefore readily collected by means of the shocker. Twice, at night, gar jumped into the boat after being shocked.

Young-of-the-year were taken at the middle and lower stations on both the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes rivers, and all were near shore in quiet water. Many young-of-the-year were seined at the lower Neosho station on 18 June 1959, near the lower end of a gravel-bar in a small backwater-area having a depth of one to three inches, a muddy bottom, and a higher temperature than the mainstream. Forty-three of these young gar averaged 2.1 inches in total length (T.L.).

Comparison of sizes of long-nosed gar taken by means of the shocker and gill nets at the lower and middle Neosho stations revealed that: the average size at each station remained constant from 1957 to 1959; the average size was greater at the lower than at the middle station; and, with the exception of young-of-the-year, no individual shorter than 13 inches was found at the middle station and only one shorter than 16 inches was taken at the lower station (Table 5).

Because collecting was intensive and several methods were used, I think that the population of gars was sampled adequately. Wallen (_Fishes of the Verdigris River in Oklahoma_, 1958:29 [mimeographed copy of dissertation, Oklahoma State University]) took large individuals in the mainstream of the Verdigris River in Oklahoma and small specimens from the headwaters of some tributaries. Because I took young-of-the-year at the lower Neosho station, it is possible that long-nosed gar move upstream when small and then slowly downstream to the larger parts of rivers as the fish increase in size. This pattern of size-segregation, according to size of river, merits further investigation.

Ripe, spent, and immature long-nosed gar (38 males and 10 females) were taken in three gill nets, set across the channel, 150 to 500 yards below a riffle, at the lower Neosho station on June 16, 17, and 18, 1959. On 23 June, 1959, 12 males and two females were taken in gill nets set 50, 150, and 400 yards above the same riffle. Operations with the shocker between 24 June and 10 July, 1959, yielded 29 males and three females. The fish were taken from many kinds of habitat in a three-mile section of the river.

Direction of movement as recorded from gill nets shows that of 67 gar taken, 45 had moved downstream and 22 upstream into the nets. Only ten of the above gar were taken from the nets set above the riffle; six of the ten were captured as they moved downstream into the nets.

On one occasion I watched minnows swimming frantically about, jumping out of the water, and crowding against the shore, presumably to avoid a long-nosed gar that swam slowly in and out of view. I have observed similar activity when gar fed in aquaria. Stomachs of a few gar from the Neosho River were examined and found to contain minnows and some channel catfish.

Long-nosed gar have a relatively long life span (Breder, 1936). This longevity and their ability to gulp air probably insure excellent survival through periods of adverse conditions. The population of long-nosed gar probably would not be drastically affected even in the event of a nearly complete failure of one or two successive hatches. Maturity is attained at approximately 20 inches, total length.

Collections at the middle Neosho station in 1958 indicate that the long-nosed gar is more susceptible to capture at night than in daytime (Table 9, p. 402).

TABLE 5. NUMBERS AND SIZES OF LONG-NOSED GAR CAPTURED
BY SHOCKER AND GILL NETS AT THE MIDDLE AND LOWER NEOSHO
STATIONS IN 1957, 1958 AND 1959.

Average total
Location Date Number length (inches) Range

Middle Neosho 1957 19 22.2 14-32
Middle Neosho 1958 57 22.2 14-40
Middle Neosho 1959 64 21.6 13-43
Lower Neosho 1957 14 29.4 9-45
Lower Neosho 1958 7 25.3 23-28
Lower Neosho 1959 107 26.2 16-43

#Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque#

Short-nosed Gar

Only one short-nosed gar was taken in 1957, at the lower station on the Neosho River. In 1958 this species was taken at the lower station on the Marais des Cygnes and in 1958 and 1959 at the lower and middle stations on the Neosho. More common in the Neosho than the Marais des Cygnes, _L. platostomus_ occurs mainly in large streams and never was taken in the upper portions of either river. Although short-nosed gar were about equally abundant at the middle and lower stations on the Neosho, the average size was greater at the lower station (Table 6). This kind of segregation by size is shared with long-nosed gar, and was considered in the discussion of that species. Short-nosed gar were taken only in quiet water. Both species were collected most efficiently by means of gill nets and shocker. While shocking, I saw many gar only momentarily, as they appeared at the surface, and specific identification was impossible. The total of all gar seen while shocking indicated that gar increased in abundance from 1957 to 1959 (see Tables 5 and 6). Judging from the gar that were identified, the increase was more pronounced in short-nosed gar than in long-nosed gar.

At the lower Neosho station in 1959, two ripe females and one spent female were taken in gill nets (16, 23 and 17 June, respectively) and were moving downstream when caught. No males were taken in the nets. Subsequently, by means of the shocker (26 June-8 July), two spent and two ripe males were captured in quiet water of the mainstream that closely resembled areas in which the gill nets were set. No females were taken by means of the shocker.

TABLE 6. NUMBERS AND SIZES OF SHORT-NOSED GAR CAPTURED BY SHOCKER AND
GILL NETS AT THE MIDDLE AND LOWER NEOSHO STATIONS IN 1958 AND 1959.

Average total
Location Date Number length (inches) Range

Middle Neosho 1958 6 14.9 13.9-15.5
Middle Neosho 1959 9 13.6 11.0-16.0
Lower Neosho 1958 3 21.0 20.3-21.6
Lower Neosho 1959 5 21.3 18.0-24.5

#Dorosoma cepedianum# (LeSueur)

Gizzard Shad

Gizzard shad declined in abundance from 1957 to 1959. The largest population occurred at the middle station on the Marais des Cygnes in 1957. Shad were mainly in quiet water; often, when the river-level was high, I found them predominately in backwaters or in the mouths of tributary streams. Examination of nine individuals, ranging in size from seven inches to 13.5 inches T. L., indicated that maturity is reached at 10 to 11 inches T. L. Spawning probably occurred in late June in 1959 ("ripe" female caught on 26 June); young-of-the-year were first recorded in mid-July.

#Cycleptus elongatus# (LeSueur)

Blue Sucker

The blue sucker was taken rarely in the Neosho River and not at all in the Marais des Cygnes in my study. Cross (personal communication) obtained several blue suckers in collections made in the mainstream of the Neosho River in 1952; both young and adults occupied swift, deep riffles. The species seemingly declined in abundance during the drought, and at the conclusion of my study (1959) had not regained the level of abundance found in 1952.

#Ictiobus cyprinella# (Valenciennes)

Big-mouthed Buffalo

Big-mouthed buffalo were found in quiet water at all stations, but were rare. A ripe female, 21.5 inches long, was taken at the lower station on the Neosho on 16 June, 1959.

#Ictiobus niger# (Rafinesque)

Black Buffalo

and

#Ictiobus bubalus# (Rafinesque)

Small-mouthed Buffalo

Black buffalo were not taken at the upper station on the Neosho and were rare at other stations. Small-mouthed buffalo were taken at all stations and were common in the lower portions of the two streams. While the shocker was being used, buffalo were often seen only momentarily, thereby making specific identification impossible; both species were frequently taken together, and for this reason are discussed as a unit. Both species maintained about the same level of abundance throughout my study.

The two species were taken most often in the deeper, swifter currents of the mainstream, but were sometimes found in pools, creek-mouths and backwaters. On several occasions in the summer of 1959, buffalo were seen in shallow parts of long, rubble riffles, with the dorsal or caudal fins protruding above the surface. Ernest Craig, game protector, said buffalo on such riffles formerly provided much sport for gig-fishermen. He stated that the best catches were made at night because the fish were less "spooky" then than in daytime. In my collections made by use of the shocker, buffalo were taken more frequently at night (Table 9, p. 402).

On 19 June, 1959, I saw many buffalo that seemed to be feeding as they moved slowly upstream along the bottom of a riffle. The two species, often side by side, were readily distinguishable underwater. Small-mouthed buffalo appeared to be paler (slate gray) and more compressed than the darker black buffalo. To test the reliability of underwater identifications, I identified all individuals prior to collection with a gig. Correct identification was made of all fish collected on 19 June. The smallest individual obtained in this manner was 18.5 inches T. L. On 26 August, 1959, 16 small-mouthed buffalo were captured and many more were seen while the shocker was in use in the same riffle for one hour and ten minutes. One small-mouthed buffalo was caught while the shocker was being used in the pool below that riffle for one hour and fifty minutes. No black buffalo were taken on 26 August.

Spawning by buffalo was not observed but probably occurred in spring; all mature fish in my earliest collections (mid-June of each year) were spent. Small-mouthed buffalo reach maturity at approximately 14 inches T. L.

#Carpiodes carpio carpio# (Rafinesque)

River Carpsucker

River carpsucker were abundant throughout the study at all stations. Adults were taken most frequently in quiet water, but depth and bottom-type varied. The greatest concentrations occurred in mouths of creeks during times of high water; occasionally, large numbers were taken in a shallow backwater near the head of a riffle at the middle Neosho station. River carpsucker feed on the bottom but seem partly pelagic in habit. They were taken readily by means of the shocker and gill nets at all depths. The population of _C. carpio_ in the Neosho River probably was depleted by drought, although many individuals survived in the larger pools.

When stream-flow was restored, carpsucker probably moved rapidly upstream but had a scattered distribution in 1957. Trautman (1957:239) states that in the Scioto River, Ohio, river carpsucker moved upstream in May and downstream in late August and early September. Numbers found at the middle and lower Neosho stations suggest similar movements in the Neosho River in 1957. In midsummer they were common at the middle station but rare at the lower station; however, they became abundant at the lower station in November. The abundance in late fall at the lower Neosho station might have resulted either from downstream migration or from continued upstream movement into thinly populated areas. No indication of seasonal movement was found in 1958 or 1959.

River carpsucker reach maturity at approximately 11 inches T. L., and spawning occurs in May or June. A ripe male was taken from a gravel-bottomed riffle, three feet deep, at the middle station on the Neosho station on 10 June 1959.

The size-distribution of individuals taken at the middle Neosho station is presented in Fig. 2. The collection in early July of 1958 indicates that one size-group (probably the 1957 year-class) had a median length of approximately seven inches. The modal length of this group was nine inches in June, 1959. A second, predominant size-group (Fig. 2) seemed to maintain almost the same median size throughout all the collection periods, although specimens taken in the spring of 1959 were slightly smaller than those obtained in 1958. This apparent stability in size may have been due to an influx of the faster-growing individuals from a smaller size-group, coupled with mortality of most individuals more than 14 inches in length.

Young-of-the-year were taken at every station. Extensive seining along a gravel bar at the lower Neosho station indicated that the young are highly selective for quiet, shallow water with mud bottom. In these areas, young-of-the-year carpsucker were often the most abundant fish.

River carpsucker were collected more readily by use of the shocker after dark than in daylight (Table 9, p. 402).

#Carpiodes velifer# (Rafinesque)

High-finned Carpsucker

A specimen of _Carpiodes velifer_ taken at the lower station on the Neosho in 1958 provided the only record of the species in Kansas since 1924. Many specimens, now in the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, were taken from the Neosho River system by personnel of the State Biological Survey prior to 1912. The species has declined greatly in abundance in the past 50 years.

#Moxostoma aureolum pisolabrum# Trautman

Short-headed Redhorse

The short-headed redhorse occurred at all stations. It was common at the middle and lower stations on the Neosho, rare at the upper station on the Neosho, abundant at the upper station on the Marais des Cygnes in 1957, and rare thereafter at all stations on the Marais des Cygnes. Short-headed redhorse typically occur in riffles, most commonly at the uppermost end where the water flows swiftly and is about two feet deep. An unusually large concentration was seen on 13 June, 1959, in shallow (six inches), fast water over gravel bottom at the middle station on the Neosho River.

Thirty-nine individuals were marked by clipping fins at the middle Neosho station in 1959. Four were recovered from one to 48 days later: two at the site of original capture (one 48 days after marking), one less than one-half mile downstream, and one about one mile downstream from the original site of capture.

At the middle Neosho station in 1958, this species was taken more readily by use of the shocker at night than by day (Table 9, p. 402).

#Moxostoma erythrurum# (Rafinesque)

Golden Redhorse

The golden redhorse was abundant at the upper Neosho station, rare at the middle Neosho station, and did not occur in collections at other stations. This species was taken most frequently over gravel- or rubble-bottoms in small pools below riffles, and was especially susceptible to collection by means of the shocker.

Twenty-nine golden redhorse of the 1957 year-class, taken at the upper Neosho station on 9 September 1958, were 6.2 to 8.6 inches in total length (average 7.4 inches); 26 individuals of the same year-class caught on 21 August 1959 were 9.3 to 13.5 inches in total length (average 10.9 inches).

#Cyprinus carpio# Linnaeus

Carp

The carp decreased in abundance from 1957 to 1959 at the upper and middle Marais des Cygnes station and at the middle and lower Neosho stations. Carp were more abundant in the Marais des Cygnes than in the Neosho, although the largest number in any single collection was found in one pool at the upper Neosho station in 1958.

Carp were taken most commonly in quiet water near brush or other cover. At the middle Neosho station, collecting was most effective between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and least effective between 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (Table 9, p. 402). Ripe males were taken as early as 19 April (16.1 inches, 19.4 inches T. L.) and as late as 30 July (16 inches T. L.) at the middle Neosho station. Ripe females were taken as early as 19 April at the middle Neosho station (19.2 inches T. L.) and as late as 7 July at the lower Neosho station (16 inches T. L.). Young-of-the-year were taken first at the middle Marais des Cygnes on 8 July 1957. They were recorded on later dates at the upper Marais des Cygnes and at the lower and middle Neosho stations.

#Notemigonus crysoleucas# (Mitchill)

Golden Shiner

The golden shiner was taken rarely at the upper Marais des Cygnes station in 1958 and 1959 and at the middle Marais des Cygnes station in 1957 and 1958. At the middle Neosho station _Notemigonus_ was seined from a pond that is flooded frequently by the river, but never was taken in the mainstream.

#Semotilus atromaculatus# (Mitchill)

Creek Chub

The creek chub was taken only at the upper stations on both rivers. It increased in abundance at the upper Neosho station from 1957 to 1959, and was not taken in the upper Marais des Cygnes until 1959.

#Hybopsis storeriana# (Kirtland)

Silver Chub

A single specimen from the lower Marais des Cygnes station provides the only record of the species from the Marais des Cygnes system in Kansas, and is the only silver chub that I found in either river in 1957-1959. The species is taken often in the Kansas and Arkansas rivers.

#Hybopsis x-punctata# Hubbs and Crowe

Gravel Chub

The gravel chub, present only at the lower and middle Neosho stations, occupied moderate currents over clean (free of silt) gravel bottom. The gravel chub was not taken in 1957, was rare at both Neosho stations in 1958, became common at the lower Neosho station in part of 1959, but was never numerous at the middle Neosho station. Dr. F. B. Cross recorded the species as "rare" in 1952 at a collection site near my middle Neosho station, but larger numbers were taken then than in any of my collections at that station. The population was probably reduced by drought, and recovery was comparatively slow following restoration of flow.

Young-of-the-year and adults were common in collections from riffles at the lower Neosho station from 1 July through 8 July, 1959. I obtained only one specimen in intensive collections in the same area on 25, 26, and 27 August. Seemingly the species had moved off shallow riffles into areas not sampled effectively by seining.

#Phenacobius mirabilis# (Girard)

Sucker-mouthed Minnow

The sucker-mouthed minnow was common at the middle Marais des Cygnes station but was not taken at the upper and lower stations until 1959, when it was rare. At the middle and lower Neosho stations this fish increased in abundance from 1957 to 1959; at the upper station, sucker-mouthed minnows were not taken until 1959 when collections were made on the White farm. There, the species was common immediately below a low-head dam, but was not taken in extensive collections on the Bosch Farm in 1959.

The species was most common immediately below riffles, or in other areas having clean gravel bottom in the current. On 5 June, 1959, many individuals were taken at night (11:30 p.m.) on a shallow gravel riffle (four inches in depth) where none had been found in a collection at 5:00 p.m. on the same date.

Young-of-the-year were taken at the lower Neosho station on 24 June, 1959, and commonly thereafter in the summer.

#Notropis rubellus# (Agassiz)

Rosy-faced Shiner

In 1958, the rosy-faced shiner was taken rarely at the lower stations on both streams. This species is common in smaller streams tributary to the lower portions of the two rivers, and probably occurs in the mainstream only as "overflow" from tributaries. Possibly, during drought, rosy-faced shiners found suitable habitat in the mainstream of Neosho and Marais des Cygnes rivers, but re-occupied tributary streams as their flow increased with favorable precipitation, leaving diminishing populations in the mainstream.

#Notropis umbratilis# (Girard)

Red-finned Shiner

The red-finned shiner, most abundant at the upper Neosho station, occurred at all stations except the upper Marais des Cygnes. This fish seems to prefer small streams, not highly turbid, having clean, hard bottoms. It is a pool-dwelling, pelagic species.

#Notropis camurus# (Jordan and Meek)

Blunt-faced Shiner

The blunt-faced shiner was taken only in 1957, at the middle Neosho station, where it was rare. This species, abundant in clear streams tributary to the Neosho River (field data, State Biological Survey) may have used the mainstream as a refugium during drought. The few specimens obtained in 1957 possibly represent a relict population that remained in the mainstream after flow in tributaries was restored by increased rainfall.

#Notropis lutrensis# (Baird and Girard)

Red Shiner

The red shiner, abundant in 1952 (early stage of drought), was consistently the most abundant fish in my collections in the Marais des Cygnes and at the lower and middle Neosho stations. However, the abundance declined from 1957 to 1959 at the two Neosho stations. At the upper Neosho station the species was fourth in abundance in 1957, and third in 1958 and 1959 (Table 12).

The red shiner is pelagic in habit and occurs primarily in pools, though it frequently inhabits adjacent riffles. Collections by seining along a gravel bar at the lower station showed this fish to be most abundant in shallow, quiet water over mud bottom, or at the head of a gravel bar in relatively quiet water. At the lower end of the gravel bar in water one to four feet deep, with a shallow layer of silt over gravel bottom and a slight eddy-current, red shiners were replaced by ghost shiners or river carpsucker young-of-the-year as the dominant fish.

Fifty-nine dyed individuals were released in an eddy at the lower end of a gravel bar at the middle Neosho station on 5 June, 1959. Some of these fish still were present in this area when a collection was made 30 hours later. No colored fish were taken in collections from quiet water at the upper end of the gravel bar. A swift riffle intervening between the latter area and the area of release may have impeded their movement. Forty-six individuals, released at the head of the same gravel bar on 10 June, 1959, immediately swam slowly upstream through quiet water and were soon joined by other minnows. These fish did not form a well-organized school, but moved about independently, with individuals or groups variously dropping out or rejoining the aggregation until all colored fish disappeared about 50 feet upstream from the point of release.

Evidence of inshore movement at night was obtained on 8 June, 1959, in a shallow backwater, having gravel bottom, at the head of a gravel bar at the middle Neosho station. A collection made in the afternoon contained no red shiners, but they were abundant in the same area after dark.

In Kansas, red shiners breed in May, June, and July. Minckley (1959:421-422) described behavior that apparently was associated with spawning. Because of its abundance, the red shiner is one of the most important forage fishes in Kansas streams, and frequently is used as a bait minnow.

#Notropis volucellus# (Cope)

Mimic Shiner

The mimic shiner was taken only rarely at the two lower Neosho stations. This species, like _N. camurus_, is normally more common in clear tributaries than in the Neosho River, and probably frequents the mainstream only during drought.

#Notropis buchanani# Meek

Ghost Shiner

Field records of the State Biological Survey indicate that the ghost shiner was common in the mainstream of the lower Neosho River during drought. In 1957, the species was abundant at the lower and middle stations on the Neosho River and at the lower Marais des Cygnes station.

Collections at all stations show that the species has a definite preference for eddies--relatively quiet water, but adjacent to the strong current of the mainstream rather than in backwater remote from the channel. The bottom-type over which the ghost shiner was found varied from mud to gravel or rubble.

#Notropis stramineus# (Cope)

Sand Shiner

The sand shiner was taken rarely in the Neosho and commonly in the Marais des Cygnes in 1952. In my study the species occurred at all stations, but not until 1959 at the upper and lower Neosho stations. Sand shiners were found with equal frequency in pools and riffles. Spawning takes place in June and July.

#Pimephales tenellus tenellus# (Girard)

Mountain Minnow

The mountain minnow was common at the lower and middle Neosho stations throughout the period of study, and increased in abundance from 1957 to 1959. It was taken only in 1959 at the upper Neosho station, where it was rare. This species does not occur in the Marais des Cygnes River. The largest numbers were found in 1959 at the lower Neosho station, where this fish occurred most commonly in moderate current over clean gravel bottom. The mountain minnow, like _Hybopsis x-punctata_, was common in late June and early July but few were found in late August, 1959. The near-absence of this species in collections made in late August is responsible for the apparent slight decline in abundance from 1957 to 1959, as shown in Table 11. Metcalf (1959) found mountain minnows most commonly in streams of intermediate size in Chautauqua, Cowley and Elk counties, Kansas. The predilection of this species for permanent waters resulted in an increase in abundance during my study. With continued flow, this species possibly will decrease in abundance in the lower mainstream of the Neosho River. I suspect that the species is, or will be (with continued stream-flow), abundant in tributaries of intermediate size in the Neosho River Basin.

#Pimephales vigilax perspicuus# (Girard)

Parrot Minnow

The parrot minnow was not taken in the Marais des Cygnes River and was absent at the upper Neosho station until 1959. This species was common at the lower and middle Neosho stations throughout the period of study and increased in abundance from 1957 to 1959.

At the lower Neosho station, this fish preferred slow eddy-current over silt bottom, along the downstream portion of a gravel bar. The parrot minnow was taken less abundantly in the latter part of the summer, 1959, than in early summer, but the decline was less than occurred in the mountain minnow.

#Pimephales notatus# (Rafinesque)

Blunt-nosed Minnow

The blunt-nosed minnow was common, and increased in abundance in both rivers from 1957 to 1959. The largest numbers were found at the upper Neosho station in 1959, and a large population also was present at the lower Neosho station in 1959.

Pools having rubble bottom, bedrock, and small areas of mud were preferred at the upper Neosho station. At the lower Neosho station the fish was most common in quiet water at the lower end of a gravel bar. The parrot minnow also was common in this general area; nevertheless, these two species were seldom numerous in the same seine-haul, indicating segregation of the two. The blunt-nosed minnow was taken frequently in moderate current over clean gravel bottom, especially in late summer, 1959, when _P. notatus_ increased in abundance as the mountain minnow decreased.

#Pimephales promelas# Rafinesque

Fat-headed Minnow

The fat-headed minnow was taken at all stations except at the lower one on the Marais des Cygnes, and was most abundant at the upper Neosho station. Intensive seining at the lower Neosho station indicated that this species preferred quiet water and firm mud bottom.

In the Neosho River in 1957 to 1959, habitats of the species of _Pimephales_ seemed to be as follows: _Pimephales tenellus_ (mountain minnow) occurred primarily in moderately flowing gravel riffles in the downstream portions of the river. _Pimephales vigilax_ (parrot minnow) was mostly in the quiet areas having mud bottom at the downstream end of gravel bars, and less commonly on adjacent riffles, at the lower station. _Pimephales notatus_ (blunt-nosed minnow) had a wider range of habitats, occurring in quiet areas and moderate currents both upstream and downstream. _Pimephales promelas_ (fat-headed minnow) occurred throughout both rivers but was most abundant in the quiet water at the uppermost stations.

#Campostoma anomalum# (Rafinesque)

Stoneroller

The stoneroller was most abundant at the upper Neosho station and was not taken at the lower Marais des Cygnes station. This fish increased in abundance from 1957 to 1959, but was never common at the middle Marais des Cygnes or the middle and lower Neosho stations.

The stoneroller prefers fast, relatively clear water over rubble or gravel-bottom.

#Ictalurus punctatus# (Rafinesque)

Channel Catfish

The abundance of channel catfish was greatly reduced as a result of the drought of 1952-1956. With the resumption of normal stream-flow in 1957, the small numbers of adult channel catfish present in the stream produced unusually large numbers of young. These young of the 1957 year-class, which reached an average size of about nine inches by September 1959, will provide an abundant adult population for several years.

The reduction in number of channel catfish in streams can be related to the changed environment in the drought. When stream levels were low in 1953 (Tables 1-4), fish-populations were crowded into a greatly reduced area. An example of these crowded conditions was observed by Roy Schoonover, Biologist of the Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission, in October, 1953, when he was called to rescue fish near Iola, Kansas. The Neosho River had ceased to flow and a pool (less than one acre) below the city overflow dam was pumped dry. Schoonover (personal communication) estimated that 40,000 fish of all kinds were present in the pool. About 30,000 of these were channel catfish, two inches to 14 inches long, with a few larger ones. Fish were removed in the belief that sustained intermittency in the winter of 1953-1954 would result in severe winterkill. These conditions almost certainly were prevalent throughout the basin.

In addition to winterkill, crowding probably resulted in a reduced rate of reproduction by channel catfish, and by other species as well. This kind of density-dependent reduction of fecundity is known for many species of animals (Lack, 1954, ch. 7). In fish, it is probably expressed by complete failure of many individuals to spawn, coupled with scant survival of young produced by the adults that do spawn. Reproductive failure of channel catfish in farm ponds, especially in clear ponds, is well known, and is often attributed to a paucity of suitable nest-sites (Marzolf, 1957:22; Davis, 1959:10).

In the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes rivers, the intermittent conditions prevalent in the drought resulted in reduced turbidity in the remaining pools. Many spawning sites normally used by channel catfish were exposed, and others were rendered unsuitable because of the increased clarity of the water. In addition, predation on young channel catfish is increased in clear water (Marzolf; Davis, _loc. cit._), and would of course be especially pronounced in crowded conditions. The population was thereby reduced to correspond to the carrying capacity of each pool in the stream bed.

The return of normal flow in 1957 left large areas unoccupied by fish and the processes described above were reversed. The expanded habitat favored spawning by nearly the entire adult population, and conditions for survival of young were excellent. As a result, a large hatch occurred in the summer of 1957. (Several hundred small channel catfish were sometimes taken by use of the shocker a short distance upstream from a 25-foot seine, set in a riffle). Subsequent survival of the 1957 year-class has been good. By 1959, few of the catfish spawned in 1957 had grown large enough to contribute to the sport fishery, but they are expected to do so in 1960 and 1961.

The 1957 year-class was probably the first strong year-class of channel catfish since 1952. Davis (1959:15) found that channel catfish in Kansas seldom live longer than seven years. The 1952 year-class reached age seven in 1959. The extreme environmental conditions to which these fish were subjected in drought caused a higher mortality than would occur in normal times. The adult population in the two rivers probably was progressively reduced throughout the drought, and the reduction will continue until the strong 1957 year-class replenishes it. For these reasons, fishing success was poor in 1957-1959.

Juvenile channel catfish were more abundant in the Neosho than in the Marais des Cygnes in 1958 and 1959, although both streams supported sizable populations. In the Marais des Cygnes the upper station had fewer channel catfish than the middle and lower stations. In the Neosho, populations were equally abundant both upstream and downstream. The habitat of channel catfish in streams has been discussed by Bailey and Harrison (1948).

I found adults in various habitats throughout the stream, but most abundantly in moderately fast water at the lower and middle Neosho stations. At the upper Neosho station where riffles are shallow, yearlings and two-year-olds were numerous in many of the small pools over rubble-gravel bottom. Cover was utilized where present, but large numbers were taken in pools devoid of cover. Young-of-the-year were nearly always taken from rubble- or gravel-riffles having moderate to fast current at both upstream and downstream stations.

Collections showed that young of 1957 were abundant on riffles throughout the summer and until 17 November, 1957. Subsequent collections were not made until 11 May, 1958, at which time 1957-class fish still were abundant on riffles at the lower Neosho station; on that date, the larger individuals were in deeper parts of the riffles than were smaller representatives of the same year-class.