Fish Populations, Following a Drought, in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers of Kansas Part 1

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

by James Everett Deacon.

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 b.u.mper 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 quant.i.ties 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.

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).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1. Neosho and Marais des Cygnes drainage systems. Dots and circles indicate collecting-stations.]

_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 Fis.h.i.+ng Gear_

The princ.i.p.al collecting-device used was a portable (600-watt, 110-volt, A. C.) electric shocker carried in a 12-foot aluminum boat. Two 2 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, s.h.i.+elded 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.