Movement of Marked Fish
Table 16. Data on Movement of Marked Fish at the Upper Neosho Station, September, 1959.
| Species | Number marked | Number recaptured | Number moved upstream | Number moved downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Redhorse | 24 | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| Sucker-mouthed Minnow | 68 | 27 | 7 | 0 |
| Red-finned Shiner | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red Shiner | 1326 | 152 | 48 | 25 |
| Blunt-nosed Minnow | 136 | 32 | 1 | 10 |
| Fat-headed Minnow | 151 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| Stoneroller | 177 | 90 | 1 | 0 |
| Black Bullhead | 25 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Channel Catfish (j)[L] | 294 | 36 | 4 | 7 |
| Channel Catfish (yy)[M] | 145 | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| Stonecat | 33 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Green Sunfish | 124 | 68 | 1 | 0 |
| Long-eared Sunfish | 33 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Slender-headed Darter | 70 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Orange-throated Darter | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Some measure was gained of the amount of movement exhibited by several species of fish. Results are biased in favor of a conclusion that a species is sedentary because a large percentage of the recaptures were made in collections taken in the same immediate area three hours after release of marked fish, the total area checked was not large (one mile), and collecting was limited to an eleven-day period. Nevertheless, some species were shown to be definitely mobile and others exhibited pronounced sedentary tendencies. The results of experiments on movement are presented in Table 16. Marked fish (dyed and fin-clipped) were taken as long as seven days after being marked. Only those species in which more than ten individuals were marked are included.
Blunt-nosed minnow, red shiner, and channel catfish (yearlings and older) are more mobile than other species.
The mobility of channel catfish has been discussed by Muncy (1958) and Funk (1957). My records show that of 36 marked channel catfish that were recaptured, 11 were taken in areas other than the one into which they had been returned. A pronounced mobile tendency on the part of the red shiner and blunt-nosed minnow is shown by the fact that of 152 marked red shiners recaptured, 73 had moved from the area of release; and of 32 marked blunt-nosed minnows recaptured, 11 had moved from the area of release. The fact that the habitat occupied by these species is not precise (ranging from swift riffles to quiet pools) supports a conclusion that the species are mobile.
The fat-headed minnow, stoneroller, channel catfish (young-of-the-year), green sunfish and long-eared sunfish form a sedentary element of the population. With the exception of the fat-headed minnow, the sedentary group also maintained relatively stable numbers in Areas 1, 3 and 6 throughout the study (Table 14). It is interesting to note that, in contrast to the mobile group, the species forming the sedentary group have rather well-defined habitat preferences.
A third group of species, represented by the red-finned shiner, stonecat, slender-headed darter and orange-throated darter, was characterized by having a low rate of recapture. I suspect that mortality is a factor contributing to the failure to recapture red-finned shiners, because in one collection only four of 31 red-finned shiners captured were successfully marked and released, in another case 70 of 818. The red-finned shiner occurs most often in pools but is also taken in other areas, is pelagic, and probably is a mobile species.
The stonecat, slender-headed darter and orange-throated darter are generally restricted to riffle-habitats, and are probably sedentary. The low number of recaptures for these three species probably is due either to a slow rate of dispersal from the point of release or to latent mortality resulting from shock. Table 14 shows that these three species maintain comparatively stable populations, but there seems to be a tendency for a reduction in numbers with continued collecting, even though all fish captured were returned to the stream.
Golden redhorse showed a high rate of recapture. All individuals marked were recaptured three hours after release in Areas 1 (two fish) and 3 (five fish). Nine individuals were taken from Area 4 on 11 September; seven of these were marked and released in the next pool downstream (Area 3). On 15 September, two fish were retaken in Area 3 and two were retaken in Area 2, the next pool downstream. The species was common in Area 5 also where five of eight marked individuals were recaptured two days after release. It seems that the golden redhorse is somewhat restricted in movement, at least for short periods.
The sucker-mouthed minnow and black bullhead showed some movement—less than such mobile species as red shiners and channel catfish, but more than the sedentary group. Seven of 27 marked sucker-mouthed minnows were taken in areas adjacent to the one to which they had been returned. Two of six black bullheads that were recaptured had moved. The black bullhead moved the greater distance. The extent of short-term movement by several of the species in the Upper Neosho correlates well with redistribution subsequent to drought in the Wakarusa River, discussed by Deacon and Metcalf (1961).