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Inicund
Reds
by KENNETH C. JURGENS
Inland Fisheries Supervisor, Rockport
L. V. GUERRA
Aquatic Biologist
Stocking of redfish is being done for
experimental purposes only. Redfish are not
available to the public for private stock-
ing.-Editor.
FOR more than 10 years, person-
nel of the Parks and Wildlife
Department's inland fisheries re-
search staff have been in quest of
a fish species which would biologi-
cally control over-abundant forage
or trash fish in Texas' inland waters.
Such a fish would have to be desir-
able as a sport fish, be of good food
quality, grow to large size, and be
an efficient predator. Possible can-
didates for this job, thus far, have
been the walleye, the snook, the
*i
striped bass, the speckled trout, the
flounder, and the redfish. All of
these, with the exception of the wall-
eye and snook, are saltwater fishes
and in each case, prior to 1962, have
been experimentally transplanted
from coastal bays to saline inland
waters. Experiments so far indicate
some possibilities for using the red-
fish in controlling freshwater trash
fish.
The earliest attempt to make use
of a non-native predatory fish spe-
cies as a biological control on un-
wanted fish came in 1952. At that
time, walleye, or yellow pike-perch,
over a million strong, were planted
in Lake Travis, near Austin. Addi-
tional walleyes, also in large num-
bers, were stocked in Lakes Walk,
Marble Falls and Granite Shoals.
None were ever recaptured.
In 1954, some 58 young-of-the-
year redfish were placed in the more
than 22,000 acres of Lake Kemp,
near Wichita Falls. These were fol-
lowed in 1957 with 1,382 addition-
al young redfish plus 184 young,
speckled trout. Overall, the stocking
rate for redfish was approximately
65 per 1,000 surface acres and, so
far as is known, none of these fish
as yet have been recaptured.
Biologist L. V. Guerra
has fistfuls of proof
with a 7 lb. 3 oz.
redfish taken from
Casa Blanca Lake.
/
Snook are known to migrate in-
to warm, sub-tropical freshwater
streams from coastal waters, but no
attempts have been made to trans-
plant them into Texas' inland waters
because they are extremely suscep-
tible to cold, winter water tempera-
tures.
Saltwater stripers were imported
from California in 1960, when 791
of these fish were placed in Lake
Diversion near Wichita Falls. Noth-
ing as yet is known about their sur-
vival.
In April 1950, some 871 saltwater
fishes, including 246 young redfish,
50 speckled trout, 75 southern floun-
ders and 500 golden croakers and
spots were transplanted from coastal
bay waters to the salty waters of Im-
perial Reservoir on the Pecos River.
All species, except the speckled
trout, have been recaptured by in-
land fisheries crews in net samples
and have exhibited good growth in
their new home.
One of the most recent attempts
to transplant redfish has been ap-
proached somewhat differently than
any of the earlier trials with salt-
water fish. First, it was decided the
waters to be stocked would be rela-
tively free of salt. Second, the fish
would be stocked at a higher rate
per acre. Third, the waters selected
would be small enough to insure pos-
sible recapture.
On the morning of March 20, 1962,
some 500 redfish, measuring approx-
imately two and one-half inches in
length, were collected by marine
biologists in Corpus Christi Bay,
,,. V