Neches River Fish Trends
Fish species records during the six surveys are presented below. The total number of species ranged from 12 to 51. The totals were lowest during the cursory surveys of 1956 (12) and 1960 (24), intermediate in 1953 (38) and 1973 (33), and highest during 1996 (51) and 2003 (51). The numbers of species recorded at each station during 2003 were greater than those in 1973: Station 1 (32 vs. 22 species), Station 2 (20 vs. 12), Station 3 (19 vs. 12), and Station 4 (18 vs. 16).
Fish Species recorded in the Neches River during surveys
conducted in 1953, 1956, 1960, 1973, 1996 and 2003
| Species |
1953 |
1956* |
1960* |
1973 |
1996 |
2003 |
| Species |
1953 |
1956* |
1960* |
1973 |
1996 |
2003 |
* = cursory surveys
? = tenative identification
‡ = Due to the number of species recorded, some groups (minnow/shiners, topminnows, silversides, darters and gobies) have been consolidated. |
| Longnose gar |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
| Spotted gar |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Alligator gar |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
| American Eel |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Speckled Worm Eel |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
| Gulf Menhaden |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
| Skipjack Herring |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Shad (2 species) |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Smallmouth Buffalo |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Black Buffalo |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bay Anchovy |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Carp |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Spotted Sucker |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
| Catfish species |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
| Blue Catfish |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
| Black Bullhead |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
| Channel Catfish |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
| Flathead Catfish |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Hardhead Catfish |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Pirate Perch |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
| Sheepshead Minnow |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Western Mosquitofish |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Sailfin Molly |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Gulf Pipefish |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Searobin species |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Warmouth |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
| Bluegill |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Longear Sunfish |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
| Readear Sunfish |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
| Spotted/Redspotted Sunfish |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
| Banded Pygmy Sunfish |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
| Sunfish Species |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Spotted Bass |
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Largemouth Bass |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
| White Crappie |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
| Black Crappie |
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Silver Jenny |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
| Flagfin Mojarra |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
| Lookdown |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Spotfin Mojarra |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Sheepshead |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Pinfish |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
| Freshwater Drum |
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Sand/Silver Seatrout |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Spotted Seatrout |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Spot |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
| Atlantic Croaker |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Red Drum |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
| Star Drum |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Atlantic Spadefish |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Striped/White Mullet |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Fat Sleeper |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| Bay Whiff |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
| Lined Sole |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Hogchoker |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Blackcheek Tonguefish |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Minnow/Shiner species‡ |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Topminnows, Killifish‡ |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Silverside species‡ |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Darter species‡ |
X |
|
|
X |
|
X |
| Goby species‡ |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| Number of Species |
38 |
12* |
24* |
33 |
51 |
51 |