W. L. Minckley

“ However, the frequency of occurrence of each species is indicated by the number of stations at which it was found, and those stations are listed in the previous accounts. Table 3 shows the percentage of the total number of fish that each species comprised in three kinds of streams: sandy (Big Blue and Little Blue rivers) , muddy, and gravelly streams.
The habitat preferences of some species affect their abundance in different stream-types. ”

“ Common shiners were most abundant in middle sections of the clear, gravelly creeks.
Notropis lutrensis (Baird and Girard) , red shiner: Meek (1895:136) ; and Evermann and Cox (1896:404-405) . All stations excepting 1-S, 17-G, 30-M, and 51-M.
Red shiners were the most widespread species taken in my survey, occurring in all habitats, and in all kinds of streams. On two occasions I observed what apparently was spawning behavior of this species. Both times the specimens collected were in the height of breeding condition, stripping in the hand easily, and often without pressure. ”

“ The average fishing pressure for the entire area was estimated at one fisherman per 7.9 miles of stream, or one fisherman per 15.7 miles of shoreline.
Seven species of fish were identified from fishermen's creels in 1957 and 1958. These, in order of abundance were: channel catfish; carp; freshwater drum; flathead catfish; shovelnose sturgeon; smallmouth buffalo; and river carpsucker. Shovelnose sturgeon occurred in fishermen's creels only in April, 1957, and freshwater drum occurred more frequently in the spring-census of 1957 than in the summer of 1958. ”

“ Therefore, fewer people fished the river, and catches were irregular. Catches in 1958 ranged from 0.26 fish per fisherman-day in Area I to 0.44 fish per fisherman-day in Area III. In 1951, in the Republican River of Kansas and Nebraska, the average fisherman-day yielded 0.36 fish, 0.09 fish per man-hour, and 0.06 fish per pole-hour (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1952:13-14) . The average fisherman-day in the Republican River study was 3.0 hours, whereas the average on the Big Blue River was 2.2 hours for all areas in 1958 (Table 4) . ”

“ The human population of the Big Blue Basin varies from about 90 persons per square mile in one Nebraska county in the northwest and one Kansas county in the southeast, to as few as six persons per square mile in some northeastern counties. The population is most dense along the eastern border of the basin, decreasing toward the west. ”

“ Figure 3 gives a generalized picture of the faunal composition in different kinds of streams. However, the fauna of a small tributary becomes more distinct from the fauna of the larger stream into which the small stream flows as one moves toward the headwaters (Metcalf, 1957:92, 95-100) . ”

“ Data on relative abundance of fishes were obtained by counts of seine hauls at 29 of the 59 stations, counts of rotenoned fish at seven stations, and results with the electric shocker at nine stations. Counts were usually made in the field; however, in some collections all fish were preserved and counted in the laboratory. Some fish (or "swirls" presumed to be fish) observed while shocking were not identified and are not included in the calculations. However, all fish positively identified while shocking are included. ”

“ The ages and total lengths at the last annulus for 12 white suckers were: I, 2.8 (4) ; II, 3.9 (6) ; III, 8.2 (1) ; and IV, 9.2 (1) .
Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, carp: Canfield and Wiebe (1931:5-8, 10) as "carp." ”

“ After brief display, usually less than two seconds, the male resumed the chase, swimming behind and around the female in a spiral fashion. After a chase of two to three feet, the female would sometimes allow the male to approach closely on her left side. ”