Premium
Production of Rough or Commercial Fishes in Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico
Author(s) -
Jester Douclas B.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1976)105<222:porocf>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - butte , cyprinus , carp , fishery , forage , zoology , biology , biomass (ecology) , environmental science , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , paleontology
Elephant Butte Lake is a large warmwater impoundment of the Rio Grande in southwestern New Mexico. Thirteen of 28 species of fish present are relatively abundant. Nine of the 13 species are game fishes; one is forage; and river carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio), smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus), and carp (Cyprinus carpio) make up a large rough or commercial fish group. Buffalo were exploited heavily, carp lightly, and carpsucker were unexploited from 1963‐1972. Estimates of live‐weight biomass production were 22,400 kg of carpsucker in 1967, 311,850 kg of buffalo in 1966, and 49,500 kg of carp in 1969. Standing crops changed from 29,500 kg to 30,200 kg of carpsucker, 275,400 kg to 252,700 kg of buffalo, and 40,200 kg to 39,600 kg of carp during the year. Distribution of production among age groups is discussed in relation to exploitation rates and reproductive success of each species. Annual production cycles are discussed in terms of 0.1‐yr time intervals. Combined production of 9.03 g/m 2 /yr for total surface area and 12.53 g/m 2 /yr for shoals is within the range of production reported from 22 other waters, and combined production of 0.93 kg/1,000 m 3 /yr is between production reported from two other waters. Production is discussed in terms of high insolation rates of 523‐540 g‐cal/cm 2 /day compared to less insolation where other estimates were made and in terms of pH and concentrations of hardness salts and nutrients in Elephant Butte Lake.