Background Since the late 1990s, bigheaded carps (largely silver carp [ Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ] but also bighead carp [ H. nobilis ]) have established throughout the lower Mississippi River basin. Using previously studied oxbow lakes in the lower White River basin, Arkansas, we compared current (2017, “post-carp” establishment) fish assemblages to historical (2002, “pre-carp” establishment) fish assemblages. Fish assemblages were comprehensively assessed using multiple gears, including boat electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and experimental small-mesh gill nets. Results T -tests suggested that fish assemblage indices of richness, diversity, evenness, and dominance were often greater ( P < 0.05) during the post-carp period as reflected by boat electrofishing and experimental gill nets. However, all indices were generally similar ( P > 0.05) between the pre-carp and post-carp period with fish assemblages depicted using mini-fyke nets. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analyses indicated that fish assemblages differed structurally between pre-carp and post-carp periods. Assemblage differences were linked to both small and large abundance changes for more than 20 species. Abundances of gizzard shad ( Dorosoma cepedianum ), emerald shiner ( Notropis atherinoides ), pugnose minnow ( Opsopoeodus emiliae ), crappies ( Pomoxis spp.), bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ), orangespotted sunfish ( L. humilis ), and yellow bass ( Morone mississippiensis ) declined between the pre-carp and post-carp periods. Conversely, abundances of weed shiner ( N. texanus ), pallid shiner ( Hybopsis amnis ), longear sunfish ( L. megalotis ), buffalofishes ( Ictiobus spp.), and gars ( Lepisosteus spp.) generally increased during the same period. Conclusions Although not possible to conclude assemblage shifts were entirely related to bigheaded carps due to the absence of an appropriate reference system where carps did not establish, the wide establishment of these carps is one of the most pervasive changes to have occurred in the lower White River ecosystem during the past two decades. Thus, it is probable to conclude that post-carp establishment observations from this study were at least, in part, attributable to bigheaded carp establishment. Impacts of further range expansions by bigheaded carps in the White River and other lower Mississippi River sub-basins are unclear, though this study suggests probable effects on native fish assemblages, underscoring the need for further research and monitoring.

Background Agriculture has greatly influenced water quality, habitats, and fish assemblages in streams of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) ecoregion. However, MAP streams have historically been understudied compared to streams in other agricultural regions of the USA. In this study, water quality, habitat, and fish assemblage composition were assessed seasonally (spring, summer, and fall) in eight representative MAP streams located across three U.S. states. The study design included four streams containing highly agricultural watersheds (herein termed “agriculture” streams) and four streams containing mostly forested watersheds (herein termed “forest” streams), which were intended to represent reference conditions for MAP streams. Results In general, forest streams contained significantly better instream and riparian habitats than agriculture streams ( P = 0.010–0.040) whereas agriculture streams contained significantly greater levels of primary nutrients ( P < 0.001–0.010). Differences between agriculture and forest streams with respect to other physical and chemical variables were intermittent and season dependent. Fish assemblages in agriculture and forest streams were structured primarily along an environmental gradient reflecting instream habitat conditions, water nutrient concentrations, and benthic chlorophyll- a production. Structurally, fish assemblages in both stream types contained many regionally common species, though some species appeared to exhibit affinities for a particular stream type. Functionally, fish assemblages in agriculture streams contained more tolerant species, more omnivores, and fewer insectivores compared to forest stream assemblages, which were nearly all insectivores. Overall, one-third of the fish specimens collected in forest streams classified as intolerant species. Conclusions Our results suggested that stream water quality, habitat, and fish assemblages differed between agriculture and forest streams in the MAP, with fish assemblages exhibiting both structural and functional differences. Results were consistent with a larger body of literature from smaller, headwater streams whereby land-use changes (e.g., row-crop agriculture) impacted the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of stream ecosystems. Results further highlight the importance of land use management and its effects on habitat diversity in stream ecosystems, and that protecting the few remaining undisturbed or less-disturbed streams should be a priority.

The aquatic fauna of large river systems have been the cornerstones of multiple civilizations throughout human history.Today,they remain critically important as pri-mary resources for humans as well as indicators of gen-eral ecosystem structure and function.Unfortunately,nearly all large-river systems globally are at risk from over-exploitation,pollution,large-scale development,navigation,dredging,climate change,and other threats.

Lakes in the central Yangtze River basin have experienced increasing levels of human disturbance during the past several decades, yet large-scale environmental patterns in these lakes and their driving factors remain unclear. Herein we examined spatial and temporal patterns of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and seven other heavy metals from 16 lakes experiencing a gradient of human disturbance. These lakes were divided among six groups: suburban reservoirs (SR), suburban high-aquaculture lakes (SH), suburban low-aquaculture lakes (SL), suburban noaquaculture lakes (SN), urban aquaculture lakes (UA) and urban no-aquaculture lakes (UN). Spatially, water-column concentrations of Cd, Ni, Co, Mn, Fe, and Al, and sediment concentrations of Ni were significantly lower in SR compared to other lake groups. Except for Al, heavy metal concentrations did not differ between SN and SL lakes in the water-column or sediments. SH lakes exhibited significantly greater concentrations of Cu, Co, Cr, Mn, and Al in the water-column and Zn in sediments compared to SN lakes. UA lakes contained significantly lower concentrations of Zn, Cd, and Al in sediment compared to UN lakes, though no significant differences were detected within water column samples. Temporally, with all lake groups combined, summer water-column concentrations of Cd, Pb, Co, Mn, and Al were lower compared to spring and autumn. Additionally, summer sediment concentrations of Zn, As, Co, Fe also were lower compared to autumn. Further results indicated that low-density fish stockings without external feed inputs appeared to have little impact on heavy metals in both suburban and urban lakes. However, high-density fish stockings with external feed inputs were associated with increased heavy-metal concentrations across all lakes. Overall, urbanization has great potential to increase sediment heavy-metal ecological risks. These findings are crucial for developing heavy-metal pollution control and management strategies for freshwater lakes.

This paper investigates the impact of the Wetland Reserve Program utilizing the residential housing and wetland easement data to estimate the benefit of wetland restoration in Arkansas. The environmental benefits of alternative agricultural management practices are underestimated and largely ignored by agriculture producers and beneficiaries. Governments at various levels have developed programs to provide appropriate economic incentives to optimize agricultural production and environmental benefits. Based on a quasi-experimental approach and an event study design, our results indicated that there is a statistically significant increase in property values near the wetland restoration sites and the estimated increase ranges from 6% to 10%.

Hydrology has been documented as affecting the recruitment of sport fishes. However, the potential cumulative effects of river hydrology on fish growth have not been intensively studied. In 2004, 2005, and 2010, annual growth increments were measured for Largemouth BassMicropterus salmoidesand Spotted BassM. punctulatuspopulations from throughout the Arkansas portion of the Arkansas River. During three consecutive years (2007-2009), the lower Arkansas River experienced long durations of high water. Mean annual flows exceeded the 42-year average by 52%, with summer flows averaging 107% above normal and 29% of the days annually exceeding 2,830 m(3)/s. Using age-1-6 cohorts, we compared Largemouth Bass (n = 2,155) and Spotted Bass (n = 833) growth increments across hydrologic conditions occurring during the growth years experienced by these fish. Two-wayANOVAs using back-calculated age and growth year warm-season hydrology (classified as high, average, or low flow based on quartiles from historical April-September hydrographs) as main effects suggested significant hydrologic effects on the growth of both black bass species. A significant interaction between back-calculated age and growth year April-September hydrology for both black basses further suggested that flow affected growth differently across ages, with decreased annual growth increments detected for the age-1-3 cohorts. Decreased annual growth occurring during 2007-2009 also was consistent with a 0.5-year increase in the age at which Largemouth Bass attained 381 mmTL(i.e., the minimum length required for legal harvest) in 2010. Similarly, Spotted Bass required an extra 0.9 year to attain 304 mmTL(i.e., a common minimum length limit). Results suggested that the typically beneficial effects of high-flow years on black bass populations in large-river-floodplain systems may be dampened or non-existent in more highly regulated, impounded river systems, such as the modern-day Arkansas River.

The lower Mississippi River (LMR) has been heavily modified for multiple human purposes such as navigation,flood control,and bank stabilization.However,the LMR simultaneously supports a diverse fish fauna that includes recreational and commercial fisheries.Due to river training and diversion structures constructed during the past 80 years,the historic characteristics of the LMR have been drastically altered and have likely influenced fishes and fisheries in the system.One common restoration measure used throughout the LMR has been to "notch" wing-dike structures that close secondary (side) river channels.Dike notching allows year-round flows through secondary channels,which enhances habitat diversity and promotes biological productivity at the ecosystem scale.Although notching is presumed good for LMR fishes and other biota,few studies have examined its effects on fish assemblages.In this study,fish assemblages were sampled at seven LMR secondary channels spanning from river kilometer (rkm) 628 (Louisiana-Mississippi,U.S.A.) upstream to rkm 1504 (Missouri-Kentucky,U.S.A.).Four secondary channels were termed "permanent" (i.e.,with notched dikes) while three secondary channels were termed "temporary" (i.e.,without notched dikes).Fishes were sampled by boat-mounted electrofishing conducted during falling and low stages from 1995-1997.Fish assemblages differed between permanent and temporary secondary channels,and varied somewhat between falling and low stages.Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum),threadfin shad (D.petenense),and white bass (Morone chrysops) demonstrated consistent preferences for low-current conditions associated with temporary secondary channels.Conversely,blue catfish (Ictalurusfurcatus),flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris),and freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) were more associated with permanent secondary channels.Future restoration strategies in the LMR should consider dike notching and resultant maintenance of permanent secondary channels in selected river reaches.However,temporary secondary channels also contain unique fish species,and also appear to be important sites of riverine primary production.Restoration strategies should consider a balance of both secondary channel types,which should support the greatest biodiversity for the LMR ecosystem.

Species of Centrarchidae are major components of inland fisheries in much of North America. Thus, information gained from the assessment of interspecies interactions and/or quantifying predator-prey relationships is a useful tool for fisheries managers. Using preserved fish specimens (n = 717) from 20 species of centrarchids, we made measurements of total length (TL), standard length (SL), horizontal gape, and body depth for each individual. We fitted mathematical models that included horizontal gape and body depth as functions of TL and SL, and TL as a function of SL. Linear-regression-model fits were generally good (r(2) = 0.764-0.998) for all 20 species. with 61 of 78 possible models having r(2) values exceeding 0.90. Horizontal gape-SL (F-3,F-702 = 77.18, P < 0.001) and body depth-SL (F-3,F-702 = 91.79, P < 0.001) ratios differed significantly along a gradient that reflected the species' likelihood of piscivory. Slopes of TL-SL regressions did not vary by species, which enabled development of a generalized TL-SL model for centrarchids. Supplemental analyses supported that morphometric measurements had not been influenced significantly by preservation. Results of this study are useful to fisheries managers involved with understanding species interactions within centrarchid-dominated food webs, which are of high priority in most fisheries-management plans.

Cyanobacterial blooms and their associated toxins are growing issues for many aquatic resources, and pose a major threat to human health and ecological welfare. To control cyanobacterial blooms and their toxins, the efficacy of a newly developed granular compound (sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate 'SCP', trade name 'PAK (R) 27' algaecide) containing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as the active ingredient was investigated. First, the dose efficacy of the SCP that corresponded to 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 5.0 and 8.0 mg/L H2O2 was tested for 10 days in small-scale tanks installed in 0.1-acre experimental hypereutrophic ponds dominated by blooms of the toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix sp. SCP ranging from 2.5-4.0 mg/L H2O2 selectively killed Planktothrix sp. without major impacts on either eukaryotic phytoplankton (e.g., diatom Synedra sp., green algae Spirogyra sp. and Cladophora sp.) or zooplankton (e.g., rotifers Brachionus sp. and cladocerans Daphnia sp.). Based on these results, SCP at 2.5 mg/L and 4.0 mg/L H2O2 were homogeneously introduced into entire water volume of the experimental ponds in parallel with untreated control ponds. The dynamics of cyanobacterium Planktothrix sp., microcystins (commonly occurring cyanotoxins), eukaryotic phytoplankton, zooplankton, and water quality parameters were measured daily for 10 days and followed by a weekly sampling for 6 weeks. Temporal analysis indicated that Planktothrix sp. blooms collapsed remarkably in both 2.5 mg/L and 4.0 mg/L H2O2 treatments. Both treatments also were accompanied by an overall reduction in the total microcystin concentration. At 2.5 mg/L H2O2, the growth of eukaryotic phytoplankton (Synedra and Cladophora sp.) increased, but these populations along with zooplankton (Brachionus and Daphnia sp.) were suppressed at 4.0 mg/L H2O2. The longevity of 2.5 and 4.0 mg/L H2O2 treatment effects were up to 5 weeks. In addition, the added granular algaecide degraded within a few days, thereby leaving no long-term traces of H2O2 in the environment. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wetland conservation programs (e.g., Wetland Reserve Program and Conservation Reserve Program) have been implemented throughout the Mississippi River Basin to reduce environmental impacts from agricultural activities. However, there is limited information on the overall effectiveness of these programs on improving stream ecological conditions. To address this issue, replicate streams from southeastern Arkansas draining watersheds containing predominately croplands (n = 4, termed "cropland") and created wetlands (n = 4, termed "wetland") were monitored monthly from August 2012 through July 2013. Although repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) detected many significant time x stream type interactions, several habitat parameters and total habitat scores exhibited a general improvement in wetland streams. Some water quality conditions were better in wetland streams (e.g., lower turbidity, total suspended solids, and nutrient) compared to cropland streams. The time (season) effect was significant (p < 0.05) for 13 of the 14 water quality parameters measured, meaning that water quality varied seasonally. Among the water quality parameters measured, three (water temperature, pH, and turbidity) exhibited significant (p < 0.05) time x stream type interaction, meaning that the stream type effect was not consistent through time (seasons). Fish community sampling collected 6543 specimens from 12 species during the study period; 4410 and 2133 fish specimens were collected from cropland and wetland streams, respectively. Fish community metrics such as species diversity, species evenness, and species richness index were not significantly (p > 0.05) greater in wetland streams. Overall, the conservation wetlands in the Lower Mississippi River Basin appear to have significantly improved stream habitat and moderately improved water quality, though no significant fish community effect was detected. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The lower Mississippi River encompasses the 1,535-km reach extending from the confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. Waters of the lower Mississippi River have historically inundated vast areas of adjacent floodplain during spring flood pulses. Additionally, processes of land building within the river's deltaic plain supported vast forests and diverse freshwater and salt-marsh habitats. Flood pulses provided a mechanism of lateral exchange of energy and nutrients between the aquatic and terrestrial habitats, while sediment loads continually rebuilt and supported the deltaic plain. As human populations and agriculture expanded throughout the lower Mississippi Valley, construction of flood-protection levee systems and commercial navigational structures severely decreased the connectivity between the lower Mississippi River and its floodplain. The current lower Mississippi River floodplain is more than 90% reduced in area compared to historical conditions. Fluvial dynamics, which are the driving forces that stimulate floodplain function and create diverse habitats, appear to have been altered throughout approximately 80% of the river. As a result, the hydrograph, thermograph, sedimentation patterns, nutrient dynamics, and vegetation communities within the lower Mississippi River floodplain have experienced major changes through time, with many large alterations occurring during the past century. In addition, because most of the sediment load of the lower Mississippi River now enters the northern Gulf of Mexico, land building and associated processes are much reduced in the river's deltaic plain. This process has allowed intrusion of saltwater into coastal habitats, which has heavily impacted vegetation communities. This paper reviews the consequences of river modification to lower Mississippi River floodplain, current efforts towards restoring the floodplain and deltaic plain, and proposes future strategies towards restoring portions of the historical floodplain.

: Despite its importance to anglers, the Arkansas River spotted bass ( Micropterus punctulatus ) fishery has not been intensively studied or managed. Thus, spotted bass populations in the lower nine navigation pools of the Arkansas River were assessed during 2004–2005 using nighttime boat-mounted electrofishing. Across years and pools, size structure measures were within acceptable ranges for black basses (mean PSD Q = 38, range 21–56; mean PSD P = 10, range 0–19). Theoretical maximum sizes generated from growth models were not large for spotted bass (mean L ∞ = 395 mm TL, range 351–429 mm total length), though populations exhibited good condition and growth. Total annual mortality estimated from catch curves averaged 49% and ranged from 43%–57% across pools. Although population metrics exhibited few longitudinal relationships within the Arkansas River, spotted bass populations compared favorably to other populations from similar impounded river systems. Spotted bass populations exhibited significant relationships with macrohabitats in the river. Spotted bass catch-per-unit-effort was directly correlated to long-term areal and proportional increases in main channel and dike pool habitats, whereas condition was inversely correlated to area of diked secondary channel habitat. In light of the documented long-term (1973–1999) macrohabitat changes, results suggested that main channel and associated habitats may be important for the continued health of spotted bass populations in the Arkansas River.

Gear comparison studies are useful to fisheries managers because many aquatic systems require multiple gears to assess fish assemblages. Many previous studies have emphasized comparisons of catch per unit effort or basic community measures such as richness and diversity. Our objectives were to (1) compare fish assemblage richness, diversity, and evenness across sampling gears, (2) assess the similarity of fish assemblage structure as depicted by the different gears, and (3) compare fish assemblage-environment relationships depicted by the different gears. Assessments were conducted in littoral-zone areas of 16 floodplain lakes in the lower White River, Arkansas. Four sampling gears were used: 500-V, 60-Hz (high-pulse) and 1,000-V, 15-Hz (low-pulse) boat-mounted nighttime electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and experimental gill nets. Species richness and diversity were significantly greater using boat-mounted electrofishing (both pulses) than the other gears. Experimental gill nets exhibited the lowest richness of all gears (<50% of the other gears), and mini-fyke nets exhibited significantly lower evenness owing to the tendency for 1-2 species to dominate catches. Procrustean analyses indicated that the lake-specific fish assemblages depicted by the different gears were significantly different during all paired-gear comparisons except between the two electrofishing configurations. Regardless of gear, multivariate direct gradient analyses indicated that lake depth, water clarity, and morphoedaphic index were consistently important variables associated with the structuring of littoral-zone fish assemblages. The results support the idea that multiple-gear approaches are useful in assessing floodplain lake fish assemblages and that, in the case of lower White River floodplain lakes, the assemblage information collected from the different gears was not redundant. Additionally, if a large-river sampling program is using only one or two gears, major fish-environment relationships that are depicted may not be gear dependent.

A 22.4-ha impoundment experienced an outbreak of Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) virus (LMBV) disease in the summer of 2006. All dead or dying largemouth bass observed throughout the entire event were recorded and removed. In this study, we estimated mortality and examined size distribution, condition, and biomass following the outbreak. Boat-mounted electrofishing was used to collect largemouth bass for a mark-recapture population estimate and other population metrics. Fish samples were examined for evidence of LMBV, other infectious diseases, and physical abnormalities. Cell cultures inoculated with samples from moribund fish developed cytopathic effects typical of LMBV, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the presence of LMBV. The total number (N+/-95% confidence interval) of stock-size largemouth bass remaining was estimated to be 2,301+/-528 fish (103 bass/ha). The total observed mortality, including dead and dying individuals, during the LMBV outbreak was 176 largemouth bass (7% of the initial population). The total biomass remaining was estimated at 1,592 kg of stock-size bass and a relative biomass of 71.5 kg of stock-size largemouth bass per hectare. Largemouth bass size structure was dominated by quality and preferred (300-510 mm) size classes, with very few memorable-size or larger (>510 mm) fish, and the relative weight of largemouth bass was unusually variable. These results demonstrate that largemouth bass abundance and biomass in the reservoir remained very high despite mortalities attributed to a LMBV outbreak.

Floodplain lakes of large river systems contain fish habitats that are not found elsewhere within the river, and these lakes have a diversity of environmental conditions that vary in space and time. Our objective was to examine relationships between floodplain lake fish communities and environmental variables associated with lake morphology, water chemistry, and river-floodplain connectivity in a large river-floodplain ecosystem. Multivariate direct-gradient analyses indicated that lake surface area, lake depth, water clarity, and (to a lesser extent) dissolved oxygen were the most important factors in the structuring of lake fish communities. Results further suggested that floodplain lakes could be placed into groups that contained distinctive fish communities. Fish community structure was not strongly related to river-floodplain connectivity, though fish species richness in individual lakes was positively correlated with degree of flooding in those lakes. Fish species diversity in lakes was positively correlated with linear distance between lakes and the main river channel; lakes that were furthest from the main river channel had more diverse fish communities. The diversity of environmental conditions in floodplain lakes is essential for maintaining net ecosystem diversity in large river ecosystems.

Annual growth increments were calculated for blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) and flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) from the lower Mississippi River (LMR) to assess hypothesized relationships between fish growth and floodplain inundation as predicted by the Flood-Pulse Concept. Variation in catfish growth increment was high for all age classes of both species, and growth increments were not consistently related to various measures of floodplain inundation. However, relationships became stronger, and usually direct, when water temperature was integrated with area and duration of floodplain inundation. Relationships were significant for four of six age classes for blue catfish, a species known to utilize floodplain habitats. Though similar in direction, relationships were weaker for flathead catfish, which is considered a more riverine species. Our results indicate the Flood-Pulse Concept applies more strongly to temperate floodplain-river ecosystems when thermal aspects of flood pulses are considered. We recommend that future management of the LMR should consider ways to 'recouple' the annual flood and thermal cycles. An adaptive management approach will allow further determination of important processes affecting fisheries production in the LMR. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary1. We tested the hypothesis that indirect food web interactions between some common, invertivorous fishes and their prey would positively affect growth of an algivorous fish species. Specifically, we predicted that orangethroat darter (Etheostoma spectabile) would increase periphyton biomass via a top‐down pathway, indirectly enhancing growth of the algivorous central stoneroller minnow (Campostoma anomalum). Moreover, we predicted that sand shiner (Notropis stramineus) would increase periphyton biomass via a bottom‐up pathway and indirectly enhance growth of the stoneroller minnow.2. In an 83‐day experiment in large, outdoor, stream mesocosms, we stocked two fish species per mesocosm (stoneroller and either darter or shiner), estimated the effects of the invertivorous and grazing fishes on periphyton biomass and estimated growth of the algivorous fish.3. The darter consumed grazing invertebrates, indirectly increasing periphyton biomass. The shiner consumed terrestrial insects as predicted, but it did not affect periphyton biomass.4. In support of our hypothesis, the darter indirectly enhanced stoneroller growth. As predicted, stonerollers consumed the increased periphyton in streams with darters, resulting in greater growth, condition and gut fullness compared to streams without darters. No indirect interaction was observed between stonerollers and shiners.5. Our study suggests that some invertivorous fish species can positively affect growth of algivorous fishes through indirect food web interactions. Thus, in stream communities, it is possible that the loss of a single, invertivorous fish taxon could have negative consequences on algivorous fish populations via the removal of positive indirect food web interactions.

We sampled larval, juvenile and adult fishes from littoral-zone areas of a large reservoir (Lake Texoma, Oklahoma-Texas) (1) to characterize environmental factors that influenced fish community structure, (2) to examine how consistent fish–environment relationships were through ontogeny (i.e., larval vs. juvenile and adult), and (3) to measure the concordance of larval communities sampled during spring to juvenile and adult communities sampled at the same sites later in the year. Larval, juvenile and adult fish communities were dominated by Atherinidae (mainly inland silverside, Menidia beryllina) and Moronidae (mainly juvenile striped bass, Morone saxatilis) and were consistently structured along a gradient of site exposure to prevailing winds and waves. Larval, juvenile and adult communities along this gradient varied from atherinids and moronids at highly exposed sites to mostly centrarchids (primarily Lepomis and Micropterus spp.) at protected sites. Secondarily, zooplankton densities, water clarity, and land-use characteristics were related to fish community structure. Rank correlation analyses and Mantel tests indicated that the spatial consistency and predictability of fish communities was high as larval fishes sampled during spring were concordant with juvenile and adult fishes sampled at the same sites during summer and fall in terms of abundance, richness, and community structure. We propose that the high predictability and spatial consistency of littoral-zone fishes in Lake Texoma was a function of relatively simple communities (dominated by 1–2 species) that were structured by factors, such as site exposure to winds and waves, that varied little through time.