Reintroduction of the Extirpated Guadalupe Bass into a Newly Restored Reach of the Upper San Antonio River, Texas

The Upper San Antonio River was channelized in the 1960’s as a result of catastrophic flooding of downtown San Antonio. This channelization caused significant loss of habitat and biodiversity through the decades. In June 2008, the Mission Reach Project began restoring this stretch of river. In 2013, around the same time the instream portion of this project was being completed, 24 Guadalupe Bass (Micropterus treculii) were captured from the Medina River, Texas, surgically implanted with internal radio transmitters and released into the Mission Reach. Stocking this native species was done to validate the rehabilitation effort, to improve recreational opportunities and determine movement patterns of these fish. Of the 24 Guadalupe Bass, 10 were relocated with any regularity. Seven fish were located after two months, five fish after four months and zero fish after six months. Sixty-seven thousand Guadalupe Bass fingerling and fry were stocked in the Mission Reach in 2015. Limited nekton collections in this area have yielded 3 Guadalupe Bass. Routine monitoring efforts have been planned for these areas to better assess whether these populations are taking root. Future stocking efforts will focus on locations with more suitable habitat in the San Antonio and Medina Rivers.