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DARTER NEWSLETTER NUMBER 22 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1997
The DARTER is a bimonthly publication of the North American
Native Fishes Association (NANFA). Topics reported in this news
letter include fish studies, rare or unusual occurrences, manage
ment and recovery programs, environmental issues, trivia, col
lecting trips, meetings, aquarium care, and breeding accounts. A
Trading Post section is also provided for members to sell or
trade fish, plants, books, and merchandise. Send news items, want
ads, comments, changes in address, and membership dues ($15/yr.:
North American residents - $17/yr.: other continents) to Konrad
Schmidt, Darter Editor at the return address, phone: (612) 776-3468,
or email: schmi144 at tc_umn.edu
ASSISTANT DARTER EDITOR WANTED Next issue will mark two years
since I resurrected the Darter and have enjoyed very much report
ing on NANFA and our native fishes. I wish to continue, but my
summer field work creates a major pinch period in preparing the
July-August and September-October issues. Any members interested
in lending a fin to edit these issues while I've gone
fishing, please let me know.
SWIMMING UPSTREAM WITHOUT A HITCH - The January-February 1994
Outdoor California reported on efforts to stem the decline of the
Clear Lake hitch (Lavinia exilicauda chi). The word chi was
what the Pomo Indians of the Clear Lake basin called this large
minnow which reaches lengths of 14 inches. Negative impacts on
the species include barriers on tributaries used for spawning,
irrigation which dries up streams prematurely, and introduction
of non-native fish (e.g., largemouth bass). Restoration efforts
have focused on capturing and transporting hitch above barriers
and designing or retrofitting dams and road crossings with fish
passage features. Even though hitch spawning runs do not rival
historical accounts, the public is encouraged to observe this
impressive annual event. The Department of Fish and Game's re
gional office in Yountville: (707) 944-5500 can provide addition
al information such as locations and months for optimum viewing
opportunities. The article also mentioned the demise of the Clear
Lake splittail (Pogonichthys ciscooides) which has not been seen
since the mid-1970s. On average, the splittail spawned two weeks
later than the hitch and the deficient stream flows compounded
with the other impacts apparently caused its extinction.
ALGAE MANAGEMENT - Probably the best practice is controlling the
amount and duration of light entering the aquarium. When setting
up for the first time, select a room which does not receive
direct sunlight (e.g., south exposures). Light fixtures should
provide sufficient light to see into the aquarium, but avoid
wattage overkill - more is not always better. Duration should
ideally be around six hours a day and an electric timer is an
excellent and inexpensive convenience. Another option is live,
rooted plants which compete for the same nutrients as algae and
when established usually gain the edge while adding a nice natu
ral touch. One final must is a scraper that won't scratch the
glass and has no detergents. The best and cheapest is a green 3M
scrub pad available at grocery stores. However, when working in
or near the bottom, watch out for gravel sandwiched between the
glass and the pad. On thick pastures, a single-edge razor
blade provides a close shave, but one strip at a time and avoid
slashing the glass.
LOST MEMBERS - If anyone knows the current whereabouts of David
Arbour (Crane, IN) or Charles Stoeckel (St. Cloud, MN), please
forward their new addresses to the Darter Editor.
EMAIL EXTRAS - (1) Norman Edelen (Portland, OR) now runs the
NANFA on-line directory where members can send private email
messages to individuals or memos to everyone listed in the direc
tory. Anyone with email can join by sending your address to:
normane at hevanet_com (2) Missing a Darter issue and just gotta
have the entire set? Free text versions are available for Numbers
10-22. Just send your email address and list of issues to the
Darter Editor. (3) Robert Rice (Navarre, FL) is still editing an
email Trading Post which is provided upon request and new ads are
always welcomed, but his email address has been changed to:
robertrice @juno.com (4) Email Membership Directory? Because of
printing costs, NANFA can afford publishing a hard copy member
ship directory about every other year. Knowing and meeting mem
bers in your region for collecting trips or exchanging informa
tion with others pursuing similar interests have long been very
important benefits for joining NANFA. Because the Darter Editor
also maintains the membership database, I can provide a revised,
albeit bare bones, directory on a quarterly basis which will be
released to only current NANFA members who have email or at a
nominal price on diskette. However, to assure the information is
current, everyone should check their mailing address, phone and
fax numbers, and email in the May 1996 Directory. New members
since May should be listed in upcoming American Currents. Any
additions or corrections should be forwarded to me. Finally,
NANFA also wants to protect the privacy of members who would
prefer not having their personal information released. If so,
please notify me by March 1, 1997.
APOLOGIES to Gary Carbonneau (Windham, NH). The last Darter
erroneously reported 4 members had been elected to the Board of
Directors when there were only 3 open seats. Board communiques
have been a little murky lately. However, the renewed interest in
NANFA shown by the turnout of candidates running in the last
election is commendable.
SHOCKING BEHAVIOR - Electroshockers create a condition in fish
called galvanotaxis which is a forced swimming that is directed
toward an electrode where a dipper eagerly awaits the incoming
catch. However, this doesn't always go as planned with every
species. The Darter Editor was backpack shocking in St. Croix
River on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border for western sand darters
(Ammocrypta clara) which often burrow into sand and cannot be
seen even in shallow water. A sweep with the electrodes wand
would, as expected, pull the darters out of the sand, but they
would fire like mini missiles straight for the surface and
ricochet in any direction out of the electrical field. The only
specimens collected were strictly by chance as they skipped at
blinding speed along the surface into a randomly positioned
dipnet. What causes this bizarre reaction: body shape, physiolo
gy, or nervous system? I haven't a clue, but have since returned
to the far more reliable and much simpler seine.
MEMBERSHIP DUES should now be sent to the Darter Editor. Checks
and money orders should be made out to NANFA and must be in U.S.
funds. Annual dues are $15 for residents in North American and
$17 for other continents.
MAILBAG - Jay DeLong (Bonney Lake, WA) has proposed developing a
NANFA website and is waiting for the green light from the Board
of Directors. His initiative has generated a great deal of inter
est and comments among NANFA on-line members about what are home
page should contain and do. Elmer Guerri (West Terre Haute, IN),
NANFA regional chairman, is developing a fish database for mem
bers looking for specific species found in Illinois and Indiana.
The first draft is expected before the first of the year. Dan
Logan (Albany, OR) is busy planning a NANFA regional and possibly
a national meeting in Portland, OR on August 8-10, 1997. He has
already lined up a meeting room, speakers, caterer, and collect
ing trip. Joe Middleton (Portland, OR) ordered the largest quan
tity to date of I'd rather be collecting bumper stickers. He
works in a collections department of a local bank and intends to
hand them out to his fellow bill collectors - funny guy. Robert
Rice (Navarre, FL) announced a fourth electronic bulletin board
system (BBS) was up and running that has many text files of fish
related material available for on-line reading or downloading.
The Emerald Coast BBS phone number is (904) 939-5242. Sayre
Rodman (Oakmont, PA) would enjoy coverage in the Darter or AC on
crayfish and whimsically remarked if NANFA had a firm policy of
Pisces or nothing. He finds the crayfish's feeding techniques
fascinating and also mentioned how one escapee held his cat at
bay until rescued. Darter Editor's Note: I would welcome any
information from members for upcoming issues on desirable cray
fish species, collecting techniques, care and maintenance, or
references.
PICTURE PROOF - The December-January 1997 In-Fisherman contained
1996 photographs of the largest Lake Sturgeon ever reported from
the Red River of the North at Lockport, Manitoba. The fish was
78.5 inches long and weighed an estimated? 132.63 pounds. The
other oddity was an albino 6 pound walleye caught in Lake Erie.
WET WEBSITES - (1) The James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History
at the University of Minnesota has begun development on a website
which will eventually search the fish collection's database and
also provide species checklists, distribution maps, and natural
histories. However at this time, a single natural history is
available for the gilt darter (Percina evides) by Dr. Jay Hatch
and includes a spectacular color photograph: http://www.gen.umn.
edu/faculty_staff/hatch/fishes/gilt_darter.html (2) Search the
fish collections of Cornell, Harvard, and University of Michigan
from one website: http://www.keil.ukans.edu/forms/fish-search-
que.html/ (3) Fish database browser for surveys conducted from
1989 through 1995 in The Illinois River and Mississippi River
Pools 4, 8, 13, and 26: http://www.emtc.nbs.gov/http_data/emtc_
browser/fish/test_query.html (4) Fish photos, range maps,
databases, and species lists for specific areas: http://www.
radix.net/%7Elss/lss/
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS has elected Robert Rice (Navarre, FL)
President, B.G. Granier (Baker, LA) Vice President, Warren Lund
(Kenner, LA) Treasurer, John Bondhus (Monticello, MN) Secretary,
and Bob Bock (Silver Spring, MD) Chairman of the American Cur
rents Editorial Committee. The Board is also revising the NANFA
constitution which the entire membership will have the opportuni
ty to review and vote on the final draft.
TOPEKA SHINER TALES - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
in Manhattan, KS is currently reviewing the species for federal
status because there has been a drastic decline over the main
portion of its range in Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. Ironically,
peripheral populations in Minnesota and South Dakota may hold the
only remaining stable populations. There have been a few NANFA
members involved in compiling information about the species and
identifying threats to its habitat and water quality: (1) Richard
Baker (St. Paul, MN) who supervises the DNR Natural Heritage and
Nongame Research Program has submitted comments to the USFWS
generally supporting federal listing based on the current data
available, survey effort and needs, status, and protection prior
ities. (2) Ray Katula (Genoa, WI) is expanding his horizons from
his specialty of spawning darters to culturing the Topeka shiner.
He is confident captive spawning will be successful this spring,
but is concerned about finding a starter diet for cyprinid fry
which are generally much smaller than darters. (3) The Darter
Editor has also had his fingers in the cookie jar. In October
1996, I found Topeka shiners at Blue Mounds State Park near
Luverne, MN which was my third collection made there since 1988.
I also found a new locality in a Murray County state wildlife
management area. At both sites, a simple push seine proved to be
far more effective on Topeka shiners than a backpack electro
shocker. However, there has also been some disconcerting news.
Blue Mounds State Park has scheduled maintenance work on a dam
immediately upstream of the Topeka shiner habitat which will
require a drawdown of the impoundment. This could possibly in
crease turbidity and sediments loads which may be detrimental to
the species. Also, a U.S. Geological Survey study of pesticides
found the highest concentration (5.63 ppm) recorded for Aceto
chlor, which is toxic to fish, was in the Rock River at Luverne,
MN on May 28, 1995. Finally, and on a positive note, I will be
assisting Dr. Jay Hatch (Associate Curator of the Bell Museum
fish collection) with a life history study which should begin
this year.
GUNG HO GOLDFISH - Lake Ellyn in the Chicago suburb of Glen
Ellyn has been overrun (again) with goldfish which are assumed to
be the result of aquarium releases. Five years ago, the lake was
drained to eradicate the pesky exotic and stocked with predator
gamefish. However, the turbidity is so bad from a population now
estimated at 350,000 that all gamefish have been eliminated. If
the lake is reclaimed once again, the hefty price tag will be
$300,000. Darter Editor's Nagging Sermon: Whether exotic or
native never ever release your aquarium charges into lakes or
streams. If you can't find a good home at the local pet store or
through the NANFA Trading Post - Destroy Them!
MADTOM MALADY - The December 1996 Journal of Freshwater Ecology
reported the slender madtom (Noturus exilis) has vanished from
67% of its historical sites in southern Wisconsin since the late
1970s. Causes identified include fish kills from agricultural
runoff and stream desiccation from hydroelectric dams, but in
some streams, reasons for extirpation are unknown. Darter Editor's
Note: The author, John Lyons, acknowledges madtoms are diffi
cult to capture, but did not mention using nocturnal surveys
which my experience with slenders in Iowa and Missouri has proven
to be an extremely effective sampling technique.
MADTOM WORD FIND PUZZLE - Can you collect 24 madtoms? Answers on
page 4.
NEW OUTDOOR ATLAS - Oklahoma Wildlife Management Areas contains
maps and information for 60 units. The atlas is available from
Department of Wildlife Conservation offices for $5 or $7 by mail.
Although the information is geared toward hunters and anglers,
public areas can also provide excellent collecting opportunities,
but always check first for any required special use permits.
Mailing address: 1801 N. Lincoln, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City,
OK 73152.
UPPER COLORADO ENDANGERED FISH NEWS - The U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service recently reported: (1) A second national fish hatchery in
Ouray, UT was designated to culture only endangered species. (2)
Up to 1200 wetland acres will be restored along the Green and
Colorado Rivers to benefit young Colorado squawfish and razorback
suckers which grow much faster in these zoo plankton rich, warm,
shallow, and slow water nurseries. (3) A water rights settlement
will increase dry season flows in a 15 mile reach of the Colorado
River upstream of the Gunnison River which will primarily benefit
the Colorado squawfish. Up through the mid-1980s, this stretch of
river occasionally dried up in summer from irrigation and power
plant operations. (4) A non-native fish stocking agreement was
reached for the Colorado Basin. Some of the highlights include:
Critical habitats for endangered species will remain off-limits
to non-natives. Certain species can be stocked above a 50 year
flood plain. Below this mark only in three designated lakes after
berms are raised and screens are installed on outlets. And nine
species have been blacklisted and banned from stocking anywhere
in the basin. (5) Endangered fish pins which includes a bookmark
full of information about the species and its habitat sell for $6
each. For more information on species availability and wholesale
orders, contact the Southwest Natural and Cultural Heritage
Association. Phone: 505-345-9498.
ANGLING FOR EXOTICS - The Minnesota DNR recently provided updated
information on a threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
occurrence from a North Shore stream of Lake Superior. On May 19,
1994, an angler turned in a specimen hooked on an earthworm from
the Poplar River near Lutsen, MN. Sounds like a new state record!
NATIONAL PROTECTED AREA UNDER SIEGE - A gypsum mine threatens a
unique natural area rich in endemic flora and fauna near Cuatro
Cienegas, Coahuila, Mexico. Biologists have intensely studied
this small desert valley which contains thousands of springs with
unique aquatic and terrestrial habitats that was declared a
National Protected Area in November 1994. However, when the
federal government recently closed the mine, the owner success
fully filed suit in court to continue operations. In December
1996, a federal agency was to begin pleading its case to once
again close the mine. Interested parties are urged to email Dr.
Rodolfo Garza, Secretary of Ecology for the State of Coahuila:
rgarza at technet_net.mx. Additional information about Cuatro Ciene
gas can be found at: http://www.utexas.edu/depts/tnhc/.www/fish/
dfc/cuatroc/
AQUARIUM CARE AND MAINTENANCE - There isn't a great deal of
reference material out there restricted to husbandry techniques
for native fishes. However, don't hesitate to tap the tropical
fish hobby for tips and pointers and here's a lead which may be
helpful: Looking after Freshwater Aquarium Fish (1995) by D.
Alderton. The price is $12.95 and available from Sterling Pub
lishing Co., 387 Park Ave. S., New York, NY 10016.
WILDLIFE OF SPECIAL CONCERN IN ARIZONA - A preliminary draft
lists 25 fishes including subspecies. The most significant change
is the removal of endangered and threatened status categories
which previously generated unnecessary confusion. Brief, but
detailed accounts describe distribution, threats, and management
needs. Comments are welcomed by January 10, 1997. For more infor
mation, call Kirk Young, Native Fish Program Manager, at 602-789-
3514.
COUNTING DARTERS - The July/August 1996 Audubon reported on the
darterly deeds of Dr. David Etnier who is a professor at the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The article provides a
brief history of the once endangered snail darter's trials and
tribulations beginning with Etnier's discovery of the species in
1973 to its eventual down listing to threatened status in 1984.
Today, his concerns include darters as a group which are experi
encing an unusually high degree of imperilment. Etnier concluded
from a 1996 survey of southeastern fishes that 46 darters repre
senting 31% of the perch family were in jeopardy. The very noble
work of two former students and NANFA members were also high
lighted. J.R. and Peggy Shute run the non-profit Conservation
Fisheries which cultures endangered and threatened madtoms,
minnows, and of course, darters for restocking historic habitats.
ANOTHER PASSING - Biologists at the Great Lakes Science Center
have declared the shortnose cisco (Coregonus reighardi) extinct.
This endemic species was once abundant in Lakes Michigan and
Ontario, but the last sighting came from Lake Huron in 1985. The
primary cause of decline and extinction for the shortnose, and
also, deepwater cisco (Coregonus johannae) is attributed to the
invasion of the alewife and sea lamprey into the Great Lakes. The
shortnose cisco was also very unique among the whitefishes for
spawning in the spring instead of the fall.
NANFA PUBLICATION - Endangered, Threatened, and Special Status
Fishes of North American (1996) is still available for $10 in
cluding postage from Robert Rice, 2213 Prytania Circle, Navarre,
FL 32566.
WRONG WAY WALLEYES - An ongoing study in North Dakota has found a
few surprises which shoots down a myth that fish always migrate
downstream to deep, quiet waters after spawning. A female em
barked on the most noteworthy journey taking a cruise 107 miles
upstream from her spawning grounds. Other preliminary data re
vealed 50% of the tagged fish caught by anglers did not leave the
spawning site while 26% went upstream, and 24% went downstream.
FISH RESEARCH STUDY REPORTS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY PLANS
are available from the Fish and Wildlife Reference Service, 5430
Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, Bethesda, MD 20814. The Service also
publishes a quarterly newsletter of new reports.
RUFFE WORKSHOP - The International Symposium on the Biology and
Management of the Eurasian Ruffe will be held in Ann Arbor, MI on
March 21-23, 1997 and in conjunction with the Great Lakes Fishery
Commission's annual meeting. For more information, contact Mike
Klepinger, Michigan Sea Grant College Program (517) 353-5508.
IOWA FISH AND FISHING has been reprinted and the 322 page hard
cover book includes species accounts with range maps and 63 color
fish portraits. The price is $15 and available from the Depart
ment of Natural Resources, Dept FS, 900 E. Grand Wallace State
Office Bldg., Des Moines, IA 50319.
IS THE BLUE PIKE ALIVE AND WELL? The Lower Great Lakes Fishery
Resources Office in Amherst, NY believes it's a strong possibili
ty. Fishermen during the 1930s and 40s, who preferred the taste
over the larger, yellow walleye cousin, may have trucked blue
pike to northern Canadian lakes where populations perhaps still
exist. Rumors have abounded for years about blue walleyes from
these lakes, but a video tape documented both blues and yellows
from the same lake dismissing arguments the color phase was due
to local environmental conditions. Now the office regularly gets
samples from scales to whole fish of blue pike suspects, but do
not have a true-blue to produce a genetic fingerprint because all
museum specimens had been preserved in formalin which destroys
the DNA structure. Biologists are doubling as detectives finding
scales removed from live fish for aging studies and attempting to
use the mucous as a DNA source. Ecologically the blue pike was a
coldwater species with larger eyes than walleyes for seeing in
Lake Erie's deeper eastern basin. Biologists believe this niche
has never been filled, but now, may be some day with the original
occupant. Darter Editor Note: Fingerlings of blue pike suspects
were stocked in a northern Minnesota Lake where distinctly blue
specimens were examined in the late 1980s, but tentatively iden
tified as walleyes.
FAKE WILLY - Salmon eating sea lions in the Northwest may have
gotten a reprieve from the firing squad. A life size killer whale
scare crow is being tried as a non-lethal alternative to pro
vide protection for returning endangered salmon which have become
easy pickings below dams and fish ladders.
TOO MUCH TLC - The Darter Editor's many hats includes a stint in
a pet store selling tropical fish. The most common problem which
confronted novice Aquarists was overfeeding their fish. Cloudy
water and copious amounts of food accumulating (and rotting) on
the bottom were rarely acknowledged in time to prevent the immi
nent disaster. Some well meaning fish keepers would feed three
times a day just like people when actually once a day is just
fine and if you miss a day or even a weekend - no problem. In
fact, as long as it does not become a regular practice, one
unnamed NANFA President has admitted to annual two week vacations
for years without a single loss. Fish are much tougher than they
appear!
THE BLACK HILLS LAKE CHUB - The May/June 1996 South Dakota Con
servation Digest reported the lake chub (Couesius plumbeus) and
three other natives historically comprised the entire fish commu
nity of area streams. The lake chub which is considered a glacial
relict was common in the Black Hills until 1962, but now may be
extirpated. How the species got to the Black Hills in the first
place is open to debate. One possibility is a geological process
called stream capture. Lake chubs are present in northeastern
Wyoming's Little Missouri River, where eroding headwaters of the
Belle Fourche River may have long ago pirated 110 miles of the
Little Missouri allowing a transfer of species between the two
streams. Biologists suspect the lake chub declined in the Black
Hills because of predation from exotic trout, reduced stream
flows, loss of pool habitats, warming temperatures, mine pollu
tion, and over grazing of riparian areas. Update: Doug Backlund
who authored this article recently sent an email message report
ing lake chubs had been found in the central Black Hills reser
voir of Deerfield during an August 1996 fish survey.
FISHES OF INDIANA - Dr. Tom Simon would appreciate receiving
voucher specimens or verifiable localities of any rare and unusu
al occurrences for this upcoming book. Please contact him for
more information at the Indiana Biological Survey, 119 Diana Rd.,
Box 96, Ogden Dunes, IN 46368.
NANFA FISH ART FUND RAISER - The works of three artists will be
raffled off on August 9, 1997 at the NANFA regional meeting in
Portland, OR. Please see the enclosed flyers and raffle ticket
for more information. Send purchased ticket stubs and orders for
additional tickets to Jay DeLong, 19310 77th St. E., Bonney Lake,
WA 98390 Phone: 206-891-0281. All proceeds will go to NANFA.
Finally, the raffle items will be on display at other regional
meetings held before August.
MADTOM SPECIES LIST: black, brindled, brown, Caddo, Carolina,
checkered, elegant, frecklebelly, freckled, least, margined,
mountain, Neosho, northern, orangefin, Ouachita, Ozark, pygmy,
Scioto, slender, smoky, speckled, tadpole, yellowfin.
TRADING POSTaura Burdge, 1711 Cleveland Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013. Want:
Lepomis humilis, Chrosomus erythrogaster, Enneacanthus chaetodon,
Cottus bairdi semiscaber, and Catostomus commersoni.
Robert Carrilio, 509 Genessee Ave., Warren, OH 44483 (303) 847-
1714. Want: sources for native coldwater marine fishes which do
well in aquariums.
B.G. Granier, 608 Maureen Dr., Baker, LA 70714, (504) 775-6400.
NANFA T-Shirts - $15 (includes postage). Check first for avail
able sizes and colors. Fish - Have or can get: F. chrysotus, F.
grandis, F. olivaceus, L. parva, H. formosa, A. xenica, E. zona
tum, and more. Want: Redlip, Saffron, Greenhead, and Pinewoods
Shiners.
Herman Meeus, De Reet 6, B 2160 Wommelgem, Belgium. Want: back
issues of American Currents, Darter, and Lateral Line for use in
the Belgian Killifish Association's Killi Kontakt magazine. Also
interested in articles on North American killifish and pupfish.
Peter Rollo, 2308 Cedar Lane, Secane, PA 19018. 610-543-1660.
WANT: wild caught Elassoma evergladei. HAVE: tank-bred banded and
blackbanded sunfish, least killifish (Heterandria formosa), and
E. evergladei., Bred in spring 1996. Sale or trade.