There is an incredible variety of unusual fish in the Great Lakes ecosystem, including sturgeon and freshwater drum, the only known freshwater species of this family in North America. https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=946
Freshwater drum is really common down here in Texas. We've caught them all over the state except in the Panhandle. I haven't fished up there. We always called them drum, croakers or gaspergou. They make a croaking sound as you handle them. As a gamefish, they are spirited fighters. They fry up nicely too though the smaller fish are best. Bring a filet knife, a scaling tool and some pliers, some Crisco and cornmeal and your cast iron skillet and enjoy them right there on the bank. A small sack of potatoes that you can cube and fry also works great as a side dish. If you have a cooler, bring butter.
We also have red drum and black drum down here though they are saltwater species. The black drum can be caught in the transition zone brackish water where fresh/saltwater mixes in the bays.
The only eelpout I’ve ever seen have been frozen ones laying on the ice that were discarded by ice fisherman on Lake Mille Lacs, I haven’t caught one myself despite ice fishing with live bait at night.
Regarding other uncommon fish, my family cabin is on a lake that has bowfin/dogfish in it, I’ve seen one swimming in the weedy shallows but have never caught one of those either. It’s an interesting fish, air breathing and a ‘living fossil’.
Imagine living for almost 5,000 years, just chilling with your buddies in your grove and having a generally pleasant time, and some snot-nosed grad student chainsaws you to pieces. You can’t even see or hear it coming.
What a great comparison! We should always remind ourselves that just because plants can’t scream, doesn’t mean they wouldn’t. Pain makes everything taste better.
Note: this is sarcasm. These are not the same. We should absolutely protect old growth trees but plants and animals don’t suffer in equivalent ways.
It's likely the method of trapping it was not conducive to its continued existence. For example, if the fish got caught in a gillnet, it was probably already dead by the time they got to it.
Did they? I got the impression from the article that it's still alive and actually being taken care of.
> "While processing the fish, United States Geological Survey (USGS) fisheries biologists familiar with the species observed that it was emaciated and appeared to be in poor health. Because of the fish’s condition and the unexplained factors contributing to the continued suppression of its population, it was sent to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for a health analysis."
Usually the word "processing" involves killing the animal, but I agree it's a little unclear.
It's also possible the method of trapping it was not conducive to its continued existence. For example, if the fish got caught in a gillnet, it was probably already dead by the time they got to it.
I've done biological/ecological surveys (albeit never with fish) and the act of "processing" an animal means identifying it to species, weighing and measuring it, identifying its relative age, sex, and reproductive status, examining for signs of specific disease or injury, etc.
This is done as quickly and with the least impact possible to the animal, though it unavoidably stresses the animal. Infrequently a bird or small mammal will die of a heart attack while being handled (it's predator vs prey from their perspective, or an alien abduction experience at best), so if an animal shows any signs of major physical stress they're released from processing immediately.
The teams performing these surveys will handle hundreds of animals in a season and thousands over their career, and the target animals are often those listed as Threatened or Endangered, where the death of one animal is a Big Deal (from a regulatory perspective, if not from an ecological perspective).
Agreed that it's a bit unclear. I had to re-read a couple times to check and to the sister comment I had to make a (small, but meaningful) leap that it's likely still alive because of its rarity and the blowback from killing it.
That said, the photo of like 15 people surrounding a fish that's out of water didn't give me strong confidence. Getting my (small) family lined up for a photo And the photo taken would rarely happen in the amount of time it would take for a fish to suffocate out of water.
There is an incredible variety of unusual fish in the Great Lakes ecosystem, including sturgeon and freshwater drum, the only known freshwater species of this family in North America. https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=946
Freshwater drum is really common down here in Texas. We've caught them all over the state except in the Panhandle. I haven't fished up there. We always called them drum, croakers or gaspergou. They make a croaking sound as you handle them. As a gamefish, they are spirited fighters. They fry up nicely too though the smaller fish are best. Bring a filet knife, a scaling tool and some pliers, some Crisco and cornmeal and your cast iron skillet and enjoy them right there on the bank. A small sack of potatoes that you can cube and fry also works great as a side dish. If you have a cooler, bring butter.
We also have red drum and black drum down here though they are saltwater species. The black drum can be caught in the transition zone brackish water where fresh/saltwater mixes in the bays.
I live in it's native range but I never caught this mysterious fish. They only bite in winter, at night, on live bait.
Made me think of DREDGE. :D
The only eelpout I’ve ever seen have been frozen ones laying on the ice that were discarded by ice fisherman on Lake Mille Lacs, I haven’t caught one myself despite ice fishing with live bait at night.
I’d like to try eating one sometime, I’ve heard they’re delicious! It’s a member of the cod family (Gadiformes) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadiformes
Regarding other uncommon fish, my family cabin is on a lake that has bowfin/dogfish in it, I’ve seen one swimming in the weedy shallows but have never caught one of those either. It’s an interesting fish, air breathing and a ‘living fossil’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowfin
While Not a fish here is an interesting find
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_Winchester
"wow what a rare find!" kills
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_(clam)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_(tree)
Imagine living for almost 5,000 years, just chilling with your buddies in your grove and having a generally pleasant time, and some snot-nosed grad student chainsaws you to pieces. You can’t even see or hear it coming.
What a great comparison! We should always remind ourselves that just because plants can’t scream, doesn’t mean they wouldn’t. Pain makes everything taste better.
Note: this is sarcasm. These are not the same. We should absolutely protect old growth trees but plants and animals don’t suffer in equivalent ways.
copied from another of my replies down below:
It's likely the method of trapping it was not conducive to its continued existence. For example, if the fish got caught in a gillnet, it was probably already dead by the time they got to it.
Why do they all look so happy about having killed a very rare fish?
I was hoping to read they put it back :(
They didn't kill it, the article says they sent it to a veterinarian clinic because it was in poor health to help it get better.
Could had been sold alive to an Aquarium for a lot of money. They killed it instead.
Did they? I got the impression from the article that it's still alive and actually being taken care of.
> "While processing the fish, United States Geological Survey (USGS) fisheries biologists familiar with the species observed that it was emaciated and appeared to be in poor health. Because of the fish’s condition and the unexplained factors contributing to the continued suppression of its population, it was sent to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for a health analysis."
Usually the word "processing" involves killing the animal, but I agree it's a little unclear.
It's also possible the method of trapping it was not conducive to its continued existence. For example, if the fish got caught in a gillnet, it was probably already dead by the time they got to it.
I've done biological/ecological surveys (albeit never with fish) and the act of "processing" an animal means identifying it to species, weighing and measuring it, identifying its relative age, sex, and reproductive status, examining for signs of specific disease or injury, etc.
This is done as quickly and with the least impact possible to the animal, though it unavoidably stresses the animal. Infrequently a bird or small mammal will die of a heart attack while being handled (it's predator vs prey from their perspective, or an alien abduction experience at best), so if an animal shows any signs of major physical stress they're released from processing immediately.
The teams performing these surveys will handle hundreds of animals in a season and thousands over their career, and the target animals are often those listed as Threatened or Endangered, where the death of one animal is a Big Deal (from a regulatory perspective, if not from an ecological perspective).
Good to know. In agricultural stuff, it has a far different meaning.
Agreed that it's a bit unclear. I had to re-read a couple times to check and to the sister comment I had to make a (small, but meaningful) leap that it's likely still alive because of its rarity and the blowback from killing it.
That said, the photo of like 15 people surrounding a fish that's out of water didn't give me strong confidence. Getting my (small) family lined up for a photo And the photo taken would rarely happen in the amount of time it would take for a fish to suffocate out of water.