Channel Catfish Host

Leaned something new the other night. Get to boat landing and launch boat while someone else was loading up. They didn’t look like they were fishing, so instead of jumping in my boat I walk up to this group and ask “what kind of government work are you up to?”

And then I learned something.
One gal was quick to tell me about their studies on channel catfish being a host to a federally endangered mussel, I think called the winged mapleleaf – though I can’t recall exactly.

This mussel releases eggs ( or something) which attach to gills of channel cats. These things stay on the gills, growing, until they transform into independence stage and then release. Whoa, cool.

A second gal joined the conversation and their enthusiasm was awesome towards their work. They were out retrieving data from sensors in the river that collect info from tagged cats.

They had lots to share but little time to do so.
I asked, “so the mussels need the channel cats to survive, and there’s no shortage of channel cats, so what’s the deal?” Well long story short, that’s what they’re trying to figure out.

Hey, just when you think you know everything about catfish… Lol.

Good folks and interesting study.

I knew the winged mapleleaf was in danger and they hitched onto fish but I didn’t know it was just channels.

Now since the DNR has receivers above and below dams and at the entrance to most all tributaries along the Mississippi, I hope we’ll start seeing some data released by the DNR. I think well see that fish move around in the system much more then we suspect.

I’m not sure they have anything more then Flatheads, Lake Sturgeon and Paddle Fish tagged at this time.

“Range – When the recovery plan was approved in 1997 only one population of winged mapleleaf was known to be extant – in the St. Croix River on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Since then four additional populations have been found – in the Saline River and Ouachita River in Arkansas, in the Little River in Oklahoma, and in the Bourbeuse River in Missouri. Additional survey effort is needed to assess and monitor the status and distribution of each population.

When I was talking with a USGS biologist about removing the law that forbids vessels North of the Arcola bridge (unless your a shore land owner North of the bridge), he cited the winged Mapleleaf as being endangered by zebra mussels.

cool stuff! Anybody know what these receivers at the trib mouths look like?

I caught a rebar contraption near the mouth of the Croix with my anchor. It had a black PVC tube with the #17 on it.

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The history of mussels in the mighty Miss is a pretty interesting one that has pretty good documents online scattered on the matter.

Whatever populations weren’t decimated by the button industry in the 19th century, pollution took care of in the 20th. Each fish species has their own species of mussel that hosts its eggs. Really cool link of nature I had no idea of either.

Mussel beds I always waypoint no matter on the river or a lake. Never have not caught nice fish on a mussel bed.

One of the coolest spectacles I’ve seen wading one evening on the river was on a rock bar that stuck way out into the main channel, was fairly shallow and could see bottom pretty well all the way around me where the rocks were. The sun just went below the treeline and cast its shadow where I was standing, and all of a sudden not long after these smaller white almost to be glowing things started appearing all around me. A kind of underwater flower bed that just came alive. It was mussels opening their shells and the arm stretching out. Some fishes tails starting appearing on the surface showing they were straight vertical in the water column taking full advantage of the situation. Never forget that night.

Looks like you snagged one of our catfish radio receivers. Many thanks for putting it back down safe and sound. Our crew was out again this week and found it in the same place. Very much appreciated! Mussel folks all have a deep appreciation for the fish community. So heartening to read that fisherman return that appreciation for mussels.

I thought BK got his own show…

Thanks Diane! Good to know, it looked important so wanted to make sure I got it back where it belonged. Sounds like interesting work you are doing! Native fish and mussels and all that are super interesting!

Now that’s neat!

Diane, feel free to inform us little minded catfish anglers with your wealth of information anytime…

We don’t read good but like talking about catfeeesh.