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Biologists baffled by the resurgence of a primitive species
Sunday, August 08, 2010
By Deborah Weisberg
The toothy bowfin is a candidate for protected status and off-limits to harvest.
But this dinosaur-age relic appears to be making a comeback in the French Creek watershed, and some biologists says it eventually could be managed as a sportfish.
Although bowfins remain rare in some parts of the state, they now are surfacing in large numbers in lakes such as Conneaut and LeBoeuf, and in the Conneaut outlet marsh, also known as Geneva Swamp..
"The marsh is where they seem to be most abundant," Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologist and bowfin enthusiast Tim Wilson said, "but there's been a dramatic increase throughout most of the French Creek drainage, although we're not exactly sure why."
One theory is improving water quality and abundant forage.
"Bowfins can survive in poor conditions, but prefer clean water," said Wilson.
Another theory that might explain their abundance in some areas concerns their ability to deal with hot weather conditions intolerable to other species. The bowfin's swim bladder also functions as a lung, enabling it to rise to the surface of poorly oxygenated water and gulp air.
"They seem to do well in the sort of low, warm water we've seen at times this summer," said Wilson. "They appear to have an advantage during times of drought."
Their rough-and-tumble constitution also means they actively feed when other fish lay low, and a foraging bowfin puts up a good fight, said Wilson, who has seen specimens as big as 10 pounds, 32 inches in some Crawford County waters.
"They have a serious set of teeth on them, and they're very aggressive predators. They're also aggressive scavengers that survive well eating dead stuff. Whatever you throw in the water, they'll come over for it," he said.
Although he has caught bowfins on bass lures such as spinner baits and rubber worms, Wilson finds dead baitfish to be more consistently productive.
"My primary bait is dead minnows -- bowfins love them -- on a size 2 or bigger hook," he said. Wilson uses his bass rod, 8-pound test or heavier line, and a wire leader to prevent bite offs. It helps to keep a landing net handy, and pliers are a must.
"I try to release bowfin when they're still in the water, which is easier both on me and the fish," he said. "The whole head is bone, and the teeth are sharp, so they're not easy to unhook."
Because they are a candidate species -- their conservation status is currently in limbo -- bowfins can be targeted like other species, but must be released unharmed. And because they are so willing to bite, Wilson said anglers fishing for bass and other species have begun complaining they can't keep bowfins off the hook, and often treat them roughly.
"We get reports of guys throwing them up on the banks. That's considered wanton waste and illegal, and people have been cited for it," he said. "They must be returned to the water unharmed."
Bowfins are known by many names, including dog fish, swamp bass and swamp muskie, owing to their affinity for slow-moving channels and backwater pools. Besides Conneaut and LeBoeuf, they're found at Edinboro and Sugar lakes, and, in lower density, in Presque Isle Bay.
"I wouldn't send people to Presque Isle to fish for them. I'd stick to the French Creek watershed," Wilson said. "The Geneva Marsh has a lot of them."
Although bowfins are also native to the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, they appear to be less abundant there. A few were documented in the Allegheny near Freeport and Tarentum in 2005 and in the Monongahela at Grey's Landing in 1996.
Bowfins in Lake Somerset are the result of stockings performed 70 years ago to try to control panfish populations.
"It didn't work," said the agency's southwest region biologist Rick Lorson, "but bowfins have been there ever since, just not in great numbers."
Folks wanting to target bowfins should look for weedy areas in shallow water.
"They like vegetation a lot. They'll burrow way, way back in the weeds even when they spawn," Wilson said.
Although bowfins are distinctive-looking, with eel-like bodies and a dorsal fin along the entire length of their backs, during the spring spawn males look even more remarkable, turning a vivid green.
"They also become even more aggressive, since they stick around to guard the eggs and then the fry," said Wilson. "They'll attack whatever comes near."
Muskie guide Howard Wagner has caught bowfins on big bucktail spinners while fishing for muskies at Edinboro Lake.
"At first you think you have a muskie on," he said. "They're super-aggressive. When you hook one, it'll strip out your line."
Fish and Boat Commission executive director John Arway encourages anglers who have encounters with bowfins -- negative or otherwise -- to share their experiences with the agency and provide photos if they can. Documentation from anglers will help the commission to decide in the next few years whether to manage bowfins as a gamefish or a protected species.
Data from all waterways where bowfins exist will be considered, along with impacts and threats to their habitat.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10220/1078261-358.stm#ixzz0w19rBG1X
Sunday, August 08, 2010
By Deborah Weisberg
The toothy bowfin is a candidate for protected status and off-limits to harvest.
But this dinosaur-age relic appears to be making a comeback in the French Creek watershed, and some biologists says it eventually could be managed as a sportfish.
Although bowfins remain rare in some parts of the state, they now are surfacing in large numbers in lakes such as Conneaut and LeBoeuf, and in the Conneaut outlet marsh, also known as Geneva Swamp..
"The marsh is where they seem to be most abundant," Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologist and bowfin enthusiast Tim Wilson said, "but there's been a dramatic increase throughout most of the French Creek drainage, although we're not exactly sure why."
One theory is improving water quality and abundant forage.
"Bowfins can survive in poor conditions, but prefer clean water," said Wilson.
Another theory that might explain their abundance in some areas concerns their ability to deal with hot weather conditions intolerable to other species. The bowfin's swim bladder also functions as a lung, enabling it to rise to the surface of poorly oxygenated water and gulp air.
"They seem to do well in the sort of low, warm water we've seen at times this summer," said Wilson. "They appear to have an advantage during times of drought."
Their rough-and-tumble constitution also means they actively feed when other fish lay low, and a foraging bowfin puts up a good fight, said Wilson, who has seen specimens as big as 10 pounds, 32 inches in some Crawford County waters.
"They have a serious set of teeth on them, and they're very aggressive predators. They're also aggressive scavengers that survive well eating dead stuff. Whatever you throw in the water, they'll come over for it," he said.
Although he has caught bowfins on bass lures such as spinner baits and rubber worms, Wilson finds dead baitfish to be more consistently productive.
"My primary bait is dead minnows -- bowfins love them -- on a size 2 or bigger hook," he said. Wilson uses his bass rod, 8-pound test or heavier line, and a wire leader to prevent bite offs. It helps to keep a landing net handy, and pliers are a must.
"I try to release bowfin when they're still in the water, which is easier both on me and the fish," he said. "The whole head is bone, and the teeth are sharp, so they're not easy to unhook."
Because they are a candidate species -- their conservation status is currently in limbo -- bowfins can be targeted like other species, but must be released unharmed. And because they are so willing to bite, Wilson said anglers fishing for bass and other species have begun complaining they can't keep bowfins off the hook, and often treat them roughly.
"We get reports of guys throwing them up on the banks. That's considered wanton waste and illegal, and people have been cited for it," he said. "They must be returned to the water unharmed."
Bowfins are known by many names, including dog fish, swamp bass and swamp muskie, owing to their affinity for slow-moving channels and backwater pools. Besides Conneaut and LeBoeuf, they're found at Edinboro and Sugar lakes, and, in lower density, in Presque Isle Bay.
"I wouldn't send people to Presque Isle to fish for them. I'd stick to the French Creek watershed," Wilson said. "The Geneva Marsh has a lot of them."
Although bowfins are also native to the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, they appear to be less abundant there. A few were documented in the Allegheny near Freeport and Tarentum in 2005 and in the Monongahela at Grey's Landing in 1996.
Bowfins in Lake Somerset are the result of stockings performed 70 years ago to try to control panfish populations.
"It didn't work," said the agency's southwest region biologist Rick Lorson, "but bowfins have been there ever since, just not in great numbers."
Folks wanting to target bowfins should look for weedy areas in shallow water.
"They like vegetation a lot. They'll burrow way, way back in the weeds even when they spawn," Wilson said.
Although bowfins are distinctive-looking, with eel-like bodies and a dorsal fin along the entire length of their backs, during the spring spawn males look even more remarkable, turning a vivid green.
"They also become even more aggressive, since they stick around to guard the eggs and then the fry," said Wilson. "They'll attack whatever comes near."
Muskie guide Howard Wagner has caught bowfins on big bucktail spinners while fishing for muskies at Edinboro Lake.
"At first you think you have a muskie on," he said. "They're super-aggressive. When you hook one, it'll strip out your line."
Fish and Boat Commission executive director John Arway encourages anglers who have encounters with bowfins -- negative or otherwise -- to share their experiences with the agency and provide photos if they can. Documentation from anglers will help the commission to decide in the next few years whether to manage bowfins as a gamefish or a protected species.
Data from all waterways where bowfins exist will be considered, along with impacts and threats to their habitat.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10220/1078261-358.stm#ixzz0w19rBG1X
