Biology of the emerald shiner Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque in Lake Simcoe, Canada

Abstract

The study of the emcrald shiner Notropis athcrinoidcs Rafincsque Mas conducted in 1967 and 1968 in Lake Sinicoe, a eutrophic inland lake with an area of 725 ktn2 situated in the Province of Ontario, Canada. On the basis of meristic characters, the emerald shiner of Lake Sinicoe conforms to the classical description of the species and IS not distinct from the form inhabiting the Great L,akes. Annulus formation occurrcd in early June on age I fish but second and third annuli were not formed on older fish until late July through August. Young-of-the-year emerald shiners reached a total length of 45 mm by October;age 1 were 81 nun and age I1 measured 92 mm by the same month. By September, age I female emerald shiners attained a size superiority of 5 nim over males of that age group and by the end of the third summer agc II femalcs excceded age I[ males by 8 mm. Spawning occurred offshore in the latter part of July when surface water temperatures approximated 20" C. Of the three age groups, age I1 specimens were the most prevalent on the spawning grounds. Average absolute fecundity was 3410 eggs in fish of all age classes combined. Differences in water temperature seem to strongly influence the seasonal distribution pattern of the emerald shiner. The final temperature preferendurn of the species, as determined in a vertical temperature gradient tank, was 25°C. The emerald shiner is extensively utilized as a bait fish by anglers and appears to be an important forage fish. The plasticity of the species to adapt to a variety of ecological conditions and the species potcntial for high production favour its introduction to waters requiring a good converter in the food chain.

Extreme drought causes fish recruitment failure in a fragmented Great Plains riverscape

“…"FishLife" estimates for emerald shiner showed a slower growth rate (i.e., k = 0.54) but consistent overall size (i.e., L ∞ = 139) compared with values from our fitted model (i.e., k = 0.38, L ∞ = 130). Previous works on emerald shiner life history were largely conducted in northern latitudes (Campbell & MacCrimmon, 1970;Fuchs, 1967), and given known latitudinal variations in Notropis spp. life histories (Gotelli & Pyron, 1991;Taylor & Gotelli, 1994), slower growth rates might be expected in northern latitudes where water temperatures are cooler compared with the Great Plains.…”

Recruitment ecology of pelagic‐broadcast spawning minnows: paradigms from the ocean advance science and conservation of an imperilled freshwater fauna

“…Habitat use by emerald shiner and sicklefin chub differs from relatives of typical plains rivers. Emerald shiners form large schools that are widespread among pelagic, deep‐water habitats (Flittner ; Fuchs ; Campbell and MacCrimmon ). Sicklefin chub are restricted to deep, torrential, low‐light habitats, with cooler, deeper and clearer water (Welker and Scarnecchia ; Wildhaber et al .…”

Two Models for Seasonal Growth in Fishes

“…With a cubic transformation to weight, the model has been deemed the most suitable for use in fishery yield equations (Beverton & Holt 1957;Cushing 1968). Mann 1971;Campbell & MacCrimmon 1970). Mann 1971;Campbell & MacCrimmon 1970).…”