Micros - Candy Darter

[bfishn]

Always thought Darters were some of the prettiest freshwater fish around, but I think the Candy Darter takes the cake.

Perhaps recently saved from extinction;

https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-11/sweeter-future-rare-candy-darter

Gotta be within @Johnsfolly s range. Give 'em a few years to spread, then have an 'accident'. ☺️

[fishinwrench]

Within the theory of creation you have to wonder how/why most critters are colored so that they are somewhat camouflaged in their environment.......while a few others are colored as if the creator had recently dropped a half hit of blotter acid.   

That little fishie looks painted up like a micro-bus headed to Woodstock.

[Johnsfolly]

On 12/16/2022 at 7:49 PM, bfishn said:

Always thought Darters were some of the prettiest freshwater fish around, but I think the Candy Darter takes the cake.

Perhaps recently saved from extinction;

https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-11/sweeter-future-rare-candy-darter

Gotta be within @Johnsfolly s range. Give 'em a few years to spread, then have an 'accident'. ☺️

We stopped at that Hatchery on our last trip out to Missouri and it was closed. Would have been cool to see those darters. There are many darter species. Tennessee has over 90 species. Many are in small habitat ranges that make them susceptible to habitat degradation or pressure from possible invasive species.

Thanks for posting that article. I will probably wait to see how this species does before "accidently" catching one😉

[Quillback]

Neat looking fish.  Always thought it would be neat to have an aquarium with some darters in it.  

[Ham]

it is an interesting ethical question. "should I fish for an endangered species?" Practically speaking, me catching one fish with the intention to quickly and carefully photograph and release will have NO impact on the species. Researchers kill a lot more of them learning about them than I would ever run into. I would probably fish for darters in those areas and be THRILLED to catch one. I wouldn't brag about it online though. The other practical aspect of it is they are probably pretty hard to run across and therefore hard to actually catch. I struggle with a lot of fairly common species.

In the back of my mind, I also think about the fact that round gobies are coming and in the waters they can reach, they are going to wipe out all the native darters. It won't be in my lifetime, but its coming. Catch the natives while you can. 

[BilletHead]

2 hours ago, Ham said:

Catch the natives while you can. 

                May I add take care of what we have and do your best to help control nonnatives and kill invasives when you are allowed. 

[MoCarp]

57 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

                May I add take care of what we have and do your best to help control nonnatives and kill invasives when you are allowed. 

 

Be sure to stab and stack a few of those bass too?..largemouth bass are specifically named as a major reason for   Extinctions of several small fish and amphibians…brown trout and stripers are named as well…

“If present trends continue, much of the unique California fish fauna will disappear and be replaced by alien fishes, such as, largemouth bass, fathead minnows. ” says Peter Moyle, a professor of fish biology who has been documenting the biology and status of California fish for the past 40 years.

researchers found that, of 121 native fish species, 82 percent are likely to be driven to extinction or very low numbers as climate change speeds the decline of already depleted populations. In contrast, only 19 percent of the 50 non-native fish species in the state face a similar risk of extinction. 
 

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Publications/Journal/Issues/volume-108-issue-1-status-and-distribution-of-arroyo-chub-within-its-native-range1

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, MoCarp said:

 

Be sure to stab and stack a few of those bass too?..largemouth bass are specifically named as a major reason for   Extinctions of several small fish and amphibians…brown trout and stripers are named as well…

“If present trends continue, much of the unique California fish fauna will disappear and be replaced by alien fishes, such as, largemouth bass, fathead minnows. ” says Peter Moyle, a professor of fish biology who has been documenting the biology and status of California fish for the past 40 years.

researchers found that, of 121 native fish species, 82 percent are likely to be driven to extinction or very low numbers as climate change speeds the decline of already depleted populations. In contrast, only 19 percent of the 50 non-native fish species in the state face a similar risk of extinction. 
 

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Publications/Journal/Issues/volume-108-issue-1-status-and-distribution-of-arroyo-chub-within-its-native-range1

If they are in their respective ranges no problem. Are you upset I could really care less about your carp? 

[bfishn]

9 hours ago, Quillback said:

Neat looking fish.  Always thought it would be neat to have an aquarium with some darters in it.  

The local ones are pretty hardy, just keep 'em cool as you can. Upper Spavinaw still has a few accessible pools that hold at least 2 varieties. February-March. Also stonerollers, shiners, sculpin, chubs, and more. Just follow the creek road from Hiwasse to 59, best one's about 2/3 of the way.

[Quillback]

3 hours ago, bfishn said:

The local ones are pretty hardy, just keep 'em cool as you can. Upper Spavinaw still has a few accessible pools that hold at least 2 varieties. February-March. Also stonerollers, shiners, sculpin, chubs, and more. Just follow the creek road from Hiwasse to 59, best one's about 2/3 of the way.

I'll probably never do it, but thanks for the advice!