What Kind of Fish Is Walleye Updated

What Kind of Fish Is Walleye

Walleye

Sander vitreus

Condition: Non Listed

Clarification

The walleye is a freshwater fish in the perch family unit that is a popular and usually-stocked game fish. Walleye are long and thin, primarily gilt and olive in color, with a white belly. The dorsum is crossed with 5 or more than black bands. They have two dorsal fins—one spiny and one soft-rayed. The walleye'southward mouth is big with sharp teeth, and it has low-light vision that helps it discover prey at night. Walleye are well-nigh 2.5 to 3 feet (0.75 to 0.9 meters) in length and counterbalance up to 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9 kilograms).

Range

Walleye are native to Canada, the Keen Lakes, the Missouri River basin and the upper Mississippi River basin, and accept been introduced in the western and northeastern United States. They prefer the cool, deep, tranquillity waters of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Walleye are generally nocturnal and during the 24-hour interval are often found under the encompass of tree roots, logs, and aquatic plants. At dark, they travel to shallower waters.

Diet

This fish's diet depends on what's available, which usually includes modest fish (such as yellow perch), large invertebrates, and insects. Feeding occurs primarily at dusk and dawn.

Life History

Walleye spawn in the spring or early summer. They spawn over gravel or rocks in rivers or shallows, where there is enough of a current to clear away sediment and aerate the eggs. Females can deposit more than 100,000 eggs, which hatch in almost two weeks. A walleye lives most 10 years on boilerplate.

Conservation

The walleye population is relatively stable. Threats to these fish include climatic change, channelization, erosion, overfishing, and degraded water quality. One subspecies, the blue expressway, is believed to exist extinct.

Few fish have such a stiff fan base as the cool-water-loving walleye. The unofficial state fish of Ohio, walleye are targeted by anglers who chase these toothy predators year-round in rivers and lakes, from boats and shore, and even through the ice. Simply in Ohio, the walleye is at risk of dramatic population turn down as warming lakes are decimating their prey and increasing the threat of invasive species.

Lake Erie is the most biologically productive of all the Great Lakes, often producing more fish for human consumption than all the other Slap-up Lakes combined. However, climate change at present threatens this lake and the walleye information technology supports equally Lake Erie h2o levels, already below boilerplate, could drop four to 5 anxiety by the finish of this century, significantly altering shoreline habitat and decreasing water quality. Rise temperatures could also change internal water cycling in the Great Lakes that would lead to oxygen-deficient zones (dead zones) that result in large fish kills. I species that's particularly sensitive to these dead zones is the cisco, a major prey item for walleye. As warming waters decimate cisco populations, the Lake Erie walleye population is likely to follow. The changing climate could also result in more suitable temperatures for non-native aquatic species to invade and aggrandize their range into the Not bad Lakes and compete with walleye for food sources.

Changes in the Earth's climate straight threaten treasured wildlife-associated pastimes in Ohio. And fishing, hunting, and wild animals-watching aren't just recreational pastimes; they are as well a major contributor to Ohio's economy. Millions of sportsmen and women and wildlife enthusiasts participate in wild animals-associated activities in Ohio each year. However, this rich community of fish and game, and the economy that depends on it, is at take a chance from a warming world.

Fun Fact

The walleye is named for its opaque, cloudy-looking heart, which is caused by a reflective layer of pigment called the tapetum lucidum. This layer helps it (and other nocturnal animals) run into in depression light.

Sources

BioKIDS, Kids' Research of Various Species, University of Michigan

Maryland Department of Natural Resource

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

NatureServe Explorer

Usa Geological Survey

U.Southward. Fish & Wildlife Service