White bass

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White bass
White Bass.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Moroniformes
Family: Moronidae
Genus: Morone
Species:
M. chrysops
Binomial name
Morone chrysops
(Rafinesque, 1820)
Synonyms
  • Perca chrysops Rafinesque, 1820
  • Lepibema chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820)
  • Roccus chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820)
  • Labrax albidus DeKay, 1842
  • Labrax osculatii De Filippi, 1853

The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (Morone chrysops) is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white sides and belly, and with narrow dark stripes running lengthwise on its sides. It has large, rough scales and two dorsal fins. They are widely distributed across North America, inhabiting large reservoirs and rivers. When mating in the spring, they are more often found in shallow rivers, creeks, and streams. They have been introduced in some places as sport fish and also to predate on nuisance fish, such as gizzard shad. It is the state fish of Oklahoma.

Contents

Range

White bass are distributed widely across the United States, especially in the Midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie. Some native ranges of the white bass are the Arkansas River, western Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and Lake Poinsett in South Dakota; they are abundant in the Winnebago lakes system of Wisconsin; and they are also very abundant in Oklahoma. [2] White bass have also been found in rivers that flow to the Mississippi. Native to many northern habitats, they have been introduced in many different waters around the United States, particularly in southern locations. They were also successfully introduced to Manitoba starting in the 1960s, where they have gained importance as a sport fish. [3]

Description

A white bass, caught in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI. White Bass, Caught and Released.JPG
A white bass, caught in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI.

The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white sides and belly, and with narrow dark stripes running lengthwise on its sides. It has large, rough scales and two dorsal fins. The more anterior dorsal fin is much harder and appears to have spines on it. Although these are not true spines, this type of fin is called a spinous ray. The more posterior of the two dorsal fins is much softer, and is thus called a soft-ray. White bass can be distinguished from white perch (Morone americana) by having separated anterior and posterior dorsal fins; the spinous-ray and soft-ray portions of the dorsal fin of white perch are united and both are erected together when the spinous portion is extended. [4] Because the vertebrae do not extend into the tail, the white bass has what is called a homocercal tail. The body is deep and compressed laterally. [5] Most grow to a length between 10 and 12 inches (25 and 30 cm), though they can reach 17 inches (43 cm) or more.[ citation needed ] Because the dorsal and ventral portions of its tail angle inward toward a point to create a clear angle, the tail is said to be notched.[ citation needed ]

The record size for white bass caught on fishing tackle, per The International Game Fish Association, is 3.09 kilograms (6 lb 13 oz) shared by fish caught in 1989 in Orange Lake, Orange, Virginia, and in 2010 in Amite River, Louisiana. [6]

Diet

White bass are carnivores. They have four main taxa in their diet: calanoid copepods, cyclopoid copepods, daphnia, and leptodora. [7] They are visual feeders. When not frightened, they will bite readily at live bait such as worms and minnows. Only the largest fish will feed on other fish, and as the summer season progresses, there is an overall trend towards eating fewer fish. [7] Fish that are able to accumulate lipids over the summer are better able to survive cold winters. When looking at midwestern white bass, particularly in South Dakota, diet overlap occurs between the bass and the walleye. As seasons progress through the summer and fall, the amount of diet overlap decreases as a result of both fish increasing in length. [8]

Habitat

White bass are found in high densities in the upstream segment of rivers. This portion of the river becomes the most degraded, as a number of different kinds of fish live in this segment, as well. [9] [10]

Reproduction

The spawning season for the white bass is mid-March to late May. The optimal water temperatures are 12 to 20 °C (54 to 68 °F). They are known to find their home spawning ground even if it is moved to a different part of the same lake. [11] They often spawn in moving water in a tributary stream, but they will spawn in windswept lake shores. [11] They spawn during daylight. Females release 242,000 to 933,000 eggs which stick to the surface of objects. [11] Eggs are laid in clear, relatively shallow water on plants, submerged logs, gravel, or rocks. [12] The parents move to deeper water and do not care for the young fish. The young fish live in shallow water for a while until they move to deeper water. [11]

When trying to find a female with whom to mate, males will bump against a female's abdominal area. The female will then rise closer to the surface and begin spinning and releasing eggs. Several males that have stayed in the area will be able to fertilize the eggs the female releases. [13]

Hybrids with other bass

White bass have also been hybridized with striped bass (Morone saxatilis) to produce hybrid striped bass also known as wiper, whiterock bass, sunshine bass, palmetto bass, and Cherokee bass. These hybrids have been stocked in many freshwater areas across the US. [14] [15] White bass have one tooth patch on the back of their tongue, unlike hybrid striped bass and striped bass, which both have two patches there. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White perch</span> Species of fish

The white perch is not a true perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped bass</span> Species of fish

The striped bass, also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has also been widely introduced into inland recreational fisheries across the United States. Striped bass found in the Gulf of Mexico are a separate strain referred to as Gulf Coast striped bass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluegill</span> Species of fish

The bluegill, sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, as is common in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands east of the Rocky Mountains. It is the type species of the genus Lepomis, from the family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White crappie</span> Species of fish

The white crappie is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two species of crappies. Alternate common names for the species include goldring, silver perch, white perch and sac-a-lait. USS Goldring is named for the fish. The genus name Pomoxis refers to crappies' sharp operculum, while the species name annularis means 'having rings', i.e., it has vaguely vertical bars on the body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black crappie</span> Species of fish

The black crappie is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black spots. Alternate names for the species include calico bass, speck, speckled perch, speckled bass, moonfish, grass bass, strawberry bass, shiner, crawpie, oswego bass, sac-a-lait, and marigane noire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warmouth</span> Species of fish

The warmouth is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) that is found throughout the eastern United States. Other local names include molly, redeye, goggle-eye, red-eyed bream, and strawberry perch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock bass</span> Species of freshwater fish

The rock bass, also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, and black perch, is a freshwater fish native to east-central North America. This red-eyed fish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes and can be distinguished from other similar species by the six spines in the anal fin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow perch</span> Species of freshwater fish

The yellow perch, commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill from New York. It is closely related, and morphologically similar to the European perch ; and is sometimes considered a subspecies of its European counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green sunfish</span> Species of fish

The green sunfish is a species of aggressive freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists, they need a 55-75 gallon tank and can be fed minnows, mealworms, or nightcrawlers. They are usually caught by accident, while fishing for other game fish. Green sunfish can be caught with live bait, such as nightcrawlers, waxworms, mealworms, and blood worms. Grocery store baits, such as pieces of hot dog or corn kernels, can even catch fish. Green sunfish are aggressive and will hit small lures. They can be caught with fly fishing tackle. They usually grow to be 10 inches (25 cm) long, but can achieve a length of 12 inches (30 cm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moronidae</span> Family of ray-finned fishes

The Moronidae is a family of percomorph fishes, commonly called the temperate basses, in the order Moroniformes. These fishes are found in the freshwaters of North America and the coastal waters of the North Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauger</span> Species of fish

The sauger is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae that resembles its close relative, the walleye. The species is a member of the largest vertebrate order, the Perciformes. It is the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers have two dorsal fins; the first is spiny and the posterior dorsal fin is soft-rayed. Their paired fins are in the thoracic position and their caudal fin is truncated, which means squared off at the corners, a characteristic of the family Percidae. Another physical characteristic of saugers is their ctenoid scales, which are common in advanced fishes. Saugers have a fusiform body structure, and as a result are well adapted predatory fishes and are capable of swimming into fast currents with minimal drag on their bodies. They may be distinguished from walleyes by the distinctly spotted dorsal fin, by the lack of a white splotch on the caudal fin, by the rough skin over their gills, and by their generally more brassy color, or darker color in some regions. The typical sauger is 300 to 400 g in weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian bass</span> Species of fish

The Australian bass is a small-to-medium-sized species of primarily freshwater fish found in coastal rivers and streams along the east coast of Australia. A member of the genus Macquaria from the family Percichthyidae, the Australian bass is an important member of the native fish assemblages found in east coast river systems. It is a native predatory fish and an extremely popular game fish species among anglers. The species was simply called perch in most coastal rivers where it was caught until the 1960s, when the name "Australian bass" started to gain popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freshwater drum</span> Species of fish

The freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, is a fish endemic to North and Central America. It is the only species in the genus Aplodinotus, and is a member of the family Sciaenidae. It is the only North American member of the group that inhabits freshwater for its entire life. Its generic name, Aplodinotus, comes from Greek meaning "single back", and the specific epithet, grunniens, comes from a Latin word meaning "grunting". It is given to it because of the grunting noise that mature males make. This noise comes from a special set of muscles within the body cavity that vibrate against the swim bladder. The purpose of the grunting is unknown, but due to it being present in only mature males and during the spawning season, it is assumed to be linked to spawning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow bass</span> Species of fish

The yellow bass is a member of the family Moronidae. This species is a deep bodied fish that possesses five to seven dark stripes laterally along the sides, the lowest few of these are often broken or disrupted anterior to the origin of the anal fin. This species is somewhat similar to two other species in the family Moronidae, the white bass and the striped bass. The yellow bass is distinguishable from both of these species by having the offset lateral stripes above the anal fin and from not possessing tooth patches on the tongue. The yellow bass differs further from the white bass by having nine to ten anal rays in comparison to eleven or thirteen. The back of the fish is usually a dark olive green, and the abdomen and sides are often a silvery yellow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid striped bass</span> Hybrid fish

A hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is a hybrid between the striped bass and the white bass. Hybrid striped bass are considered better suited for culture in ponds than either parent species because they are more resilient to extremes of temperature and low dissolved oxygen, although they gravitate toward areas of moving water within impoundments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand shiner</span> Species of fish

The sand shiner is a widespread North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. Sand shiners live in open clear water streams with sandy bottoms where they feed in schools on aquatic and terrestrial insects, bottom ooze and diatoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny darter</span> Species of fish

The johnny darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is native to shallow waters throughout North America east of the Rocky Mountains.

<i>Etheostoma exile</i> Species of fish

Etheostoma exile, the Iowa darter, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is native to the lakes and streams of Iowa, along with about 17 other species of darters.

Percina shumardi is a benthic species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is native to North America. It is an inhabitant of small and medium rivers where it occurs in rocky riffles with clear, fast-flowing water. The river darter can reach up to 7.3 cm (2.9 in) in length and has an average lifespan of three years. It can be distinguished from other darters by its unique front and rear spots on the dorsal fin.

<i>Percopsis omiscomaycus</i> Species of fish

Percopsis omiscomaycus, also known as the trout-perch, the grounder or the sand minnow, is one of two species in the family Percopsidae. Its name comes from the Greek root words perc, meaning perch and opsi meaning appearance. The species name omiscomaycus is thought to be derived from a Native American word meaning trout. These are freshwater fish that prefer clear to slightly turbid water, and are found in rivers and lakes throughout North America. They are a generally small fish found in deep waters by day, but which migrate to shallower waters at night.They are most often seen washed up on beaches and are rarely seen alive or correctly identified. The trout-perch possess characteristics similar to both the trout and the perch. They are an important source of food for many predator fish such as walleye, northern pike, and lake trout. They are not a major human fishery, but are occasionally used as a bait fish.

References

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  2. David W. Willis; Craig P. Partaker; Brian G. Blackwell (May 2002). "Biology of White Bass in Eastern South Dakota Glacial Lakes". North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 22 (2): 627–636. doi:10.1577/1548-8675(2002)022<0627:BOWBIE>2.0.CO;2.
  3. "White Bass Sports Fish Makes Debut in Manitoba". Province of Manitoba Department of Provincial. January 31, 1964. p. 30.
  4. 1 2 Kansas Wildlife & Parks. "Identification of Striper, Wiper, White Bass, and White Perch" (PDF). Artwork by Joseph R. Tomelleri. Kansas Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  5. "Temperate Basses". Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  6. "Bass, white (Morone chrysops)". The International Game Fish Association. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
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  8. D.W. Willis; C.P. Paukert; B.G. Blackwell (2002). "Biology of White Bass in Eastern South Dakota Glacial Lakes". North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 22 (2): 627–636. doi:10.1577/1548-8675(2002)022<0627:bowbie>2.0.co;2.
  9. N.W.R Lapointe; L.D. Torkum; N.E. Mandrak (Feb 2010). "Macrohabitat associations of fishes in shallow waters of the Detroit River". Journal of Fish Biology. 76 (3): 446–466. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2009.02470.x. PMID   20666890.
  10. "Texas Weekend Angler" . Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 4 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute; February 2, 2006; Retrieved June 5, 2008
  12. "Texas Freshwater Fishes". Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  13. Assessment of Balon's reproductive guilds with application to Midwestern North American Freshwater Fishes. CRC Press. 1999. ISBN   978-0-8493-4007-9.
  14. "Status of the Striped Bass/Hybrid Bass Bass Fishery" (PDF). Illinois Department of Natural Resources. March 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-20. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
  15. "Chapter 21: Temperate Basses (Striped Bass Hybrid)". Gallery of Pennsylvania Fishes. Pennsylvania State Fish & Boat Commission. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2007.