FATHEAD MINNOW 



frequents boggy lakes, ponds, and Fathead production is usually 



streams. In southern Wisconsin, it expressed in pounds and wholesale 

 is found commonly in small ponds minnow sales are usually in gal- 

 and silty streams. Ions. The following table presents 



Breeding habits. — The males bear the number of fatheads of various 

 pearl organs on their black heads sizes to the pound and the gallon: 

 and soft, swollen pads on their 

 backs during the spawning season. 

 The spawning season extends in 

 some localities from May until the 

 latter part of August. A tempera- 

 ture of about 64° F. seems necessary 

 before spawning begins. The fe- 

 males may reach maturity and be- 

 gin spawning the following spring 

 at an age of 1 year. The eggs are 

 deposited on the underside of many , j g^i,„„ ^^^^,3 g ^^^^^^ 

 objects in a pond. Several females 



may deposit their eggs in a nesting ^ ^^^^- " ^he fathead minnow 

 , . , . , 1 J J u feeds mainly on zooplankton and 



site which IS zeaJously guarded by . -^ ^ 



insects 

 one male. From 36 to 12,000 eggs . * „, . . 



, , 1-1 .7 Importance. — ihis minnow is a 



have been deposited at one site in 1 u -x i; c i, • n/r- 



^ . popular baat tor panhsh in Minne- 



a circular or oval spot. A single ^^^^ j^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ f^^ pij^^ 



female has yielded 4,144 offspring ^^^^^-^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ gp^^i^g ^^.^ j^^t 



in 11 weeks, and spawned 12 times, available. After the early spring 



The eggs hatch in 41/9 to 6 days, seining of "shiner" minnows, the 



The older fish in a pond should be fathead minnow is probably the 



used for bait when they have most easily obtained bait fish in the 



spawned, as they die soon after. State. It grows well in small ponds 



The rate of growth of the young and is easily managed anywhere in 



fathead under normal conditions is the United States. More than 



as follows : 200,000 fish (328 pounds) have been 



raised to the acre of water. 



PRODUCTION 



The fathead minnow is the most 



widely and abundantly propagated 

 bait minnow in Missouri and other 

 Southern States, but in the Lake 

 States public waters supply enough 

 of these minnows to satisfy local 

 demands. The mature fathead 



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