Walleye facts

The walleye is one of the most popular freshwater fish in North America and has a strong following in many freshwater lakes and impoundments. Hopefully the following facts will help you understand more about this amazing fish.

Facts About The Walleye

• Walleye have large eyes with a layer of reflective pigment (almost like a cats eye) which allows them to feed in murky water, dim light and darkness.
• Due to their good eyes walleye are sensitive to sunlight and during these times walleye often move into water as deep as 40 feet.
• Walleye can only see shades of red and green and therefore green, orange and red lures are the most popular.
  
• Originally walleye occurred naturally in the northern regions of North America, but as it currently stands walleye have been stocked into almost every state of the US.
• Walleye have a very sensitive lateral line which allows them to sense wounded bait fish or lures.
• The oldest walleye recorded was 29 years and there is evidence that walleye can live to over 30 years of age.
• Walleye prefer cold water and feed right through the winter, but can also be caught during all other times of the year.
• The walleye reaches maturity at about 3-5 years and spawning occurs at 43 to 50° F. A large female can lay up to 500,000 eggs.
  
• The most popular lures for walleye are minnows, but jigs, spinners and grubs also account for fish.
  

How do fish smell

The title of this post could be taken two ways. I was temped to simply write BAD in big black letters, but April fools is long gone (thankfully), and fish don't really smell that bad.

The sense of smell is extremely important to a fish. It gives them ability to smell out food and in some cases return to the correct breeding location years after leaving "home." The salmonoid family of fishes can detect a certain amino acid in quantities as little as 1 part per 8 billion, which is quite amazing really. This ability means that fish are just as easily put off by smells they are unfamiliar with. The can include the following sunscreen, motor oil and petrol.

How do fish smell
Fish don't have nostrils like mammals, but have a very similar set of holes called nares which lead into a chamber full of sensory pads. The fish smells by moving water through this chamber and over the sensory pads and in general the faster the water moves through the better the sense of smell. Most fish need to keep swimming for this to occur, but some fish can pump water through the system via tiny hairs called cilia or through muscle movement. When the sensory pads pick up a smell they transmit the signal to the brain for interpretation, which the fish ultimately responds to.

Barramundi Facts

The barramundi, or barra as it is affectionately known, is an iconic sport fish of Northern Australia. They are well known for their aerial fighting ability and exceptional eating qualities.

Barramundi Facts

• The barramundi can survive in both fresh and salt water, but require brackish water to breed. They are frequently encountered in rivers and estuaries and have been stocked into many still water lakes and dams (where they cannot breed).
• Barramundi undergo a change sex after at least one breeding cycle. Young fish are born male and become female. Therefore most of the larger fish are females.
• The scientific name for barramundi is Lates calcarifer and it belongs to the perch family of fishes.
• Barramundi can grow up to 300mm in one year. They can reach sizes of 2 meters and weigh up to 60kg (130lbs). The average fish encountered by anglers is about 70cm.
• Barramundi feed on smaller fish and crustaceans. They are cannibalistic and are capable of eating smaller barramundi up to half their own body length.

For more facts and information on this great fish you can check out my earlier post - barramundi sportfish profile.

What Do Great White Sharks Eat

I have a real fascination with sharks and I have written quite a few posts about sharks which you can have a look through here - index of shark posts. I also promised more "fact" posts so I thought that I would combine the two to put together todays post.

Great white sharks are the biggest and most well respected of the sharks. They are a fierce predator and many stories have been shared at the local pub about the close encounters with these awesome animals. They are aggressive animals and the sight of a great white shark feeding is an unforgettable experience.

What do Great White Sharks Eat
Great white sharks locate their prey with smell and sound and they can smell their prey from kilometers away. Great white sharks typically stay below their prey and ambush them, taking them by complete surprise. Great white sharks are carnivorous (meat eater) and feed on animals with high fat content. Primarily the great white sharks diet is made up of :

• fish
• tuna
• stingrays
  
• smaller sharks
  
• porpoises
  
• dolphins
  
• whales
  
• seals
  
• fur seals
  
• sea lions.
  

Great white sharks have also been known to eat sea turtles. I found it interesting that while great white sharks will attack sea otters and penguins they very rarely eat them. Great white sharks will also eat pig carcasses if they find their way to the ocean.

Blue Crab Facts

The blue crab is one of the most important crab species in the United States and there is an extensive fishery based around this tasty crustacean.

Where do blue crabs live
Distribution
The blue crab is native to the western edge of the Atlantic ocean (including the gulf of Mexico) from about Nova Scotia in Canada through to Argentina. Overfishing has caused the population boundaries to decline somewhat, but they are still regularly encountered within these areas. Unfortunately the blue crab has been introduced into Japan and European waters possibly through the ballast water from ships.

Habitat
Blue crabs are found in brackish water near the mouths of rivers and they spend most of their time in muddy shores and bottoms.

Fishing for blue crabs
In certain states of the US fishing for blue crabs is a popular pastime and like other crabs the best way to capture a feed is by using a crab pot of some form with a tasty bait inside. They can also be caught using dip nets (to scoop the crabs up) and on handline by gently lifting the crab to the surface. One of the most popular baits is chicken , but any fresh fish bait will also catch crabs. Many serious crabbers have their own favorite baits, which are a closely guarded secret.

It is easy to tell between a male and female crab. You simply turn the crab over and look at the apron (see pictures)






Always check your local crabbing regulations.

What do blue crabs eat?
Like most crabs blue crabs are omnivores (and not that picky I might add). They eat both plants and animals and prefer their animals as fresh as possible.

Eating qualities
Like most crabs the blue crab makes superb eating and requires only a simple cooking method and the slightest of seasoning to make a delicious meal.

Interesting blue crab facts

• They can deliver an extremely painful pinch and are noted for being particularly aggressive (even out of the water) and difficult to handle safely.
• A mature fertilized female produces about 2 million larvae.
  
• Blue crabs malt at various stages during their life cycle.
• You can also tell the sex of a blue crab via the color of its claws.

Angler fish facts

I first saw an angler fish in the Iron Chef "angler fish battle" or was it Finding Nemo - I can't remember now, but it is one weird looking fish. However, angler fish are one of those weird creatures that seem to capture everyones imagination. It's weird looking, a little scary and apparently the liver is the only part worth eating (according to the Japanese anyway).

Angler fish facts

• The angler fish is so named because of its strange method of catching prey. They dangle and wiggle a filament attached to their head (see the angler fish pictures below) to look like prey and attract small fish. When these fish get close enough the angler fish swallows them whole. Their jaws are actually controlled by an automatic reflex when their is contact with their tentacle.
• Angler fish are deep sea fish by nature and are found worldwide.
• There are many different species of angler fish - some are pelagic, while others remain on the bottom of the ocean floor.
  
• In Japan the liver of the angler fish is worth approximately $100US while a whole fish will set you back about $150
• Some angler fish have arm-like pectoral fins that they use to walk along the ocean floor

Angler Fish Pictures

There are many species of angler fish and some are very difficult to photograph because of the lack of light in the deep parts of the ocean they live. However, there have been some really great photographs of angler fish captured.



My personal favorite picture

Scary looking isn't it?

I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Where do sharks live

Sharks hold a certain fascination for many people and I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of people visiting my shark posts so far. I have been watching some of the shark week on the discovery channel lately and I thought I would share some of what I have learned.

Where do sharks live?
Contrary to popular belief sharks are only found in 30% of the world oceans making 70% shark free. However, most coastal areas will be home to at least one species of shark. Research shows that sharks cannot live in water deeper than 1500 meters and this makes them susceptible to overfishing.

Great White Sharks are found in almost all coastal waters with temperatures from 12 and 24° C. There are large concentrations in Australia, South Africa and California.

Tiger sharks can be found close to the coast in almost all tropical and sub-tropical waters and will sometimes stray into temperate and cool waters.

Mako sharks are found in almost all tropical and temperate waters worldwide.

Interesting shark facts

• The bull shark is well known for its ability to live in both fresh and salt water - imagine the surprise if one made its way into your local bass lake!
• In the 16th century sharks were usually referred to as "sea dogs"
• Sharks never stop swimming, even to sleep, otherwise they would fall to the sea floor.
• Black-tip reef sharks have swum the Suez canal to colonize the Mediterranean Sea.
• While snorkeling in Australia, Luke Tresoglavic was bitten by a small wobbegong that didn't let go. He had to swim to the shore and drive to get help with the shark still attached to his leg.
• During an experiment a scientist plugged on nostril of a shark - it swam in a circle.

Fishing
Sharks are susceptible to overfishing and many species are now on the endangered list. As you might expect sharks are very good fighters and can grow to enormous sizes. Some sharks are also good eating. However the fact that they are under so much fishing pressure and can be downright dangerous near a boat means that you should think carefully before purposely targeting sharks.