Fwd: Re: Where to get golden shiners

[Neal Foster]

The TNCC has considered planting some golden shiners in the pond this spring. See <http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/mofwis/Mofwis_Detail.aspx?id=0100149#food> for other information on this widespread native fish species. It's a larger and much more attractive species than the smaller fathead minnows. The fatheads have done quite well since they were stocked in the pond many, many years ago. The golden shiners are more herbivorous than the fatheads and our hypereutrophic (overfertilized) pond produces quite a bit of algae. But other, rooted aquatic plants seem to be becoming more common, according to my observations made during my annual October dipnetting for pond "critters" to display at the OHMHA Fall Festival.  This might indicate that the nutrient load in the pond may have decreased slightly, noy surprising considering stormwater runnoff from an additional 38 acres in the the neighborhood was diverted into the pond.  So water quality in the pond might be improving although no one is making any effort to repeat the water quality tests  that TNCC members and other neighborhood residents volunteered to help J. F. New with some years ago.

--Neal

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Date:	Fri, 2 Mar 2012 05:41:47 -0800 (PST)
From:	Douglas Sweet <swe...@att.net>
Subject:	Re: Where to get golden shiners
To:	Neal Foster <neal...@umich.edu>
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Neal,   At least down here in Ohio one of the best sources for golden shiners would be Jones Fish Hatchery.  They are health certified so I would assume they would be able to ship shiners up to you.  Not sure how many you are going to need and if if would be worth a delivery fee or if you could drive all the way down to Jones (Cincinnatti) and do a pick-up.  www.jonesfish.com or 800-662-3474.  Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife has a fish propagators list which lists all the licensed suppliers of pond stockable fish.  Michigan used to have a similar list, called Game Fish Breeders or Suppliers list.  I tried to find it for you on Michigan DNR's web site but was unsuccessful.  You might be more successful in finding it.  I just can't imagine that they would have done away with it but with budget cuts who knows?  You might need to call and find out from someone in fisheries.  Another Ohio source would be Freshwater Farms in Urbana, Ohio www.fwfarms.com or 800-634-7434.  There are numerous sources further south you go like Keo Fish Farm in Arkansas.  I could go on and on but I'm trying to keep it local. If you are really desperate you could just go to the nearest bait store and buy some.  It is highly likely these came from Arkansas.  Sometimes bait fish are handled pretty roughly, especially fat-head minnows and various other shiners.  They are shipped for short term survival as bait and so have been shipped rather densely making long-term survival questionable.  However, golden shiners are often sold as pike bait so a premium dollar is asked for these.  With this premium dollar they are handled better so you may have good luck starting off with a couple dozen or a hundred or so goldens directly from a bait store.  I would buy the larger pike bait size if its affordable.  I hope all this helps.  I really think there has got to be a producer of shiners in Michigan.  You might also tap into a list generated by the Michigan Aquaculture Association.  They might be able to help.  Not sure if Michigan State University still has an extension agent for aquaculture.  if they do Chris Weeks at MSU would be someone to talk to.  You could call him in the Fisheries Department at MSU and he might know a golden shiner supplier for Michigan.  Hope all this helps.   Doug Sweet The Lilliput Lorax --- On Wed, 2/29/12, Neal Foster <neal...@umich.edu> wrote: From: Neal Foster <neal...@umich.edu> Subject: Where to get golden shiners To: "Douglas Sweet" <swe...@att.net>, "Doug Sweet" <swe...@worldnet.att.net> Date: Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 5:11 PM Doug - do you have any suggestions as to sources/vendors for live golden shiners?  I think they would do well in the small (~8 acres) shallow, hypereutrophic pond in our neighborhood nature center.  It freezes over completely in winter; would that make it less suitable for golden shiners?  Some fathead minnows were planted many years ago in our pond and they have done very well; we also have many descendants of dimestore goldfish that were released decades ago. .Last spring, after the ice melted., we found there had been a  winter kill with some of the goldfish  We have brown bullheads as well.  Sunfish were planted many years ago, but they disappeared after some successive years of.winter kills. --Neal http://www.thurstonnaturecenter.org/