Bigmouth buffalo

{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Bigmouth Buffalo.jpg | image_caption = Bigmouth buffalo male | status =LC | status_system =IUCN3.1 | status_ref =<ref name=iucnredlist>{{cite iucn|title=''Ictiobus cyprinellus''|author=NatureServe|year=2013|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202127A18234087.en|article-number=e.T202127A18234087|access-date=13 May 2023}}</ref> | taxon = Ictiobus cyprinellus | authority = (Valenciennes, 1844) | synonyms = *''Sclerognathus cyprinella'' Valenciennes, 1844 }}

The '''bigmouth buffalo''' ('''''Ictiobus cyprinellus''''') is a fish native to North America that is in decline.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":19">{{Cite journal |last=Lackmann |first=Alec R. |last2=Seybold |first2=Sam |last3=Bielak-Lackmann |first3=Ewelina S. |last4=Ford |first4=Walt |last5=Butler |first5=Malcolm G. |last6=Clark |first6=Mark E. |date=2024-09-03 |title=Analysis of bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus spawning phenology in Minnesota reveals 50-year recruitment failure and conservation concern |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-70237-5 |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=19444 |doi=10.1038/s41598-024-70237-5 |issn=2045-2322|pmc=11372041 }}</ref><ref name=":21">{{Cite web |date=2025-01-10 |title=Bigmouth buffalo: The mysterious fish that live for a century and don't decline with age |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250109-bigmouth-buffalo-the-mysterious-fish-that-lives-for-a-century-and-doesnt-decline-with-age |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite journal |last=Lackmann |first=Alec R. |last2=Bryshun |first2=Reid |last3=Phillips |first3=Iain D. |last4=Sereda |first4=Jeff |last5=Ferrari |first5=Maud |last6=Leavitt |first6=Peter R. |last7=Fortin |first7=David |last8=Peigan |first8=Matthew T. |last9=FHQTC Lands Chiefs Committee |last10=Jardine |first10=Timothy D. |date=January 2025 |title=Otolith and muscle stable isotope analyses to assess food-web interactions between threatened bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) and invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio) |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfas-2024-0364 |journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |volume=82 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1139/cjfas-2024-0364 |issn=0706-652X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":28">{{Cite journal |last=Lackmann |first=Alec R. |last2=Sereda |first2=Jeff |last3=Villeneuve |first3=James |last4=Foley |first4=Michelle |last5=Pollock |first5=Mike |last6=Bryshun |first6=Reid |last7=McCallum |first7=Katlin |last8=Englot |first8=Ethan |last9=Zak |first9=Megan |last10=Rehbein |first10=Cole |last11=Bielak‐Lackmann |first11=Ewelina S. |last12=Clark |first12=Mark E. |date=November 2025 |title=Within‐Ecosystem Comparison of Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus and Common Carp Cyprinus carpio Reveals Diverging Population Trajectories, Declining Recruitment, and a Lifespan of 148 Years |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72483 |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=15 |issue=11 |doi=10.1002/ece3.72483 |issn=2045-7758 |pmc=12620563 |pmid=41255936}}</ref> It is the largest North American species in the Catostomidae or "sucker" family, and is one of the longest-lived and latest-maturing freshwater fishes, capable of living 148 years and reproducing infrequently.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal|last1=Lackmann|first1=Alec R.|last2=Kratz|first2=Brandon J.|last3=Bielak-Lackmann|first3=Ewelina S.|last4=Jacobson|first4=Reed I.|last5=Sauer|first5=Derek J.|last6=Andrews|first6=Allen H.|last7=Butler|first7=Malcolm G.|last8=Clark|first8=Mark E.|date=2021-04-09|title=Long-lived population demographics in a declining, vulnerable fishery — bigmouth buffalo (''Ictiobus cyprinellus'') of Jamestown Reservoir, North Dakota|journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences|volume=78|issue=10|pages=1486–1496|language=en|doi=10.1139/cjfas-2020-0485|s2cid=234864913}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite journal |last1=Lackmann |first1=Alec R. |last2=Sereda |first2=Jeff |last3=Pollock |first3=Mike |last4=Bryshun |first4=Reid |last5=Chupik |first5=Michelle |last6=McCallum |first6=Katlin |last7=Villeneuve |first7=James |last8=Bielak-Lackmann |first8=Ewelina S. |last9=Clark |first9=Mark E. |date=2022-10-17 |title=Bet-hedging bigmouth buffalo (''Ictiobus cyprinellus'') recruit episodically over a 127-year timeframe in Saskatchewan |journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences|volume=80 |issue=2 |pages=313–329 |doi=10.1139/cjfas-2022-0122 |s2cid=252988048 |language=en|hdl=1807/126440 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Lackmann|first1=Alec R.|last2=Andrews|first2=Allen H.|last3=Butler|first3=Malcolm G.|last4=Bielak-Lackmann|first4=Ewelina S.|last5=Clark|first5=Mark E.|date=2019-05-23|title=Bigmouth Buffalo ''Ictiobus cyprinellus'' sets freshwater teleost record as improved age analysis reveals centenarian longevity|journal=Communications Biology|language=En|volume=2|issue=1|page=197|doi=10.1038/s42003-019-0452-0|doi-access=free|pmid=31149641|pmc=6533251|issn=2399-3642}}</ref><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Travers |first=Scott |title=This Freshwater Fish Can Live Over 100 Years And Defies Aging — A Biologist Explains Why |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2025/03/29/this-freshwater-fish-can-live-over-100-years-and-defies-aging---a-biologist-explains-why/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":24" /><ref name=":28" /> Even at a century old they show no age-related declines, but instead improvements relative to younger individuals, making this species a biological marvel.<ref name=":20">{{Cite journal|last1=Sauer|first1=Derek J.|last2=Heidinger|first2=Britt J.|last3=Kittilson|first3=Jeffrey D.|last4=Lackmann|first4=Alec R.|last5=Clark|first5=Mark E.|date=2021-04-27|title=No evidence of physiological declines with age in an extremely long-lived fish|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=11|issue=1|page=9065|doi=10.1038/s41598-021-88626-5|pmid=33907285| pmc=8079698|bibcode=2021NatSR..11.9065S|issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-01 |title=These fish live beyond 100—and get healthier as they age |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/buffalofish-oldest-hundred-years-mystery |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Premium |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Seo |first=Hannah |date=2023-11-10 |title=Century-old buffalofish are still living in their prime |url=https://www.popsci.com/environment/buffalofish-live-past-100/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Popular Science |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /> It is commonly called the '''marblehead''', '''redmouth buffalo''', '''buffalofish''', '''bernard buffalo''', or '''roundhead'''.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Fuller|first1=P.|last2=Sturtevant|first2=R.|title=''Ictiobus cyprinellus'' (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1844)|url=https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=362|access-date=31 October 2022|website=U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database|location=Gainesville, Florida|date=8 November 2019}}</ref> The bigmouth buffalo is not a carp, nor is any other fish in the sucker family. Although they share the same order, each belong to different suborders and are native to separate continents.

The bigmouth buffalo is typically a brownish olive color with dusky fins, but can vary greatly in color across individuals including melanistic, golden, and even xanthic color morphs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minnesota angler's mysterious 'giant goldfish' helps shed light on species |publisher=The St. Paul Pioneer Press|last=Chaudry|first=Zekriah |url=http://www.boreal.org/2019/06/14/201717/minnesota-angler-s-mysterious-giant-goldfish-helps-shed-light-on-species |access-date=31 October 2022|date=14 April 2019 |website=Boreal Community Media |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":17">{{Cite journal |last=Lackmann |first=Alec R. |last2=Black |first2=Stuart A. |last3=Bielak-Lackmann |first3=Ewelina S. |last4=Lackmann |first4=Jeffrey A. |date=2023-10-20 |title=Centenarian lifespans of three freshwater fish species in Arizona reveal the exceptional longevity of the buffalofishes (Ictiobus) |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-44328-8 |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=17401 |doi=10.1038/s41598-023-44328-8 |issn=2045-2322|pmc=10589290 }}</ref> Bigmouth buffalo may also accrue unique black or orange pigmentation markings with age,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":17" /> and in some rare individuals, white-edged fins.<ref name=":19" /> Like other catostomids it has a long dorsal fin, but unlike all other extant species it has a terminal (forward-facing) mouth reflecting its unique, pelagic feeding ecology. It is the largest of the buffalofishes and can reach a length of more than {{convert|4|ft|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|80|lb|abbr=on}} in weight. Generally it lives in lakes, or in sluggish areas of large rivers. Bigmouth buffalo populations have been in decline in the northern extent of their range since the 1970s, including Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=Eddy|first1=Samuel|url=https://archive.org/details/northernfisheswi0000eddy|title=Northern Fishes: With Special Reference to the Upper Mississippi Valley|last2=Underhill|first2=James C.|year=1974|location=Minneapolis|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|isbn= 0-8166-0674-9 |edition=Third|jstor=10.5749/j.ctttt6n9 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":24" /><ref name=":28" />

A 2019 study documented and validated their late maturity, centenarian longevity, and that several populations in northwestern Minnesota are composed mainly (85–90%) of individuals more than 80 years old, indicating recruitment failure since the 1930s.<ref name=":0" /> This newfound life history information published in 2019 defied pre-conceived notions of the species.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Ely |first=Megan |date=2024-11-19 |title=The Rough Fish Revolution |url=https://www.biographic.com/the-rough-fish-revolution/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=bioGraphic |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":21" /> A 2021 study from North Dakota also revealed a slow pace of life including late maturity, decadal episodic recruitment, declining population, and a relatively large group of old-growth individuals.<ref name=":13" /> A 2022 study from Saskatchewan, Canada revealed remarkable tendencies of the bigmouth buffalo including a supercentenarian lifespan, skip-spawning related to water levels, proximate mechanisms underlying failed recruitment, extreme episodic recruitment, and late maturity<ref name=":16"/>—all characteristics that make this species extremely vulnerable to overfishing, habitat degradation, and invasive species. Bigmouth buffalo are declining in Canada,<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":24" /> and have been in steep decline in contiguous areas of the US, temporally associated with the rise of modern wasteful bowfishing in the 21st century.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":18">{{Cite journal |last=Montague |first=Graham F. |last2=Schooley |first2=Jason D. |last3=Scarnecchia |first3=Dennis L. |last4=Snow |first4=Richard A. |date=August 2023 |title=Bowfishing shoot and release: High short‐term mortality of nongame fishes and its management implications |url=https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/nafm.10904 |journal=North American Journal of Fisheries Management |language=en |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=962–983 |doi=10.1002/nafm.10904 |issn=0275-5947|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":23" /><ref name=":25">{{Cite journal |last=Lackmann |first=Alec R. |last2=Watkinson |first2=Douglas A. |last3=David |first3=Solomon R. |last4=Scarnecchia |first4=Dennis L. |last5=Docker |first5=Margaret F. |date=2024-12-01 |title=From neglect toward enlightenment: the conservation of native fishes in the twenty-first century |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |language=en |volume=107 |issue=12 |pages=1305–1326 |doi=10.1007/s10641-024-01655-7 |issn=1573-5133}}</ref>

Bigmouth buffalo life history attributes, including the ability to survive several decades with no successful recruitment (i.e. episodic recruitment), are more pronounced than other long-lived freshwater fishes, including sturgeon and paddlefish.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":19" /> Such long-lived fish species are periodic strategists<ref name=":26">{{Cite journal |last=Winemiller |first=Kirk O. |last2=Rose |first2=Kenneth A. |date=February 1992 |title=Patterns of Life-History Diversification in North American Fishes: implications for Population Regulation |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/f92-242 |journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |volume=49 |issue=10 |pages=2196–2218 |doi=10.1139/f92-242 |issn=0706-652X}}</ref><ref name=":27">{{Cite journal |last=Kopf |first=R. Keller |last2=Banks |first2=Sam |last3=Brent |first3=Lauren J. N. |last4=Humphries |first4=Paul |last5=Jolly |first5=Chris J. |last6=Lee |first6=Phyllis C. |last7=Luiz |first7=Osmar J. |last8=Nimmo |first8=Dale |last9=Winemiller |first9=Kirk O. |date=2024-11-21 |title=Loss of Earth's old, wise, and large animals |url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.ado2705 |journal=Science |volume=387 |issue=6729 |article-number=eado2705 |doi=10.1126/science.ado2705|url-access=subscription |hdl=10871/139153 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":28" /> and require time to successfully sustain themselves by surviving to periods in which favorable environmental and biotic conditions arise for booms in reproduction and subsequent recruitment through the predation gauntlet.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Winemiller|first1=Kirk O.|last2=Rose|first2=Kenneth A.|date=1992-10-01|title=Patterns of Life-History Diversification in North American Fishes: implications for Population Regulation|journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences|volume=49|issue=10|pages=2196–2218|doi=10.1139/f92-242|issn=0706-652X}}</ref><ref name=":19" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-05 |title=Prehistoric Minnesota fish defies aging |url=https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/northland-outdoors/prehistoric-minnesota-fish-defies-aging |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Duluth News Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ryder |first=Natalie |date=2024-09-19 |title=Hatchlings of aging bigmouth buffalo floundering in Minnesota's Rice Lake |url=https://www.outdoornews.com/2024/09/19/hatchlings-of-aging-bigmouth-buffalo-floundering-in-minnesotas-rice-lake/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Outdoor News |language=en-US}}</ref> Unregulated, unmanaged and wasteful lethal fisheries are not compatible with their biology, yet such fisheries have come to exist in the 21st century in the United States and the species is declining.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":23" /> Canada on the other hand, has long-enforced protections for bigmouth buffalo.<ref name=":16" /> Exemplifying the lack of management in the United States, as of 2025 anglers with a standard fishing license in Minnesota can take bigmouth buffalo in unlimited numbers statewide, including from within a National Wildlife Refuge system of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. A 2024 study<ref name=":19" /> set in eastern Minnesota analyzed the population of bigmouth buffalo and their spawning migration at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge across years. Although the population of bigmouth buffalo migrates and spawns annually, a major pulse of successful reproduction has not occurred since the late 1950s.<ref name=":19" /> With a median age of 79 years as of 2024, and greater than 99.7% of individuals hatched before 1972, these bigmouth buffalo at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge make up one of the oldest known populations of animal on earth.<ref name=":19" />

==Geographic distribution== The bigmouth buffalo's native distribution is confined to the countries of Canada and the United States of America.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Johnson|first=R. P.|date=1963-06-01|title=Studies on the Life History and Ecology of the Bigmouth Buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus (Valenciennes)|journal=Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada|volume=20|issue=6|pages=1397–1429|doi=10.1139/f63-095|issn=0015-296X}}</ref> It is native to the Red River of the North and Mississippi River drainage basins, from Manitoba, Canada, and North Dakota, United States, to the Ohio River and south in the Mississippi River system to Texas and Alabama. In Canada, they inhabit the Milk River which flows through Alberta, and the Qu'Appelle River which flows through Saskatchewan and Manitoba into Lake Winnipeg. Beginning in the northern United States, they are native to Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, to southern states including eastern Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. The major systems where they are found include the Hudson Bay and Mississippi River drainages. The introduction of bigmouth buffalo has largely been done for commercial purposes. Regions of reintroductions include some reservoirs along the Missouri River drainage of North Dakota and Montana. Regions of introduction include some reservoirs in Arizona,<ref name=":17" /> and within California, they have also been introduced to the aqueduct system of Los Angeles.<ref name="ref9">{{cite web|last=Edwards|first=Elizabeth A.|date=September 1983 |title=Habitat Suitability Index Models: Bigmouth Buffalo |publisher=U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service |id=FWS/OBS-82/10.34|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA323276.pdf|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref>thumb|220x220px|Commercial harvest of bigmouth buffalo for food is a declining niche market. Fish are netted and then kept living in well-oxygenated tanks and trucked to markets in the US where they are sold alive.<ref name="Apr 22nd 2016 - 11pm">{{Cite web|title=Where buffalo fish swim, nets follow|url=https://www.wctrib.com/news/4016336-where-buffalo-fish-swim-nets-follow|first=Tom |last=Cherveny|date=22 April 2016|website=West Central Tribune|language=en|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref> |alt=|left thumb|286x286px|Bigmouth buffalo - oldest confirmed freshwater fish<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=112-year-old fish has broken a longevity record|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/08/oldest-freshwater-fish-discovered-radiocarbon-dating/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802193243/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/08/oldest-freshwater-fish-discovered-radiocarbon-dating/|archive-date=August 2, 2019|website=National Geographic|language=en|access-date=31 October 2022|last=Landsman|first=Sean|date=2 August 2019}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=McFeely: NDSU researcher finds some Minnesota fish live more than 100 years|url=https://www.inforum.com/sports/outdoors/1353527-McFeely-NDSU-researcher-finds-some-Minnesota-fish-live-more-than-100-years|first=Mike |last=McFeely |website=INFORUM|date=29 May 2019|language=en|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref><ref name=":24" />

== Ecological, cultural, and economic importance == Native to North America, bigmouth buffalo are integral to ecosystems therein.<ref name=":19" /> Bigmouth buffalo young are prey for several predatory fish, including walleye,<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last1=Liao|first1=H.|last2=Pierce|first2=C. L.|last3=Larscheid|first3=J. G.|date=2002|title=Diet dynamics of the adult piscivorous fish community in Spirit Lake, Iowa, USA 1995–1997|journal=Ecology of Freshwater Fish|language=en|volume=11|issue=3|pages=178–189|doi=10.1034/j.1600-0633.2002.00015.x|issn=1600-0633|url=https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1117&context=nrem_pubs|access-date=31 October 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref> northern pike,<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|last1=Mauck|first1=Wilbur L.|last2=Coble|first2=Daniel W.|date=1971-07-01|title=Vulnerability of Some Fishes to Northern Pike (''Esox lucius'') Predation|journal=Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada|volume=28|issue=7|pages=957–969|doi=10.1139/f71-141|issn=0015-296X}}</ref><ref name=":19" /> catfish,<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal|last1=Neely|first1=Ben C.|last2=Lynott|first2=Sean T.|date=September 2016|title=Examination of the World Record Flathead Catfish Captured from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas, in May, 1998|journal=Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science|volume=119|issue=3–4|pages=353–359|doi=10.1660/062.119.0419|s2cid=88656666|issn=0022-8443}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Trash Fish Tuesday: Bigmouth Buffalo|last=Klobucar|first=Stephen|date=17 September 2019|url=https://www.themeateater.com/fish/freshwater/trash-fish-tuesday-bigmouth-buffalo|website=MeatEater|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref> alligator gar,<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|title=In Texas, One of the World's Oldest, Weirdest Fish Finally Gets its Due|url=https://www.texasobserver.org/odd-fish-alligator-gar-old-weird-texas-monster/|website=The Texas Observer|last=Elbein|first=Asher|date=19 November 2018|language=en-US|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web|last1=Layher|first1=William G.|last2=Layher|first2=April O.|last3=Crabb|first3=B. Scott|last4=Spurlock|first4=Matt|date=September 24, 2008|title=Literature Survey, Status in States of Historic Occurrence, and Field Investigations into the Life History of Alligator Gar in the Ouachita River, Arkansas|url=https://www.wildlifearkansas.com/materials/ProjectReports/T26-08%20%20%20Alligator%20Gar%20Report%20Final.pdf|publisher=Layher BioLogics RTEC, Inc.|location=Pine Bluff, AR|access-date=13 October 2022}}</ref> etc. Bigmouth buffalo filter-feed on invasive zebra mussels during the mollusk's larval (veliger) planktonic stage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New appreciation for a Minnesota fish long considered junk|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/06/10/new-appreciation-for-a-minnesota-fish-long-considered-junk|website=MPR News|access-date=31 October 2022|last=Gunderson|first=Dan|date=10 June 2019}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Baxter|first=Rachel|title=112-Year-Old Bigmouth Buffalo Is World's Oldest Freshwater Bony Fish|url=https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/112yearold-bigmouth-buffalo-is-worlds-oldest-freshwater-bony-fish/|website=IFLScience|language=en|date=5 August 2019|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref> They form the native counterpart to the invasive bighead and silver carp, and they compete with the invasive common carp.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":24" /> However, these invasive species are outcompeting native bigmouth buffalo.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":24" /> Native Americans utilized bigmouth buffalo, Lewis and Clark harvested them on their journey in 1804, and the inland commercial fishing industry has valued them as a prized catch since the 1800s.<ref name=":0" /> The bigmouth buffalo is a popular foodfish throughout parts of the United States, and has been introduced into a few southwestern states. Commercial harvesters have to obtain annual permits to net from designated waterbodies, which are rotated among on a year-by-year basis, and they must report harvest from each haul to their respective state agency. Bigmouth buffalo are then trucked in oxygenated water tanks to markets where they are sold alive.<ref name="Apr 22nd 2016 - 11pm"/> They are commonly consumed in Arkansas as buffalo ribs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Buffalo Ribs |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/buffalo-fish-ribs |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref> Though it has small bones suspended in its muscle tissue like northern pike, its good flavor makes it one of the most valuable of the traditional, non-game freshwater fish. In addition to being a foodfish, the bigmouth buffalo has recently become a sportfish as catch-and-release anglers have learned to pursue them on rod-and-line,<ref name=":17" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brean |first=Henry |date=2023-11-18 |title=Some of world's oldest animals found swimming in Arizona lake |url=https://tucson.com/news/local/environment/old-fish-in-arizona-lake/article_2f62ca68-7e4f-11ee-92f6-fb764b64263f.html |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Arizona Daily Star |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-10 |title=From Minnesota to Arizona, new research tracks a remarkable, centenarian fish |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/11/10/from-minnesota-to-arizona-new-research-tracks-a-remarkable-centenarian-fish |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=MPR News |language=en}}</ref> and as lethal bowfishing has also increased in the 21st century.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite journal|last1=Scarnecchia|first1=Dennis L.|last2=Schooley|first2=Jason D.|date=October 2020|title=Bowfishing in the United States: History, Status, Ecological Impact, and a Need for Management|journal=Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science|volume=123|issue=3–4|pages=285–338|doi=10.1660/062.123.0301|s2cid=226238443|issn=0022-8443}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{Cite journal|last1=Scarnecchia|first1=Dennis L.|last2=Schooley|first2=Jason D.|last3=Lackmann|first3=Alec R.|last4=Rider|first4=Steven J.|last5=Riecke|first5=Dennis K.|last6=McMullen|first6=Joseph|last7=Ganus|first7=J. Eric|last8=Steffensen|first8=Kirk D.|last9=Kramer|first9=Nicholas W.|last10=Shattuck|first10=Zachary R.|title=The Sport Fish Restoration Program as a Funding Source to Manage and Monitor Bowfishing and Monitor Inland Commercial Fisheries|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/fsh.10679|journal=Fisheries|year=2021|volume=46|issue=12|pages=595–604|language=en|doi=10.1002/fsh.10679|s2cid=244170626|issn=1548-8446|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":23" /><ref name=":25" /> Although commercial harvest is regulated, sport-kill bowfishing is not.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":23" /><ref name=":25" />

==Ecology== left|thumb|256x256px|Bigmouth buffalo young feeding on plankton. Juvenile bigmouth buffalo are preyed on by predatory fish, such as walleye,<ref name=":8" /> northern pike<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":19" /> and catfish.<ref name=":10" />

The bigmouth buffalo is part of a unique ecology in shallow-water systems. The larval bigmouths are pelagic and sometimes benthic feeders, mostly of copepods and cladocerans, but also phytoplankton and chironomids.<ref name=":7" /><ref name="ref5">McComish, T.S. 1967. Food Habits of Bigmouth and Smallmouth Buffalo in Lewis and Clark Lake and the Missouri River. ''Transactions of the American Fisheries Society'' '''96''': 70–74.</ref> Bigmouth buffalo, unlike its close relatives the black and smallmouth buffalos, is a filter-feeder, using its very fine gill rakers to strain plankton from the water. It sometimes feeds near the bottom, using short up-and down movements to filter from the water the plankton that hover near the bottom or rest lightly on it.<ref>(Pflieger 1997)</ref> The juveniles and adults are mostly limnetic plankton feeders that also eat cladocerans, copepods, algae, chironomids, ostracods, and other insect larvae and invertebrates depending on availability.<ref name="ref1">Applegate, R.L. and Starostka, V.J. 1970. Food Selectivity of Bigmouth Buffalo, ''Ictiobus cyprinellus'', in Lake Poinsett, South Dakota. ''Transactions of the American Fisheries Society'' 99: 571–576.</ref><ref name="ref4">Johnson, J.E., Minkley, M.L., Rinne, J.N., and Willoughby, S.E. 1970. Foods of Buffalofishes, Genus ''Ictiobus'', in Central Arizona Reservoirs. ''Transactions of the American Fisheries Society'' 99: 333–342.</ref> The optimum habitat for spawning bigmouth buffalo is freshly-flooded vegetated waters.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":19" /> They are a very resilient fish that can tolerate high turbidity and low oxygen levels. They can be found in waters with turbidity levels over 100&nbsp;ppm. During spring and summer, 50–75% pools should be present, with backwaters, and marsh areas and 25–75% littoral area and protected embayments during summer for the habitat to be suitable.<ref name="ref9" /> Bigmouth can be found in waters from {{convert|22.5|to|38.0|C|F}}. The optimal temperatures for incubation and hatching of eggs are from {{convert|15|-|18|C|F}}, but they can develop in temperatures reaching up to {{convert|26.7|C|F}}.<ref name="ref9" /> The bigmouth buffalo prefers slow-moving water that does not reach a velocity over 30&nbsp;cm/s. thumb|495x495px|A 90-year-old male bigmouth buffalo with orange spots<ref>{{Cite web|title=Research proves Midwestern fish species lives beyond 100 years|author=North Dakota State University|url=https://phys.org/news/2019-05-midwestern-fish-species-years.html|website=phys.org|language=en|access-date=31 October 2022|date=30 May 2019}}</ref>|alt=

The bigmouth buffalo are group spawners<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":19" /> which produce 250,000 eggs/kg of adult weight; their eggs are very small at about 1.5&nbsp;mm in diameter.<ref name="ref8">{{cite web|last=Kleinholz |first=Conrad W. |date=June 2000 |title=Species Profile: Bigmouth Buffalo |publisher=Southern Regional Aquaculture Center |id=SRAC Pub. No. 723|url=http://agrilife.org/fisheries2/files/2013/09/SRAC-Publication-No.-723-Species-Profile-Bigmouth-Buffalo.pdf|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> The bigmouth buffalo is a spring spawner generally spawning between April and June<ref name=":19" /> when the water temperature is between {{convert|13|and|26|C|F}}, but may skip spawning if water-level fluctuations are not adequate.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":16" /> The bigmouth buffalo is a broadcaster that has adhesive eggs, which it lays in vegetated waters.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":19" /> Females seek submergent and emergent vegetation, the ideal habitat for the hatching of their eggs. Water levels substantially rise before spawning,<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":16" /> and the spawning timing and duration can vary significantly across years, even in successive years.<ref name=":19" /> For example, at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Aitkin County, Minnesota, the spawning duration was 7 times longer in 2022 compared to 2021 or 2023, and the spawning timing also varied by more than 16 days comparing 2022 to 2021. Bigmouth buffalo are extremely vulnerable to exploitation during their spawning period, and will likely require protections much like is afforded to lake sturgeon or paddlefish.<ref name=":19" />

Salinity can be a problem for reproduction. Spawning can occur from 1.4 to 2.0&nbsp;ppt of salinity which eggs and yearlings not being able to survive a salinity of over 9&nbsp;ppt.<ref name="ref11">Hollander, E.E. and Avault Jr., J.W. 1975. Effects of Salinity on Survival of Buffalo Fish Eggs Through Yearlings. ''The Progressive Fish-Culturist'' '''37'''(1): 47–51</ref> The minimum dissolved oxygen during the spring and summer is 5&nbsp;mg/L.<ref name="ref9" />

Recruitment success is related to water-level and drought conditions,<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":19" /> the water-level recession rate after the spring peak,<ref name=":16" /> and predation.<ref name=":19" /> While numerous invertebrates, blue gill, yellow perch, and other species prey on the bigmouth buffalo eggs and larvae, northern pike and other piscivorous fish likely further top-down restrict the survival bigmouth buffalo fry and fingerling fish in many systems.<ref name=":19" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":24" /> More than one male will assist in spawning by moving the female to the top of the water to help mix eggs and milt.<ref name=":16" /><ref name="ref6">Simon, T. P. (1999). Assessment of Balon's reproductive guilds with application to Midwestern North American Freshwater Fishes, pp. 97–121. In: Simon, T.L. (ed.). ''Assessing the Sustainability and Biological Integrity of Water Resources Using Fish Communities''. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. 671 pp. {{isbn|0-8493-4007-1}}.</ref>

thumb|240x240px|Another extremely old bigmouth buffalo with both black and orange spots. Both types of spotting accrue and intensify with age,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":19" /> but may vary by habitat.

== Life history == Reaching a recorded maximum of 148 years of age, the bigmouth buffalo is the longest living freshwater teleost (a group of more than 12,000 species) by more than 50 years, shattering all previous records for this group.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=starr2019>{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencealert.com/grandma-fish-is-so-much-older-than-we-thought-freshwater-fish-could-be|title=The Oldest Freshwater Fish Ever Found Just Changed What We Know About Fish|last=Starr|first=Michelle|date=5 August 2019|website=sciencealert|access-date=13 May 2023}}</ref><ref name=":24" /><ref name=":28" /> With a previous maximum longevity estimate (prior to 2019) for this species at 26 years,<ref>{{Cite journal|title=New Maximum Age of Bigmouth Buffalo, ''Ictiobus cyprinellus''|pages=85–86|volume=79|year=1999|journal=Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science|last1=Paukert|first1=Craig P.|last2=Long|first2=James M.|url=https://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/OAS/article/view/5665|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref> evidence of its extended longevity came as a surprise and was initially met with skepticism.<ref>{{Cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524213557/https://www.ndsu.edu/ecs/images/uploads/page_files/OutdoorNews_article_on_Alec_Lackmann_Bigmouth_Buffalo_2pages_b.pdf|archive-date=24 May 2019|pages=18, 35|last=Serna|first=Javier|date=2 March 2018|url=https://www.ndsu.edu/ecs/images/uploads/page_files/OutdoorNews_article_on_Alec_Lackmann_Bigmouth_Buffalo_2pages_b.pdf|title=Doctoral student challenges book on Bigmouth Buffalo|work=Minnesota Outdoor News}}</ref> Thorough bomb radiocarbon dating was conducted on their otolith microstructure and confirmed the age estimates generated from thin-sectioned otoliths, making bigmouth buffalo the oldest age-validated freshwater fish in the world.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-11 |title=Bigmouth Buffalo: Can a 127-Year-Old Fish Reveal Secrets to Human Longevity? |url=https://www.si.com/onsi/fishing/freshwater/bigmouth-buffalo-127-year-old-fish-secrets-to-human-longevity |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Fishing On SI |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":24" />

The onset of sexual maturity of bigmouth buffalo varies with latitude. In central North Dakota and southern Minnesota, females reach the onset of sexual maturation around 10 years old, while males begin maturation around 6 years of age.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":0" /> In Canada, bigmouth buffalo females had not yet reached the onset of sexual maturity by an age of 11 years.<ref name=":16" /> Their delayed maturity, great longevity, high fecundity yet little investment per egg, no parental care, and resulting episodic recruitment, are phenomena representative of the periodic strategist<ref name=":26" /><ref name=":27" /> - their slow, marathon-like, life history pace.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":24" /> Bigmouth buffalo also have a tendency to accumulate unique pigmentation (orange and black spots) as they age,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":28" /> which may vary by habitat variables such as water quality and available food.

==Conservation status== left|thumb|A discarded waste pile of bigmouth buffalo shot by bow and arrow, indicative of unregulated, wasteful bowfishing<ref name=":15" /> thumb|474x474px|From Scarnecchia et al. 2021:<ref name=":15" /> A pile of 32 bigmouth buffalo shot by bow and arrow in Minnesota in 2020 and left as waste. This one night of bowfishing resulted in more than 2,500 life-years taken. The median age of these buffalofish was 89 years old. According to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, the conservation status in the Canadian range of the bigmouth buffalo is difficult to assess due to lack of study of this animal, and the species is of special concern under the Species at Risk Act.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Bigmouth Buffalo ''Ictiobus cyprinellus'', Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence populations and Saskatchewan - Nelson River populations, in Canada|publisher=Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada|url=https://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_bigmouth_buffalo_0809_e.pdf|year=2009|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":24" /> Known threats include loss of backwater spawning areas due to channelization and loss of spawn viability due to high turbidity related to variation in flow rate.<ref name=":4"/> The bigmouth buffalo is also negatively affected by dams that restrict their movement and ability to find suitable spawning habitat, they are prone to winterkill, and they are highly vulnerable to overfishing.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":19" /> The bigmouth buffalo is an endangered fish species in Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/life/outdoors/2018/06/01/Endangered-fish-caught-and-released-in-Lake-Erie-bigmouth-buffalo-fishing-Presque-Isle/stories/201806010006|title=Endangered fish caught and released in Lake Erie|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|language=en|date=1 June 2018|access-date=31 October 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Besides this state, the bigmouth buffalo is not currently listed as threatened or endangered in any other region of its native distribution, although the Saskatchewan - Nelson River populations designatable unit has been listed under Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act as being of special concern since 2011 due to contiguous declines<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4"/><ref name=":24" /> that have also been evident in the northern extent of their US range since the 1970s.<ref name=":1" /> Several longstanding MN populations of bigmouth buffalo are composed almost totally (85–90%) of individuals hatched before 1940,<ref name=":0" /> and in other systems more than 99% of individuals are from hatch-years that pre-date 1970.<ref name=":19" /> A reflection of outdated fisheries management, harvest limits on bigmouth buffalo do not exist in these same areas - this despite the rapidly growing new sport of modernized night bowfishing that exploits this species.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":25" /> The rise of bowfishing was found to be coincident with steep declines in bigmouth buffalo.<ref name=":13" />

The fingerlings of bigmouth buffalo are susceptible to a parasite, ''Lernea cyprinacae'', but most are unaffected by the time they reach a length of 30&nbsp;mm.<ref name="ref8" /> They are anchor parasites that attach themselves between scale margins and fin insertions. The real problem is a secondary infection that may arise due to these parasites, especially in poor water conditions. The protozoan ''Epistylis'' and bacteria ''Flavobacterium columnare'' are both related to serious parasite infestations.<ref name="ref8" /> The bigmouth has been seen to hybridize in the wild with smallmouth buffalo, and it is possible that some fish identified as black buffalo are indeed these hybrids.<ref name="ref10">{{cite journal|last1=Johnson|first1=Donald W. |last2=Minckley|first2=W.L. |year=1969 |title=Natural Hybridization in Buffalofishes, Genus ''Ictiobus'' |journal= Copeia|volume=1969|issue=1|pages=198–200|doi=10.2307/1441719|jstor=1441719}}</ref> The hybridization does not seem to be negatively affecting their populations but makes it difficult to determine how many hybrids and how many black buffalo are actually in certain reservoirs. The fish is vulnerable in shallow water and is often captured by bow and arrow via bowfishing.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":0" /> It is commercially caught on trotlines, setlines, hoop and trammel nets, and seines. There are currently no specific management plans in place for the bigmouth buffalo in the United States.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Rypel|first1=Andrew L.|last2=Saffarinia|first2=Parsa|last3=Vaughn|first3=Caryn C.|last4=Nesper|first4=Larry|last5=O'Reilly|first5=Katherine|last6=Parisek|first6=Christine A.|last7=Miller|first7=Matthew L.|last8=Moyle|first8=Peter B.|last9=Fangue|first9=Nann A.|last10=Bell-Tilcock|first10=Miranda|last11=Ayers|first11=David|title=Goodbye to "Rough Fish": Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes|journal=Fisheries|year=2021|volume=46|issue=12|pages=605–616|language=en|doi=10.1002/fsh.10660|doi-access=free|s2cid=237713350|issn=1548-8446}}</ref><ref name=":19" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Winter |first=Tyler J. |date=2024-12-01 |title=Minnesota's Native Fish Bill: a case study in shifting the "rough fish paradigm" |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |language=en |volume=107 |issue=12 |pages=1327–1338 |doi=10.1007/s10641-024-01644-w |issn=1573-5133}}</ref> In some places like the southern US, progeny have been reared in hatcheries.<ref name="ref8" />

Management of bigmouth buffalo is in need of attention, especially in the northern part of their US range where populations are old-growth and declining.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":21" /> Overall, the International Union for Conservation of Nature did not consider bigmouth buffalo to be at risk of extinction in its 2013 assessment,<ref name=iucnredlist/> which came before recent developments in the understanding of the life history of ''Ictobius cyprinellus''.<ref name=starr2019/><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":20" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":21" /><ref name=":24" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bryshun |first=Reid N. |last2=Achtymichuk |first2=Gabrielle H. |last3=Ferrari |first3=Maud C.O. |date=January 2025 |title=No evidence of migration in a 4-year study of an at-risk migratory fish—the centenarian bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) of Saskatchewan |url=https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0036 |journal=FACETS |volume=10 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.1139/facets-2024-0036|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":28" />

== Fishing == On June 21, 2013, Noah LaBarge (12 years old)<ref name=citytimesstaff>{{cite web|url=https://stevenspoint.news/2013/07/10/one-big-fish-sets-new-state-record/|title=One Big Fish Sets New State Record|date=10 July 2013|author=City-Times Staff|access-date=14 May 2023|website=Stevens Point News}}</ref> caught the Wisconsin state record bigmouth buffalo fish.<ref name=dnrwirecord>{{Cite web |url=http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/recordfish/WisRecordFishAug2013.pdf |title=Wisconsin Record Fish List|publisher=Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources |date=1 August 2013 |archive-date=6 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206095141/http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/recordfish/WisRecordFishAug2013.pdf }}</ref> It measured {{convert|49.5|in|cm}} and weighed {{convert|76.5|lb|kg}}.<ref name=dnrwirecord/> It was caught on 8-lb-test line<ref name=citytimesstaff/> on the Wisconsin River at Devil's Elbow,{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} which is on the north end of the Petenwell Flowage. It was officially recognized to be the new world record by the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as both 8-lb-line class and all tackle.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

At Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, Jeff Wilkins caught a record {{convert|62|lb|kg|adj=on}} bigmouth buffalo while fishing on Percy Priest Lake. The fish, caught in the Seven Points area of the lake on March 31, 2010, was {{convert|45|in|cm}} in length. According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, it took 35 minutes for Wilkins to reel in the fish.<ref name="tnrecord">{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov/news/2010/4/26/new-state-fishing-record-established-for-bigmouth-buffalo.html|title=New State Record Established for Bigmouth Buffalo|date=26 April 2010|access-date=31 October 2022|publisher=Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency}}</ref> The catch beat the previous record of {{convert|52|lb|2|oz|kg}}, caught by Greg Megibben in 2001, also at Percy Priest. After the record was certified, Wilkins released the fish back into the lake.<ref name="tnrecord"/>

In Omaha, Nebraska, Joe Slavic caught a {{convert|64|lb|kg|adj=on}} bigmouth buffalo using mulberry bait on June 8, 2000 in a Dodge County sand pit.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nebraska Record Fish|url=http://outdoornebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NE-Record-Fish.pdf|year=2019|access-date=31 October 2022|website=Nebraska Game and Parks|page=1}}</ref>

The International Game Fish Association all-tackle record stands at {{convert|31.89|kg|lb}}, caught on April 21, 1980 by Delbert Sisk in Bastrop, Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://igfa.org/igfa-world-records-search/?search_type=CommonNameSummary&search_term_1=Buffalo%2C+bigmouth|title=Buffalo, bigmouth (''Ictobius cyprinellus'')|access-date=31 October 2022|website=International Game Fish Association}}</ref>

==See also== * Haff disease

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Wikispecies-inline|Ictiobus cyprinellus|''Ictiobus cyprinellus''}} *{{Commons category-inline|Ictiobus cyprinellus|''Ictiobus cyprinellus''}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q140999}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Ictiobus Category:Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes Category:Fish described in 1844 Category:Freshwater fish of North America