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Olympic Mudminnow - a cool Washington Native

Patrick_G

By Patrick_G,
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Patrick_G Grand Master

Patrick_G

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I knew my good friend Lauren was a freshwater fish scientist, but I just learned that’s she’s the worlds expert on the Olympic Mudminmow. Check these guys out, they’re a beautiful and interesting fish endemic to Washington State. Here is one of her papers on the species.  I think I could get her to help me set up a biotope! 
http://www.chehalisleadentity.org/wp-content/uploads/Mud_Minnow_research_TAFS_2016.pdf

267D54DE-281C-4BB8-9771-80781B65E773.jpeg

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Patrick_G Grand Master

Patrick_G

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On 8/16/2021 at 5:26 PM, eatyourpeas said:

Oh, you should go for it! You could help with their preservation. You might as well start shopping for a really big tank and a chiller! 😉

Beautiful fish!

Luckily these are freshwater and tolerant of a wide span of parameters. They might be perfect for my basement fish area that runs from the mid 60s to low 70s. 

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Patrick_G Grand Master

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On 8/16/2021 at 7:05 PM, Biotope Biologist said:

Way to steal my idea that I told noone about. 😋

 

I think they would make a great pond fish too! One project at a time though, I am like 10 projects ahead of myself here lol. 

From what she described about their habitat they would be a perfect pond fish. They’re endemic to the Olympic Peninsula but there’s also a transplanted population in the foothills of Snohomish county. 

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Biotope Biologist Grand Master

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I really liked Candi's tub pond with the oil can fountain so I definitely plan on copying that when I move down south. I have already sourced a 1950's oil can from a boutique thrift shop! 

 

I heard that they were transplanted into various snohomish county ponds and lakes. I wonder how one would go about collecting specimens. Perhaps a minnow trap in the shallows?

 

The video I was referencing

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Patrick_G Grand Master

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On 8/17/2021 at 9:17 AM, GameCzar said:

I'm totally fascinated with native species, and I'd really love to do a Texas species tank.    I found a nice resource to start with here.

I'm just clueless on how I would source a lot of these. 

I think you should get some waders, a dip net, a specimen container and a camera. A delorme atlas will show you all the blue lines in your area. The OnX Hunt app will tell you where the public land is😀. Check your fish and game site to make sure what you’re doing is legal. 

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On 8/17/2021 at 11:30 AM, Patrick_G said:

I think you should get some waders, a dip net, a specimen container and a camera. A delorme atlas will show you all the blue lines in your area. The OnX Hunt app will tell you where the public land is😀. Check your fish and game site to make sure what you’re doing is legal. 

Not a bad idea, just  not sure how many are Big Thicket natives!   That list of minnows is daunting!

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NanoNano Community Regular

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Two comments:

* Mud minnow...How much more of a PNW "grunge" name could you get?

* As with any small population/small habitat fish or critter,  you definitely want to check and see if there's DNR, Fish and Wildlife, etc. rules on capture and/or relocation of these guys.  Case and point- WA State has spent a lot of time and money capturing and helicoptering Mountain Goats back to their native Snohomish/Rainier area from the Olympic Peninsula where they had been artificially introduced and become destructive.

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Patrick_G Grand Master

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On 8/18/2021 at 9:49 AM, NanoNano said:

Two comments:

* Mud minnow...How much more of a PNW "grunge" name could you get?

* As with any small population/small habitat fish or critter,  you definitely want to check and see if there's DNR, Fish and Wildlife, etc. rules on capture and/or relocation of these guys.  Case and point- WA State has spent a lot of time and money capturing and helicoptering Mountain Goats back to their native Snohomish/Rainier area from the Olympic Peninsula where they had been artificially introduced and become destructive.

Agreed! Our freshwater ecosystem is fragile. This is a fish one needs a permit to collect. 
https://wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/environmental/scientific-collection

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NanoNano Community Regular

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Total aside- Not sure if it's still the case,  but about 15 years ago I went with a friend to purchase a WA fishing license.  The license came with a rule book that was *easily* 50+ pages that stipulated the species of fish, the exact locations they could be caught (by landmark and/or milepost) and days and times that they could be caught.  WA has a lot of historical tribal fishing rights/agreements,  so in some cases the general public can only catch/keep certain types of fish (salmon and trout) caught in single mile or couple of mile stretch on a single day of the year in a 6-8 hour window.  I think it's fair to characterize WA State as *gangster* when it comes to native freshwater fish management.

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Patrick_G Grand Master

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On 8/18/2021 at 10:30 AM, NanoNano said:

Total aside- Not sure if it's still the case,  but about 15 years ago I went with a friend to purchase a WA fishing license.  The license came with a rule book that was *easily* 50+ pages that stipulated the species of fish, the exact locations they could be caught (by landmark and/or milepost) and days and times that they could be caught.  WA has a lot of historical tribal fishing rights/agreements,  so in some cases the general public can only catch/keep certain types of fish (salmon) caught in single mile or couple of mile stretch on a single day in a 6-8 hour window.  I think it's fair to characterize WA State as *gangster* when it comes to native freshwater fish.

Yes! The rules for spot fishing in Wa are comprehensive so say the least. We have so many endangered anadromous fish with different species returning at different times and spawning in different locations. Even the freshwater side of the state is affected by the runs of Salmon and Steelhead since some fish run all the way into Idaho. The rulebook is dense and byzantine and poaching is a big deal even if it’s accidental. 

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Biotope Biologist Grand Master

Biotope Biologist

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it appears @Coryis correct, all non-game species fishing is closed. Freshwater systems are highly regulated so you may need special collecting permits. Likely to protect anadromous fish such as eulachon, lamprey and smelt.

 

Invasive species are kill on sight and technically speaking transport of them is illegal and subject to fines upward of $5000. 

 

https://www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing/statewide-freshwater-species-rules

 

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