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FALL 2002
Dedicated to the Memory of Commissioner Enoch S. "Inky" Moore Jr.
All About Fish
There are about 160 different species of fish in Penn- sylvania. At the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commis- sion, our job is to protect and manage these fish. Ichthyology (pronounced ick-thee-o’- lo-gee ) is the study of fish biology. Your job is to read this issue of PLAY and learn more about fish biology. Can you list the characteristics all fish have in common? How do they differ from other animals? Can you explain how a fish swims? Do you know how the fish in Pennsylvania are classified and organized into fami- lies? After reading this issue, you will know the answer to these questions. You will be on your way to becoming a junior ichthyologist. Fish are important to Pennsylvania. More than one million people fish in Pennsylvania. Maybe you are one of them. Anglers spend millions of dollars each year on fishing here. That helps Pennsylvania’s economy. The employees of the Fish & Boat Commission work hard to give anglers fishing opportunities. A big part of that job is protecting all fish from pollution and habitat loss. Maybe someday you will join the Commission as an ichthyolo- gist or fisheries manager! Want to learn more about fish in Pennsylvania? Check out the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission web site at: www.fish.state.pa.us. There are printable color illustrations of many fish found in Pennsylvania. These illustrations are from the Commission’s book Pennsylvania Fishes. You’ll find an online version of this book on our web site. You can buy a copy online by clicking on “The Outdoor Shop.”
When you are done with this issue of PLAY, pass it on. Remember that subscriptions to the PLAY newsletter are free to other kids ages 8 to 12. Teachers and youth group leaders can also get PLAY newsletters. Contact the Fish & Boat Commission for more details on this program. Don’t forget to check out the Commission’s web site: www.fish.state.pa.us. The site is loaded with information on reptiles, amphibians, fish, fishing, boating and water safety.^ www .fish.state.pa.
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How Fish Swim
Written by: Carl Richardson, Laurel Garlicki, Keith Edwards, Dennis Tubbs, Steve Whinham, Walt Dietz and Carl Haensel Edited by: Art Michaels
Layout, design and illustration: Ted Walke PLAY subscriptions: Linda Covage and Patti Copp © 2002 Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
Fish muscles look like sideways W’s, called myomeres (pronounced my’-oh-
mears ). The muscles contract from side to side and front to back. The fish’s
body pushes against the water and moves the fish forward.
Fins help fine-tune swimming. The caudal fin, or tail fin, increases speed.
The pectoral and pelvic fins steer up or down. They also help fish turn and
stop. The dorsal fin and anal fin keep the fish upright in the water—as the
keel on the bottom of a sailboat keeps it upright.
Fish Tails
The caudal, or tail, fin adds an extra forward kick to the fish’s swimming.
Tail shapes vary depending on how the fish swims or where it lives.
Fish swim to breathe, eat and move in the water.
Crescent-shaped tails
are suited for swimming
fast for long distances.
Fork-shaped tails are
also suited for fast
swimming, but they are
helpful in making quick
turns.
Rounded tails are built
for swimming slowly.
Lake Sturgeon
Hickory Shad (Endangered Species)
Yellow Bullhead Catfish
CAUDAL FIN
ANAL FIN
DORSAL FIN
PECTORAL FIN PELVIC FIN
ADIPOSE FIN
Pennsylvania
Fish are just as different from one another as we are different from other
mammals. There are three different types, or classes, of fish. Cartilaginous
fish (Chondrichthyes) have skeletons of cartilage and include the sharks, rays
and skates that live in the ocean. Jawless fishes (Agnatha) also have skeletons
of cartilage, but they lack jaws. Bony fishes (Osteichthyes) have skeletons of
bone. Scientists place different groups of fish in these classes into “orders”
Family: Petromyzontidae (lampreys)
Class: Osteichthyes (bony fishes)
Family: Acipenseridae (sturgeons)
Family: Polyodontidae (paddlefish)
Family: Lepisosteidae (gars)
Family: Cyprinidae (minnows)
Family: Catostomidae (suckers)
Class: Agnatha (jawless fishes)
Phylum: Chordata: Kingdom: (spinal cord) Animalia (animals)
Class: Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fishes)
Not found in Pennsylvania
What families do the fish above belong to?
Greenside Darter Carp
Chain Pickerel Northern Hog Sucker
Pumpkinseed Saugeye
Smallmouth Bass Stonecat
Which families do
the fish above
belong to?
GREENSIDE DARTER– Family: Percidae, CHAIN PICKEREL- Family: Esocidae, PUMPKINSEED- Family: Centrarchidae, SAUGEYE- Family: Percidae, STONECAT- Family: IctaluridaeSMALLMOUTH BASS- Family: Centrarchidae, CARP- Family: Cyprinidae, NORTHERN HOG SUCKER- Family: Catostomidae,
HOLD THIS SECTION UP TO A MIRROR TO REVEAL THE ANSWERS:
Fish Family Tree
and then into “families.” The easiest grouping of fish to learn is the fish family.
That’s because members of a fish family share very similar features or life cycles.
There are over 400 fish families throughout the world. Pennsylvania has more
than 20 families. Some fish in these families are common. Others are rare.
Some are just plain weird-looking. For now, here is a “big picture” look at
those families you might encounter while fishing in Pennsylvania:
Family: Sciaenidae (drums)
Family: Percidae (perches)
Family: Anguillidae (eels)
Family: Clupeidae (herrings)
Family: Ictaluridae (catfishes)
Family: Esocidae (pikes)
Family: Osmeridae (smelts)
Family: Salmonidae (trout and salmon)
Family: Gadidae (burbots)
Family: Cyprinodontidae (killifishes)
Family: Gasterosteidae (sticklebacks)
Family: Cottidae (sculpins)
Family: Moronidae (temperate basses)
Family: Centrarchidae (sunfishes)
Family: Amiidae (bowfins)
Living in Water: Fish Anatomy
Mouth: Food and water enter through the mouth. A fish can open its mouth to let water flow across the gills without opening its throat to swallow. The mouth of a fish is adapted to what it eats and where that food is found.
Scales: Most fish have overlapping scales or bony plates that protect them. Scales are covered by mucus, or “slime,” which protects fish from infection and helps them swim faster.
Lateral line: On both sides of nearly all fish is a line of pores called the lateral line. These pores are openings of tiny tubes that go through the scales into the body. At the ends
Fish are adapted for life in water. Even though there are many different shapes and sizes of fish, they have many characteristics in common. Pennsylvania’s fish can be grouped according to two different body types: Spiny-rayed and soft-rayed. Rays are found in fish fins. They support the fin. Muscles move the rays, which, in turn, move the fin. Spiny-rayed fish have hard, and sometimes sharp, spines in one of the two dorsal fins. The other dorsal fin has soft rays. Yellow perch are spiny-rayed fish.
Soft-rayed fish don’t have stiff, hard spines. They also have only one dorsal fin. Soft-rayed fish also have a small, fatty fin on the back, called an adipose fin. Trout are soft-rayed fish.
Fins: While their dorsal fins may be different, soft-rayed and spiny-rayed fish do have similarities in their other fins.
Head: A fish’s head has a mouth and openings for eyes and nostrils. Fish have two pairs of nostrils, called nares. The nares lead to the olfactory, or smell, organs.
Eyes: All fish have large, round eyes. This gives them a wide field of vision.
adipose fin
anal fin
caudal fin
first dorsal fin (spiny)
gill cover
lateral line
pectoral fins pelvic fins
second dorsal fin (soft)
anal fin
caudal fin
dorsal fin
gill cover
lateral line
pectoral fins (^) pelvic fins
Lateral Line
tube through scale pore of lateral line
nerve
scale
hairs
of each tube are tiny hairs connected to nerves. Sound waves (like those from your lure) enter the tubes and make the hairs dance.
Gill cover: The gill cover is a hard, bony plate that covers the gills. Fish are able to open and close this plate, pumping water across the gills. This plate also protects the gills, in the same way that your ribs protect your lungs. Another name for this cover is the “operculum.”
Operculum
