Use of Fallen Trees for Spawning by the Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera) in the Upper Mississippi River

ABSTRACT

We investigated the association of the spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera), a crevice spawner, with woody snags in a channel border habitat of the upper Mississippi River during July, August, and October. Spotfin shiners in breeding condition were present in July, the peak of the breeding season, but the mean catch declined in August and October. The decline in the use of woody snags after the breeding season suggests that during the summer woody snags were used for spawning rather than for cover.