By Bryce Nielson
Spring is finally arriving.
It may last at least two weeks.
The tons of snow we I have to admit that I had serious concerns
about flooding this spring. Fortunately,
as far as the melt was concerned, we had a perfect warm up. Cold days with intermittent warm spells
resulted in the water coming off slowly and evenly with no serious flooding
issues. The high country is just
beginning to thaw, so high flows will come down the Bear River and Smiths Fork
which will contribute to filling the lake.
received during the winter is melting.
There is a small fish in Bear Lake that will be happy. The high lake elevation will mean more rocks are
covered and increased spawning habitat for the endemic Bear Lake sculpin. The Bear Lake sculpin (Cottus extensis) are spawning along the east and south shores. The
loons and mergansers are seen feeding spawning sculpin along the shorelines. In early April, they begin to migrate towards
shore. During spawning, they swim miles to find rocks to attach egg masses
to. They are poor swimmers and only move
in short bursts and that can take some time. The males stake out their
territory under rocks and entice the females to join them. As the female deposits a sticky patch of
about 400 eggs on the bottom of the rock and the male fertilizes them. The female then swims off leaving the male to
protect the egg mass until they hatch. He
fans the eggs with his pectoral fins to keep the silt off and oxygenate them
while protecting them from crayfish and other egg predators. Depending on water temperature and wave
action, the eggs hatch weeks later and the fry disperse throughout the
lake. The small sculpin hide in the
extinct shells scattered along the bottom.
The male sculpin then goes back to his solitary ways where he will be
trying to escape predators since sculpin are one of the preferred food items
for cutthroat and lake trout
During the rest of the year, these fish are scattered
throughout the lake, on the bottom, feeding on midge larvae, nematodes, stray
eggs or anything else they can consume.
They are the most highly evolved fish in the lake and most of their
cousins are marine (ocean) species. They
do not have scales but have a large well-developed head and pectoral (front)
fins. They are characterized by opercal
(cheek) spines and brilliant blue eyes, the same color as Bear Lake (see
photo). The adults average three to four
inches but rarely exceed six inches.
They also have another unique characteristic. They are the chameleons of the lake. Depending on what color the lake bottom is
from white to dark, they will change color to blend in with it. If it is all one color, they will mimic it.
If there are gravels, they will be splotchy.
This adaptive characteristic allows them to hide on a seemly bare bottom
which there is a lot of in Bear Lake.
I have always
enjoyed studying and observing these unique fish. Not much is known about them, but they are an
integral part of the ecosystem.
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