Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus sets freshwater teleost record as improved age analysis reveals centenarian longevity

• Published in: Communications Biology
• Main Authors: Lackmann, Alec R., Andrews, Allen H., Butler, Malcolm G., Bielak-Lackmann, Ewelina S., Clark, Mark E.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group UK 2019
• Subjects: Article; Hudson; Hudson Bay
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6533251/; https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-019-0452-0

Understanding the age structure and population dynamics of harvested species is crucial for sustainability, especially in fisheries. The Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) is a fish endemic to the Mississippi and Hudson Bay drainages. A valued food-fish for centuries, they are now a prized sportfish as night bowfishing has become a million-dollar industry in the past decade. All harvest is virtually unregulated and unstudied, and Bigmouth Buffalo are declining while little is known about their biology. Using thin-sectioned otoliths and bomb-radiocarbon dating, we find Bigmouth Buffalo can reach 112 years of age, more than quadrupling previous longevity estimates, making this the oldest known freshwater teleost (~12,000 species). We document numerous populations that are comprised largely (85–90%) of individuals over 80 years old, suggesting long-term recruitment failure since dam construction in the 1930s. Our findings indicate Bigmouth Buffalo require urgent attention, while other understudied fishes may be threatened by similar ecological neglect.