The Black Crappie is an introduced species of sunfish in British Columbia that originates in eastern North America but has been widely introduced across North America for sport fishing. It is a small to moderate silver- to white-coloured fish with black mottlings. Habitat includes quiet water areas with clear water and abundant aquatic vegetation with sand/mud bottoms, including ponds, lakes, streams and sloughs. Diet includes crustaceans, insects and other small fish species. Like other sunfish, this is a nest-building species. It matures at 3 years of age and reproduces in the spring when males excavate depressions in or near vegetated areas, usually in water depths of 5/6 feet. The black crappie is a schooling species that does not go into semi-hibernation in the winter, and continues to feed (
Ontario Fish Species 2011)
According to Carl and Guiguet (1958): "Crappies were first noted in British Columbia in Hatzic Lake in 1933 (Hart, 1934), and since that time they have been discovered in many other lakes and backwaters connected with the lower Fraser system. Black Crappies and their cousins, the White Crappies (Pomoxis annularis), are widely spread in Washington and Oregon, where they were first released in 1890 and 1892. No record is available as to how Black Crappies reached British Columbia, but it is assumed that they were the result of transplantation, probably from Washington, the nearest source."
Other common names for this species throughout its range include: black crappie, calico bass, crappie, crawpie, grass bass, moonfish, oswego bass, shiner, speck, speckled bass, and strawberry bass (Florida Museum of Natural History 2011).
Read more about the Black Crappie here.
