The Fish of Wisconsin Trivia Quiz

Answer: 200 million years

Sturgeon are "living dinosaurs" whose fossil record goes back 200 million years.

The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) is by far the largest fish found in Wisconsin. It can grow over seven feet long and weigh as much as 210 pounds. It can be found throughout much of North America, along the Mississippi south to Alabama, the Saint Lawrence east and as far west as Saskatchewan.

In the 19th century, overfishing left sturgeon populations seriously endangered, Efforts since 2000 have resulted in significant increases in the lake sturgeon population in the Great Lakes. In Wisconsin, there is an annual season for sturgeon at Lake Winnebago. There are also sturgeon seasons in Michigan and Minnesota.

Answer: 127 years

The bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) is the largest member of the "sucker" family in North America and is known for being very long-lived, with the oldest being over 127 years old.

In Wisconsin, the bigmouth buffalo can be found mainly in the western part of the state, along the Mississippi River, although the largest one caught in Wisconsin (76 pounds) was found in the Petenwell Flowage in the center of the state.

Answer: noodling

The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) can grow up to 71 inches long and weigh up to 120 pounds, although the largest caught so far in Wisconsin came in at 74 pounds.

In many places, especially the south, people catch catfish with their bare hands, in a practice called "noodling." The technique is illegal in some states and legal in others, most notably Texas and West Virginia. In other parts of the United States, "noodling" is known as hogging, dogging, grappling or grabbing.

The flathead catfish is native to the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri river basins and can be found in much of central and western North America. Catfish are voracious carnivores and live off insects, crayfish and smaller fish.

Answer: Pike

The muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) was designated the official state fish of Wisconsin in 1955. One of the most diverse fishes etymologically, the muskellunge has at least 94 different names. Its origins are from Ojibiwe meaning either "great fish" or "ugly pike."

The muskie is the largest member of the pike family, and can reach a peak length of six feet and weigh up to 70 pounds. The record for Wisconsin was 69 pounds caught in the Chippewa Flowage.

The muskellenge is native to the Mississippi River, Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence seaway. The fish is an apex predator in any waterway where it is found; its only natural threats are humans and eagles. In Wisconsin, the muskellunge is found primarily along the Wisconsin River and in the lakes and rivers of the northwestern part of the state.

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Answer: Southeast Asia

The bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) originally came from southeast Asia. It is a major problem for Great Lakes fishing, as it grows rapidly and eats up much of the plankton in an area. Its rapid growth rate makes it a popular aquaculture, and China produces several million tons of bighead carp for food every year.

They are not all that popular as a sport fish in the US, as carp meat is not all that popular and the fish itself is tough to catch because it is a bottom feeder.

Answer: Danube River

European carp (Cyprinus carpio), like its Asian cousin, is also viewed as an invasive species in the United States. It can be found in most of the United States and all of Central America, although it is native to Europe, primarily the Danube and Volga Rivers.

Carp are a major part of European aquaculture, with several million tons grown annually. Carp production exploded since 2000, almost tripling what is was since the 1990s.

In Wisconsin in 1966 a common carp was caught which weighed just over 57 pounds and was caught in Lake Wisconsin.

Answer: 10,000

The tiger muskellunge (Esox masquinongyx lucius) is a hybrid of the muskellunge and northern pike. As a hybrid, it is generally sterile. Their natural range is in the northern United States and southern Canada, especially the Great Lake, but they extended to the Ohio River.

Muskellunge are known as some of the toughest fish to catch, with claims it could take up to 10,000 casts to catch one. A tiger muskie caught in Wisconsin, at Lac Vieux Desert, at the north edge of the state, weighed 51 pounds.

Answer: True

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) are native to North America, especially Canada and the northern United States. They are a popular sport fish and are also used in aquaculture. While lake trout are still threatened by overfishing and predators such as lampreys, the population in Lake Superior has grown dramatically in recent decades and is now estimated at 100 million.

The scientific name comes from the Cree word for trout. There are a variety of names for the fish, including mackinaw, touladi, togue, lake char and grey trout. The Siscowet variety of trout can be found in Lake Superior.

In 1946 a lake trout caught in Wisconsin waters (Lake Superior) set a record of 47 pounds.

Answer: Alaska

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) are the largest and most valuable of Pacific salmon. For this reason they are nicknamed king salmon. Its natural range is Alaska and the Pacific coast down to northern California.

Chinook salmon have one of the highest fat ratios of any fish and are prized for their large amounts of Omage 3 fatty acids. Since 1990, wild capture has declined dramatically while aquaculture has grown even more dramatically. New Zealand is the world capital of chinook salmon farming, with thousands of tons annually.

Chinook salmon were transplanted to the Great Lake and have thrived there.

Answer: 1880s

The brown trout (Salmo trutta) is native to Europe, especially Scandinavia, although it can stretch as far west as the Aral Sea and as far south as the Mediterranean. It is both a popular sport fish and a popular aquaculture fish. The trout has been a popular sport fish in Europe for centuries.

The brown trout was introduced in Michigan in 1884. Today, the fish can be found in 38 states, including all the Great Lakes states, much of the western US and along the Saint Lawrence Seaway,

The largest Brown Trout caught in Wisconsin was 41 pounds, in Lake Michigan.