It's spring here in Calgary where I am writing this journal post from, and we are now in the midst of Sucker spawning season! It also happens to be the City Nature Challenge , making this a great time to hit your local creeks and see what's shakin'. I've noticed that the sucker spawn seems to be in full swing or just beginning in the eastern portions of the range, with some cool Smallmouth Buffalo videos hitting the news . and a bunch of great White Sucker observations as well. I'm hoping that as the month changes over to May I start to see some additional observations coming in from the midwest and western Provinces and States as their local spawning runs get underway. Based on observations from past years, we should then start to see some of the really cool intermountain and desert species kicking off their spawning runs before the season comes to a close in mid-summer.


It's crunch time, happy watching! And a big thanks to everyone who has uploaded to the project thus far!

@oridgen10, @schollmeier, @operculum_ben, @elliot403, @georectified, @jacobbowman, @ken-potter, @marykrieger, @zoltshmack, @jcsullivan, @aitnorth, @belowbluewaterdiver, @jgalea, @whimsicalrhapsody, @adamlipo, @benmayle, @dexternienhaus, @jrmorris, @michelle58558, @nf4t, @ozbak, @zlang8, @borisgrozev, @dani33, @david_legros, @dev0nika, @dietz_, @drewdittmer, @dutchbill, @ernestkeeley, @ezgrower, @flockingaround, @galloots13, @gbenranney, @gcambridge, @go_outside, @gobygal, @jessica4040, @jfloer, @jhale, @jimigragg, @jmaughn, @jon_clayton, @joshua_rains, @jzupan, @konshau, @larryhalverson, @lc_three, @lfowler1, @lkjohnson1, @markhereford, @michelle40, @monsoonman1, @mrostrowski, @northross, @nuagegrincheux, @offroadherper, @petroicatraversi, @pgeorgakakos, @psweet, @quinnbirds, @rlsalisbury, @rpoort, @ryangrow, @shaunmichael, @shirleyannschwabe, @smmckee, @stephen_bucklin, @susan3, @tamarack978, @tasribeiro, @tracywhite, @tug, @wdvanhem, @wisel

I am amazed and inspired to see all the observations coming in to the Sucker Watch project, to everyone who has contributed thus far, thank you! With spawning season getting underway, I am really looking forward to seeing some observations of spawning fish start to trickle in. With that said, there are a few things to consider when/before making/uploading observations for this project.

1. Spotlighting sensitive populations of spawning fishes
This is a big one, and something that I had not fully considered before having some good conversations from many sucker aficionados in the US. As I have learned, posting large congregations of spawning Catostomids may expose them to overharvest by bowfishers (especially in the US where this is more prevalent). I defer to your discretion on whether or not you feel that the population you are posting is sensitive and/or not well known to the public already. If you are in a major urban center for example, documenting a well known population, it may be at lower risk. If you feel that your observation could pose a risk to spawning fish in any way, please change the geoprivacy setting to "private". This will obscure the coordinates from anyone but me. Similarly, if you feel that inclusion of the waterbody name increases risk, you can leave that field blank.

2. Posting observations of a single specimen
While I strongly encourage you to upload observations of suckers that you've come across either as an angler, diver, fishwatcher, etc, this sort of observation is not really the focus of this project. What I am primarily looking for is observations of spawning suckers. If your observation of a single fish is a specimen captured from a group of spawners, please make sure the comment field reflects this. To see an example of an ideal observation of spawning suckers, check out this great Sucker Watch observation by iNaturalist user @georectified

3. Some guidance on the custom fields
I have been asked for additional guidance on some of the fields, and I would like to provide that here:

Number of individuals spotted - this is a count or estimate of the total number of individual suckers you were able to see during your observation.
Waterbody name - if the stream is named it can be entered here, otherwise leave blank
Water temperature - this can be measured using a thermometer or derived from an existing dataset such as a stream gauging station for example. To convert F to C, you can use the formula (°F − 32) × 5/9 = °C, or simply type (value)F to C into Google and let it do the work for you. Many phones also have built in conversion tools
Water Depth (m) - this attribute can be estimated or measured, and should be measured at the location in which the fish were spawning. For instance if a large group of suckers is observed spawning in 30cm of water, you would enter 0.3. Please don't wade into spawning areas just to get a water depth measure, better to estimate or measure a similar area within reach of shore to avoid trampling any eggs or disturbing spawning fish.
Water Clarity - this is intended to be a visual estimation of how murky (1) or clear (10) the water is.
Weather description - this can be a basic description of the weather at the time of your observation, for example "overcast" or "sunny".
Comments - please use this field to add any additional info you'd like to be captured about the observation, the spawning activity, fish condition, etc.

Happy Watching!

CALLING ALL SUCKER ENTHUSIASTS
Spring is on the horizon and duty calls! It is time we take to the streams and document the annual spawning runs of our favorite sucker-mouthed fishes. Sucker Watch is looking for dedicated citizens who will take up this noble cause and upload your observations using the Sucker Watch iNaturalist form. All that you need to do is to visit your favorite sucker spot, and/or investigate new potential spawning areas and upload an observation of what you see!

Before I get any further - If this is a topic of interest for you, I highly recommend that you read up on the awesome work of Dr. Karen Murchie at the Shedd Aquarium.. This project was inspired by Dr. Murchie's work, especially the use of citizen science data on sucker spawning in tributaries of the Great Lakes.

An Introduction
My name is Elliot Lindsay and I'm a current student at Royal Roads University, finishing my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Practice. I am also a biologist at Trout Unlimited Canada, where I have been fortunate to work for over 10 years, rehabilitating habitat for native fishes, including suckers! Sucker Watch is a capstone research project that I am working on as my part of my last semester of studies, as a practicum through Trout Unlimited Canada. If you have any questions about Sucker Watch or just want to chat fish, send me a message here on iNaturalist or email me at elindsay@tucanada.org

What Information Is Needed?
The required fields include some basic information about location, conditions, habitat (water temperature, water clarity, and water depth), and a count of how many suckers you can spot! If you are lucky enough to spot two species at once, please create a separate observation for each of the species. The more regularly you visit a site, the better! Information on spawn timing will be greatly improved if the beginning, peak and end of the spawning season at a particular site can be documented. Bonus points if you are able to take a water temperature, and even better if you know of a nearby flow gauging station that I can access data from to obtain data on stream discharge.

When should I start?
Information on when suckers are not spawning is very valuable. With spawning starting around this time of year, or in a few weeks or even months depending on your location, observations of inactivity are valuable leading up to the spawn as it helps to refine when spawning activity begins. In an ideal scenario, routine observations of the same location would encompass the lead up to spawning, spawning itself, and the eventual decline in spawning activity to zero. With that being said, if you've only got the time to make a few random observations, that is great too! For example, where I live in Alberta, we've got close to no data on spawning habitats, so any info is good info. You might be more interested in truly diving deep on your local sucker spot, making observations daily of the entire spawning run, or you might be keen to set out on a sucker habitat inventorying extravaganza, uploading sites from across your local region, choose your own adventure and have fun!

Why should I participate?

1. Your observations across the range will be summarized in a final report made available to all Sucker Watch participants at the end of the season (mid-summer 2024).
2. Your observations will help improve the understanding of sucker spawn timing across the range of the species, and between species.
3. As one of the top 500 sucker observers on iNaturalist, let's be honest... many of you will be looking at the spawning suckers this spring anyways, might as well document this amazing phenomenon for science.
4. There may be prizes... I can't make any promises right now but I like the idea of recognizing some folks who really went the extra mile. At the least, you will gain the sweet satisfaction of seeing your name in the "top observers" on the project page. What more could you ask for?

CURRENT STANDINGS FOR THE TOP 500 SUCKER OBSERVERS ON iNATURALIST

1 @scottgibson
2 @fishesoftexas
3 @dustin_lynch
4 @swq-staff
5 @hannah314
6 @bradleyfishes
7 @hydrophilus
8 @tortuga_rapido
9 @adludwig
10 @zakqary
11 @jeffgarner
12 @ehicks1054
13 @schollmeier
14 @helmwige
15 @jkmaxfield
16 @nloveland
17 @wildlander
18 @moxostoma
19 @riverrat09
20 @jasonrl
21 @ernestkeeley
22 @fishecke
23 @frankziegler
24 @oridgen10
25 @zoltshmack
26 @fcmp
27 @jesseholifield
28 @operculum_ben
29 @pmk00001
30 @rob21
31 @dexternienhaus
32 @fishbruh
33 @ihunta
34 @owen0505
35 @alexislifers
36 @adamlipo
37 @flabellare223
38 @michaelangelo
39 @burke_korol
40 @mracre
41 @thepigeongirl
42 @hambell
43 @maurer416
44 @dinofish99
45 @matthewt6416
46 @brianw
47 @dirtyjerz
48 @emilio_c
49 @evanaturalist
50 @nebraska_fish
51 @tobler
52 @prickly_sculpin
53 @thebusybeaver
54 @amiacalva33
55 @bekscott
56 @billhubick
57 @daniel_folds
58 @markotnes
59 @ccarrollc1
60 @mrjmorris
61 @j-stauffer
62 @janine71
63 @jacobbowman
64 @moose439
65 @rombiodiversity
66 @sercfisheries
67 @taytonalvis
68 @wowokayyes
69 @allan7
70 @ctiemann16
71 @pete_bakes
72 @danielb98
73 @erieger98
74 @samcatry
75 @brandonh1
76 @corvidologist
77 @eric-schmitty
78 @kent_miller
79 @kyran2
80 @lenrely
81 @macrhybopsis
82 @ryangrow
83 @cowturtle
84 @dwalc400
85 @dwightbaker
86 @joshua_rains
87 @mboller
88 @michieldewit
89 @bigtrain3
90 @lucasbeaver
91 @lukeberg
92 @pecosvalleydiamond
93 @salvelinus
94 @sandhills_semotilus
95 @amacedo
96 @lukose
97 @mikeburrell
98 @ozarkpoppy
99 @phil_crimson
100 @pinesnake
101 @rynaturalist
102 @txmulti-species
103 @beautifulbait
104 @coleylikeoptera
105 @mkvam
106 @xander_737
107 @bapplesauce
108 @bgmooaz123
109 @c-urchin
110 @codyjcromer
111 @coreyjlange
112 @gonodactylus
113 @koaw
114 @ncwrc_biologist
115 @oviscanadensis_connerties
116 @benmayle
117 @hamiltmo
118 @jknuth
119 @knp_aquaticzoologist
120 @ryantexsonier93
121 @sentraxion
122 @smpbiologist-dtoth
123 @wearleybird
124 @alinamartin
125 @cypselurus
126 @dcoldren
127 @ken-potter
128 @robertlamb
129 @williamdulac
130 @airfryer3000
131 @cohen
132 @como_plants_animals_rocks
133 @dominic
134 @iliafes
135 @jengelbert
136 @kiwikiu
137 @lesfreck
138 @michael_vs8
139 @otofrog
140 @wanderingeden
141 @whatch11
142 @benapple
143 @bert_raccoon
144 @boyer_bait_company
145 @brl555
146 @charles_veith
147 @domthefishman
148 @drfish
149 @edwardrooks
150 @eecm
151 @erik_p
152 @fiskar
153 @floundark
154 @georectified
155 @gopatriots
156 @jdwillson
157 @josh778
158 @kyle_klotz
159 @merav
160 @mmmiller
161 @noah_ganson
162 @qfc79
163 @rowanstalnaker
164 @sam10turner
165 @tysmith
166 @upupa-epops
167 @will_bebee
168 @amochon
169 @andrewbrinker
170 @andy_muan
171 @beast_mode
172 @carterdewit
173 @cmlifelist
174 @codystricker
175 @dietz_
176 @ebspeciesfishing
177 @ethan_58
178 @francescobattaglia1999
179 @gojilynx
180 @henry_dennison
181 @hfabian
182 @jbroadhead
183 @johnsfolly2
184 @jp123
185 @jvrtiska
186 @luke_barnes
187 @mi_fishes
188 @muddphoto
189 @nathanaycock
190 @ozbak
191 @roman_burkardt
192 @sh0nf0x
193 @skrentnyjeff
194 @smog
195 @smpbiologist-schurchin
196 @species_spotlight
197 @srichard89
198 @tieran
199 @toddrhagedorn
200 @tseilheimer
201 @tsirtalis
202 @zach_wile
203 @adventure_strap_is_on
204 @apistopanchax
205 @baltimorefishing1
206 @ben_springer
207 @benthesing
208 @berkhoudtre
209 @birds_bugs_botany
210 @braydenpaulk
211 @c_m_p
212 @cadecampbell
213 @cinnamon325
214 @codyhough
215 @colby
216 @colejwolf
217 @csurp
218 @dptate
219 @ecota55
220 @feroxara
221 @fishesbyj
222 @forestcityfishing
223 @friendofnature2
224 @gibbous
225 @joethenaturalist
226 @joseph92
227 @kevinemetcalf
228 @lakekoshare
229 @langwang
230 @laurenlyon20
231 @matthewtobey1
232 @mattwelc
233 @mdurkalec
234 @mjcasarez
235 @nasehenry
236 @naturalistfishing
237 @oddfitz
238 @pigsfoot
239 @profishing
240 @ray163
241 @renhin
242 @reuvenm
243 @rileywalsh
244 @rkluzco
245 @robirwin
246 @rogue_biologist
247 @sarahchabot
248 @sarahroberts
249 @sharrow-sparrow
250 @srall
251 @stenglr14
252 @stephenpetersen
253 @sujan040
254 @syrherp
255 @tennessee_ants
256 @tfandre
257 @wendybirds
258 @andybirkey
259 @astrobirder
260 @b_smith
261 @bertharris
262 @bruhhuman
263 @chrisz52
264 @crx2aj3
265 @edanko
266 @ekmoody
267 @f1shar3c00l
268 @fishman04
269 @human_landfill
270 @jamesjarrett00
271 @jason_miller
272 @jo_gagnon
273 @jrfleullan
274 @jujurenoult
275 @kentross
276 @leah280
277 @liam_pentangelo
278 @longnosecarpercrocker
279 @nv_multispeciesfishing
280 @okbirdman
281 @ozone223
282 @pagophila
283 @robizzy
284 @seth155
285 @sparklefarm
286 @tamuc-fish
287 @tca12345
288 @the-catfinch
289 @theronblunck
290 @tom15
291 @tomkennedy
292 @woodridgejeff
293 @yehfehmeh
294 @aliashraf
295 @amiaocellicauda
296 @beartracker
297 @beeworldly
298 @belowbluewaterdiver
299 @blackhound
300 @brdnrdr
301 @cavemander17
302 @ccrowley14
303 @cmilewski
304 @coleycrawler
305 @damo87
306 @dan_macneal
307 @davidweyers
308 @desmond_macneal
309 @dev0nika
310 @drlizardshad
311 @elizabethgooding
312 @fishfriend02
313 @flmultispecies
314 @gavinmartin
315 @greathorn
316 @hannahdodington
317 @hoosierherpenthusiast
318 @hydaticus
319 @jacksonkusack
320 @jheiser
321 @jim668
322 @johndreynolds
323 @jonny47
324 @jorbogmont
325 @kingmush
326 @ktm22
327 @lipatfishin
328 @mako252
329 @markprice
330 @marykrieger
331 @matt_lachiusa
332 @michaelsandel
333 @monsoonman1
334 @mouserk
335 @nbbfishing
336 @niallclancy
337 @nickolaswhite
338 @nj852
339 @owenstrickland
340 @reptileboy802
341 @richardmonteverdense
342 @ricky_parkg
343 @rrmeehan87
344 @sophiesharpless
345 @soupyshroom
346 @thedrw
347 @trans-pecos-herpetology
348 @tyler_hoar
349 @tyson_ehlers
350 @umpquamatt
351 @velodrome
352 @weaselengine
353 @wildcarrot
354 @willshepard23
355 @a1dan_see
356 @aegolius99
357 @airalcorn2
358 @aiva
359 @alankwok
360 @amlambert11
361 @artemesia
362 @bbj_
363 @benlabay
364 @benzerante
365 @billygnature
366 @bosqueaaron
367 @calebhelsel
368 @caminthecreek
369 @caseydunn
370 @chrisnmellie
371 @chrissy98
372 @cjfconnors
373 @cobal
374 @crystallaina
375 @dan_johnson
376 @dannysanders
377 @david_pounders117
378 @dhochadel
379 @dloarie
380 @dustin777
381 @elliotgreiner
382 @embrenhar
383 @fish4life
384 @galloots13
385 @graceclaw
386 @harrier
387 @horseshoekid
388 @howardhorne
389 @hunter391
390 @iacomaner
391 @jasonnaivar
392 @jeffwitters
393 @johnslowry
394 @jonwbecker
395 @jtbarnucz
396 @kbakkegard
397 @kevin_adeli
398 @kevin_gevaert
399 @kiah_jasper
400 @kirk_gardner
401 @konshau
402 @krudy15
403 @kucycads
404 @kueda
405 @ljr2018
406 @lkirk
407 @mberggren
408 @mcpd_biologist
409 @mgiddings
410 @mike_mosser
411 @mikerofishing
412 @mmccarthy98
413 @mossman13
414 @msucee_usfs
415 @mws
416 @mz7
417 @needmorecoffee
418 @nicklanders15
419 @pcareless
420 @qwertyduck
421 @r_dobbs
422 @reallifeecology
423 @rgmspurpose
424 @ribitzki49
425 @ripgrunt
426 @rlevasseur
427 @ryruther
428 @samanthaknapp
429 @sambiology
430 @schwartz61197
431 @sean349
432 @seymouraquabio
433 @spennywinny
434 @tate_putman
435 @thebooktrout
436 @theostaengl
437 @tspringer
438 @tyler_irvin
439 @wes_inc
440 @wildbio-indiana
441 @woodlandbrother
442 @adiamond
443 @aidanperkins37
444 @alexlamoreaux
445 @aodell
446 @belyykit
447 @bensonbc
448 @birdwhisperer
449 @blazeclaw
450 @cae1
451 @catchang
452 @charlesavenengo
453 @crittertrackerboss1
454 @crocodiledundee
455 @davef
456 @dracorjc
457 @eddieg
458 @ehjalmarson
459 @estaengl
460 @evangrimes
461 @garvinma
462 @gyrrlfalcon
463 @hikingsandiego
464 @holland
465 @jarek2
466 @jasonheadley
467 @jbrehm0113
468 @jfraser
469 @johngcramer
470 @joshuadoby
471 @jott5
472 @kbeza31979
473 @keevilm
474 @leiaos13
475 @leonardomercon
476 @lgarrisontx
477 @limpkin
478 @loarie
479 @mccrea
480 @mothmaniac
481 @mprobins
482 @naturenut
483 @ncowey
484 @northganaturalist
485 @noskcaj55
486 @notopteridae
487 @phillip_paul
488 @prosanta
489 @rager001
490 @rarecrr
491 @rasamoto
492 @robvanepps
493 @selasphorus
494 @shaunmichael
495 @smpbiologist-rcurtis
496 @socialoutdoorsman
497 @spootris
498 @supertiger
499 @trig125
500 @wdvanhem