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Black Crappie is one of the predominant game fishes found in North America. It is a fresh water species. They belong to the sunfish family and have unique ray fins.
The Black Crappie is found in most of the eastern part of the United States to be precise. However, they are prevalent in many countries like the California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico. It is one of the best-known sport fish. As per records, the black crappie has been seen to maintain a stable count. This is a sign of no much commercial fishing activity. Thus, it is considered as a sport-fish. Anglers engage in a type of fishing called the Spider Rigging. It is a method by which fishermen do the fishing activity in boats by spreading many fishing rods like spokes of a wheel. The black crappie is also called as the pan fish and used as a good source for human consumption.
The black crappie on an average weighs between 0.5 to 1 lbs. They can grow as large as 5 – 12 inches. The dorsal is symmetrical and the fins have approximately 7 to 8 spines. The fish entirely is round in shape. It has a very dark love green or close to black color on the top and slight silver color on the bottom.
It can comfortably survive in the fresh water places like the streams, rivers and to an extent the lakes. It is found on a broader geographic range. In the west, it extends from the Mississippi River to the border prevalent between the United States and Canada in the north. In the south, it is found till the Gulf Coast. Further, in the east it extends from Virginia towards the south along Florida. Demands in sport fishing have been increasing the expansion of the geographical range of the black crappie.
The black crappie survives comfortably in the fresh waters. They prefer waters with underwater weeds and rocky platform. It is found commonly on streams, lakes and reservoirs as well. They always require a cool and clearer water body which is deep with no much movement and currents. During the winter season, they are seen in large numbers in shallow waters. They breed in shallow waters. The typical season is from March to July.
The black crappie is nocturnal. They are highly active from evening to very early in the morning. They rarely feed during the day time. Young juvenile black crappie eats zooplanktons primarily.
Mature black crappie feed on smaller fishes and insect larvae. Generally, they best survive in deep waters but to feed on the food they come to the mainland that leads to more shallow waters.
The black crappie is abundant and not identified by any threat. Hence, it does not require any major conservation practices to be undertaken. However, there are environmental factors such as the temperature of the water and the spawning season is important to maintain a stable population.