About

The Klamath Basin in southern Oregon is home to four species of sucker fish, two of which are the shortnose sucker and the Lost River sucker. These fish have wide vacuum-like mouths and gill structures that they use to browse for detritus (decomposing organic matter), algae and small aquatic insects along the lake bottoms where they live. Suckers remain in deep lake waters until they are around 6-9 years old, when they reach sexual maturity and begin the spawning process. In the early spring, adult suckers make their way from the calm waters of their lake homes to the swifter streams that feed into them and lay thousands of eggs on the rocky riverbed. Once larvae leave the shelter of near-shore aquatic vegetation in the rivers where they hatched, they swim downstream to the lake where they may serve as prey for bass and perch. The shortnose and Lost River suckers’ habitat range is currently limited to a few lakes in the Upper Klamath Basin.

• Check out more Lost River and shortnose sucker photos

Why do they need our help?

The biggest problem currently facing suckers is the degradation of their Klamath Basin habitat. Changes in water flow due to dam building and the draining and dredging of lakes, and the loss of stream bank vegetation from logging, road construction, agriculture and over grazing pose major threats to the suckers. When aquatic vegetation is lost in near-shore shallow waters, eggs are exposed to harsh sunlight that can dry them out. Logging, agriculture and construction can lead to cloudy, overly nutrient rich water which increases the temperature of the water and promotes algae and bacteria growth, both of which decrease the success of young age classes. The result of these human activities and habitat alteration is a 95% decrease in reproductive success. When the suckers were listed as endangered in 1988, it was found that there hadn’t been a substantial addition of young suckers to the population in 18 years.

Oregon Wild is fighting to protect the Klamath Basin and waters the Klamath sucker fish depend on.

Not only are these sucker fish an important part of the Klamath Basin ecosystem, they also have great cultural importance to area tribes, and served as a major food source for centuries prior to European settling of the region. Historically, the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin Tribes were able to harvest thousands of suckers every year while still leaving enough fish for a sustainable population. Now, the Klamath Tribes are restricted to a single fish per year for ceremonial purposes. The spiritual aspect and harvest of suckers is an important part of tribal heritage, and the Klamath Tribes, along with conservation groups like Oregon Wild, are working to protect and restore the habitat that is necessary for sucker survival. An effort to maintain clean rivers, lakes and wetlands in their natural state is the only way Lost River and shortnose sucker populations will recover.

Official comments from Oregon Wild on the October 2011 draft recovery plan for Klamath sucker fish.

Did you know?

• Suckers are long lived fish. Lost River suckers have been known to reach 43 years of age, and shortnose suckers can live upwards of 30 years.
• In the language of the Klamath tribes, Lost River and shortnose suckers are called c’waam and qapdo, respectively.
• Suckers were known as mullet for the majority of the 1900’s.

More sucker photos and video

Photo and video courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service

Sources: http://www.klamathtribes.org and http://www.fws.gov