Spring spawning runs of the redhorses and white sucker are notable exceptions, when many are taken by bait fishing and snagging. These fisheries are, for the most part, important in only a few localities. Buffalofish are often speared for food when they spawn in the shallow, marsh-like habitat. Sucker flesh has a delicate, sweet flavor, but the numerous small Y-shaped meristic bones detract from the palatability unless they are scored before cooking in hot grease. Smaller members of the sucker family and the young of the larger species are the principal source of forage for predator fishes and as bait for sport fish.
Buffalofishes are very important to commercial fishing in Iowa.
The fishery is comprised of about equal proportions of bigmouth and smallmouth buffalo, with black buffalo rarely netted. Buffalofish populations sometimes reach very high densities with as many as 600 pounds per acre removed from some natural lakes. Carpsuckers, redhorse and other species are also marketed for food-fish, but the demand for them is light. The abundance and distribution of suckers has declined in Iowa over the last century, and the factors responsible for the decline are not completely understood. All indicators point strongly towards a general and widespread decrease in environmental habitat quality that favors other fishes, which is largely the result of intensified agricultural practices, industrial development and the modification of stream channels to promote rapid drainage.