### animal | vertebrate | fish | food fish | sea bass:

Striper
* are a schooling fish
  - anadromous, meaning they live in the ocean but return to freshwater to spawn
  - cooler-water fish
  - current-related fish
  - historically saltwater fish that swim up rivers to spawn
  - migratory fish
  - more active during low light hours
  - naturally nocturnal, and relish the protection that darkness brings
  - probably one of the most prolific fish species in the world
  - saltwater fish that run up rivers to spawn
  - servicemans
* eat preyfish, particularly shad.
* gather at the mouth of an estuary or any outflow where worms are active and start to binge
  - in large numbers at spawning time
* love to eat sandeels.
* mature enough to reproduce return to rivers in the spring for spawning.
* often feed close to the rocks in the surf and foam.
* prefer open, clear water and spawn in spring over shallow, rocky areas
  - to ambush prey, that are stirred up and disoriented, by turbulent water
* reach maturity at approximately three years of age.
* technically are saltwater fish that spawn in fresh water.
* tend to be nomadic, open water fish.

### animal | vertebrate | fish | food fish:

Shad
* Some shad exhibit a yellow color phase, believed to be a genetic variation.
* also attract walleye and muskie
  - rely heavily on plankton for food
* are also thick and usually concentrated along the wing wall opposite the lock chamber.
* are among the strongest and hardest-fighting fish that are found in freshwater
  - of all fish found in freshwater
  - anadromous, meaning they live in saltwater, then swim up freshwater rivers to spawn
  - bony
  - surface spawners that emit an adhesive egg that sticks to the first thing it touches
  - the best bet for larger fish in opn water, such as striped bass
  - thick in the upper river
* have very tender mouths.
* is the largest member of the herring family
  - main forage base in many of our midwest lakes and rivers
  - only fish the state health department allows commercial fishermen to sell today
* seem to prefer areas dominated by shallow water or broad flats with sand or gravel bottoms.
* spend most of their lives in the ocean, but return to their native rivers to spawn
  - their first summer in tributary and river nursery areas

### animal | vertebrate | fish | food fish | shad:

American shad
* appear each spring after migrating from Canadian waters.
* are sweet in taste and the eggs or roe are considered a spring delicacy
  - the best known sport fish of the herring
* enter rivers in the early spring and can travel hundreds of miles upstream to spawn.
* have a range of life history patterns depending on their river of origin.
* is an east coast species replaced on the Panhandle coast by Alabama shad.

Whitefish
* are carnivorous, always looking in groups for a good meal of smaller fish
  - freshwater fish
  - part of whitefishs
  - seafood
  - very scaly fish that can reach a variety of sizes
* is in the northwest of Montana, more in huckleberry country.
* major part of the trout diet and it's the same with the pike.
* usually are in schools.
* vary quite a bit when it comes to spawning.

### animal | vertebrate | fish | food fish | whitefish:

Cisco
* are whitefishs.
* live in deep water, often near the bottom- edge of the thermocline.

Yellowfin
* are tuna.
* eat other fish, crustaceans, and squid.
* grow quickly, attaining the weight of eight pounds by their first birthday.
* swim closely with several species of dolphin.

Forage fish
* Most forage fish are filter feeders.
* are a key component of the marine ecosystem in Washington
  - an important and abundant fish species in Washington
  - short-lived, and go mostly unnoticed by humans
  - small fish which are preyed on by larger predators for food
* compensate for their small size by forming schools.
* fisheries term, and is used in the context of fisheries.
* occupy central positions in the ocean food webs.