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Grand Island in Erie County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

A Home for Fish

 
 
A Home for Fish Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, January 27, 2017
1. A Home for Fish Marker
Inscription. Strawberry Island and its associated wetlands are one of the most significant aquatic ecosystems in the Great Lakes. They protect spawning grounds for a variety of freshwater fish species, including the muskellunge. The island's deep central lagoon, created by sand and gravel dredging operations during the first half of the 20th century, offers refuge for may fish species including the ones pictured here. The lagoon, surrounded by overhanging trees, contains scattered vegetated shallows that provide young fish ample food and an ideal place in which to grow.

[captions:]
Northern Pike, Esox lucieus.
Largemouth Bass, Micropterus saimoides.
Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieui.
Spottail Shiner, Notropis hudsonius. Courtesy NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
Muskellunge, Esox masquinongy. Courtesy NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
Bowfin, Amia calva. Courtesy NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
Yellow Perch, Perca flavscens.

Muskellunge Life Cycle
The muskellunge is native only to Northeast North America. This toothy predator lurks near underwater drop-offs and shallow sandbars hoping to ambush unsuspecting prey. The shallows around Strawberry Island provide "muskies" with a prime feeding and spawning area. Adult muskellunge return to the same spawning
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ground year after year. With a good food supply, most will spend their lives close to where they were born.

Loss of habitat is the muskellunge's greatest challenge. they do not adopt well to changing environmental conditions and are easily affected by problems in local predator-prey relationships.

Did You Know? Muskellunge can grow up to five feet long!

1. Adult muskies will sekk out shallow bays to spawn when the water temperature reaches around 55° F (13° C). The male swims alongside the female, fertilizing the eggs as she deposits them over several hundred yards of shoreline.
2. The clear, amber-colored eggs hatch in about two weeks without parental care. 3. Newly hatched fry eat plankton, but their diet changes to small fish within a few days. The young muskellunge will grow up to 10 inches by the end of its first year. 4. The muskellunge grows most rapidly during the first three years of life. Males reach maturity at four to five years, when they are 28 to 31 inches long. Females mature in five to seven years, at 30 to 46 inches.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AnimalsEnvironment.
 
Location. 42° 57.553′ N, 78° 56.328′ W. Marker is on Grand Island, New York, in Erie County. Marker is on Park Road Loop at Area 3,
A Home for Fish Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, January 27, 2017
2. A Home for Fish Marker
Marker is the panel shown closest here. This is the Niagara River.
on the right when traveling east. Marker is along the park road loop beyond area 3 in Beaver Island State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grand Island NY 14072, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Management (here, next to this marker); Recovery (here, next to this marker); Strawberry Island (here, next to this marker); Did You Ever Wonder What It Takes to Restore an Island? (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Strawberry Island (here, next to this marker); Island Life (here, next to this marker); Allenton Farm/Creating Beaver Island State Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grover Cleveland & Grand Island / Lewis F. Allen & Western New York (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Island.
 
Also see . . .  Beaver Island - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Vehicle entrance fee collected in season. (Submitted on January 28, 2017, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 28, 2017, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 193 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on January 28, 2017, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.

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Mar. 19, 2024