Schreckstoff

Schreckstoff (or "fright substance") has always fascinated me.  I can trace it back to when I was 12-13 years old.  My brother and I had a system for catching monster Sacramento pikeminnow from local streams, when they were on their spawning runs.  We quickly discovered that, while it was real easy to hook up on your first cast into a pool stuffed with log-sized pikeminnow, the rest of the fish would immediately turn off and you couldn't buy a bite.  So, we devised a system to catch pikeminnow effectively: start from the very tail of the pool, and slowly work your way up.  This worked pretty well.  But if you hooked a fish at the head of the pool, then that was the only fish you were going to catch from there, even if there were 50+ pikeminnow in the same pool.

I didn't discover the reason for the pikeminnow's fickle nature until many years later, when I was attending HSU.  Other cyprinids utilize Schreckstoff to warn their buddies when they're stressed, as well as Catostomids (suckers).  Anyway, when I saw this article in Science Daily today, I was really stoked!  Turns out researchers were able to figure out just what Schreckstoff really is: chondroitin sulfate.

This may not interest many NCKAers, but I know there's some Fish-Heads on here that'll dig this discovery.  I know I do!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223133004.htm

Happy Pikeminnow Hunting!

I believe I have seen the same effect when I was younger and hanging out at the bars.  ...all kiddin aside that is interesting stuff. Were you a fisheries major at HSU. I recieved my BS in wildlife mgt from HSU over 25 years ago. Love the place and have fond memories The best catch was my wife who was a rec major. (perhaps, if I show her this posting I will get bonus WAF pts.)

I believe I have seen the same effect when I was younger and hanging out at the bars.  ...all kiddin aside that is interesting stuff. Were you a fisheries major at HSU. I recieved my BS in wildlife mgt from HSU over 25 years ago. Love the place and have fond memories The best catch was my wife who was a rec major. (perhaps, if I show her this posting I will get bonus WAF pts.)

Haha, Human Schreckstoff eh Dave?  Nice.  Yeah, I earned my BS in fisheries biology (freshwater emphasis) from HSU, class of 2010.  I loved it there, and the fish program is really top-notch.  I still keep in touch with many of the professors.

Very interesting, explains a lot. Thanks for posting.

Really cool!!

I think some fish are immune (or too dumb?) to sense it though...when I was little and we caught dorado out in the Gulf of Mexico as long as we had one hooked and in the water by the boat the rest of the school would stay around and you could keep catching em....

With our Blue Rockfish out here, they initially spook when you shoot the first one, but then will often come back and eat the scales and guts of their fallen comrade, even while he is still thrashing on the spear...I sometimes scale one real quick in the water and the cloud of scales will keep them around for me to pick off a few more. 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Only certain families of fish use it.  I know it's pretty common among Cyprinids (minnows) and Castostomids (suckers).  I think some catfish utilize it as well.  Trout and salmon don't have it, nor do most gamefish that I know of.  Imagine how tough fishing would be if all fish used Schreckstoff!  It'd make river salmon fishing damn near impossible!

Only certain families of fish use it.

That makes sense!

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Schreckstoff - sounds like dangerous stuff!  That was an interesting article, but I don't like how they characterize the fish's actions to flee predators as 'fear'.  To me those natural abilities represent skill and ideally entail no fear.  When I pick blackberries in a remote gulch at midnight with a headlamp I'm convinced that beer allows me to do so fearlessly - it's possible that beer contains this chondroitin sulfate substance...   

I believe I have seen the same effect when I was younger and hanging out at the bars.  ...all kiddin aside that is interesting stuff. Were you a fisheries major at HSU. I recieved my BS in wildlife mgt from HSU over 25 years ago. Love the place and have fond memories The best catch was my wife who was a rec major. (perhaps, if I show her this posting I will get bonus WAF pts.)

Haha, Human Schreckstoff eh Dave?  Nice.  Yeah, I earned my BS in fisheries biology (freshwater emphasis) from HSU, class of 2010.  I loved it there, and the fish program is really top-notch.  I still keep in touch with many of the professors.

That explains your fish magnet skills and knowledge. I believe my paper says Wildlife Mgt 1982 or 83 for me. Back then we had to do a few emphasis. I did mine in fisheries, upgame game and recreation. I think that just meant 12 more units in that area or something like that. HSU had top notch profs like Rocky G. (Spotted Owl Studies and upland game). He taught me more than just what was in the books. Great thinkers. Go Jacks!

Schreckstoff - sounds like dangerous stuff!  That was an interesting article, but I don't like how they characterize the fish's actions to flee predators as 'fear'.  To me those natural abilities represent skill and ideally entail no fear.  When I pick blackberries in a remote gulch at midnight with a headlamp I'm convinced that beer allows me to do so fearlessly - it's possible that beer contains this chondroitin sulfate substance...   

Eric, I believe I have had that experience only it usually goes south when you hear the magic words, "hold my beer and watch this."

That is really cool stuff!

Do sharks create Shrek stuff?
LOL stupid spellcheck...I'm gonna leave that one alone. 

Do sharks create Shrek stuff?

Not that I'm aware of, but my major was freshwater-centric so I can't really say.

I can only imagine how different fishing would be if our most-sought after gamefish utilized Schreckstoff, and the less desirable ones did not.  It'd put a whole new spin on fishing.  A kid's first fish could very well be a bluegill from a pond stuffed with them, but then it'd be a looong time before he/she caught another one in the same spot.  Makes ya wonder if fishing would be anywhere near as popular as it is today.

Do sharks create Shrek stuff?
LOL stupid spellcheck...I'm gonna leave that one alone. 

You know ... I was watching a show on TV.  They explained that there have been a couple of years where killer whales have killed a great white around the Farallons and ALL the great whites at the Farallons disappeared for the rest of the season.

-Allen

You know ... I was watching a show on TV.  They explained that there have been a couple of years where killer whales have killed a great white around the Farallons and ALL the great whites at the Farallons disappeared for the rest of the season.

That's actually what got me thinking about it. It was a very convincing program. There's also a popular rumor that caught-and-released swell sharks release a scent that scares away all the fish. We need to bottle that stuff. And start adding it to sunscreen hahaha!

It'd put a whole new spin on fishing.  A kid's first fish could very well be a bluegill from a pond stuffed with them, but then it'd be a looong time before he/she caught another one in the same spot.  Makes ya wonder if fishing would be anywhere near as popular as it is today.

Dude, it just means we'd be lathering our swimbaits with Procure PlanterTrout flavored Shreck!