Golden Shiner

Q: Can you eat Golden Shiner?

Primarily a live bait fish; too small and bony for practical table use. Not commonly consumed but edible when pan-fried whole; raised commercially solely for the bait fishing industry.

Q: How big does Golden Shiner get?

Golden Shiner can grow up to 30.0 cm long and weigh 0.3 kg.

Q: Where is Golden Shiner found?

Native to the eastern United States and southern Canada, from Quebec and Manitoba south to Texas and Florida. Inhabits weedy ponds, lakes, and slow streams; tolerates mild brackish conditions in coastal Atlantic drainages. Ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams across eastern North America. Highly adaptable; tolerates turbid, warm, and even brackish water. Often found in dense aquatic vegetation along shallow margins.

Q: Is Golden Shiner endangered?

The conservation status of Golden Shiner is Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List.

Q: What family does Golden Shiner belong to?

Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) belongs to the family Cyprinidae (Carps and minnows) in the order Cypriniformes (Carps and minnows).

Abstract

No fish is sold more widely as live bait in North America than Notemigonus crysoleucas, raised on hundreds of commercial farms and used chiefly for largemouth bass, crappie and catfish. It reaches 30 cm and 0.3 kg, with a pale olive to golden-yellow body, an iridescent golden-silver sheen along the flanks, a silvery-white belly and a distinctly down-curved lateral line. Native from Quebec and Manitoba south to Texas and Florida, it thrives in weedy ponds, lakes and slow streams and tolerates turbid, warm and mildly brackish water in coastal Atlantic drainages. Too small and bony for the table, it is bred solely for the bait trade. The IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern.