Summer sucker (Catostomus utawana) as a species of responsibility for NY

The Summer Sucker (Catostomus utawana) as described in 1886, has received varying degrees of scientific and political recognition until it was recently nominated as poster child for “fish we need to know better”.  Since it is endemic to New York State, it will be protected and considered for including on the State list as threatened or endangered. Critical information on life history, distribution and changes over time has been assembled but is meager.  The fish has been confirmed in 22 waters of New York and still lives in 10. Optimistically there might be 10-15 new waters discovered in coming years, just like the two that were added in 2009. It inhabits high elevation lakes and streams that are easily disturbed by changes to nutrients and temperature or by invasives.  More favorably, most of the places where it can still be found are remote and protected by the rigid rules of the Adirondack Forest Preserve.  Many of these ponds are managed for quality brook trout fishing.  The similarity of Summer Sucker to a closest relative, White Sucker makes identification difficult, and its dwarf-like size is not distinctive.