Sheepshead in the Red River Basin live a long time, aging study suggests

Jun 21, 20210

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Freshwater drum on the Manitoba side of the Red River, such as this fish caught in June 2010 below the St. Andrews Lock and Dam in Lockport, Man., have been found to live upwards of 60 years. (Photo/ Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald)

GRAND FORKS -- An aging study of freshwater drum or sheepshead – the names are interchangeable – in Manitoba waters of the Red River suggests they live a lot longer than sheepshead in warmer climates.

Researchers now are collecting freshwater drum on the U.S. side of the Red River to see if they live just as long as sheepshead in Manitoba, where even midsize fish were found to be 50 to 60 years old.

Quite likely, they do.

https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/northland-outdoors/7078394-Sheepshead-in-the-Red-River-Basin-live-a-long-time-aging-study-suggests