MATERIALS In July, 1957, freshwater drum were col-lected from the Mississippi River at Hanni-bal, Missouri, with the aid of commercial fishermen: Jim Stone and Orville Lewallen. Freshwater drum are long-lived. There are specimens that have reached 72 years in Red Lakes, Minnesota, and 32 years in the Cahaba River in Alabama. For two years previous to this date they col- lected otoliths only from fish that weighed more than two pounds. the size of aboriginal freshwater drum will be estimated from the otoliths found in In-dian middens.

The life span of this species is estimated at 10 to 11 years. Although these are extreme examples, the average lifespan is 6 to 13 years. Size: Most Freshwater Drum are around 2 pounds, but the fish can get as large as 40 to 50 pounds.

This is a commercially important species for some freshwater fishermen, generally providing a major source of income. The freshwater drum is a bottom feeder, consuming aquatic insects, amphipods, fish, crayfish, and mollusks.