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The Black Bullhead Amereius melas is an ecologically important Ictalurid fish species throughout its native range in North America; centrally located within the Mississippi River drainages from as far north as southern Saskatchewan and south to the gulf drainage and northern Mexico (Page and Burr 1991). Black Bullhead are widespread across the midwestern United States, found in a variety of different waterbodies and have a reputation for having high tolerances to environmental conditions (Hanchin et al. 2002, Mork et al. 2009). This species is an opportunistic feeder that orients towards lake bottoms, feeding on a wide range of invertebrates and plant material. Often, Black Bullheads are highly abundant in turbid systems with poor water clarity and high nutrient levels (Mork et al. 2009). This benthivorous species contributes to increased turbidity, declines in macrophyte production and wildlife use, and can alter fish assemblages in shallow aquatic systems (Braig and Johnson 2003, Mork et al. 2009). The most recent, comprehensive and complete literature investigating Black Bullhead populations comes from studies on nonnative European populations where there are management concerns for the invasive impacts (Copp et al. 2016, Pedicillo et al. 2008). There is limited literature depicting population characteristics, age structures, and life-history traits of Black Bullhead within their native range (Mork et al. 2009). Determining age and growth is important for understanding the dynamics of any fish population. Growth determinations are valuable in identifying the ecology of a species, which can help guide management decisions (Quist and …