Lake whitefish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake whitefish |
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Coregonus
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C. clupeaformis
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| Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchill, 1818)
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The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is a type of freshwater whitefish found in North America. These fish live in many parts of Canada and the northern United States. This includes all of the Great Lakes.
Sometimes, people call the lake whitefish a "humpback" fish. This is because its head is small compared to its body. It is an important fish for commercial fishing. People also catch it for fun. You can often find smoked, packaged lake whitefish fillets in grocery stores. Other names for this fish include Otsego bass and Great Lakes whitefish.
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What's in a Name?
The scientific name for the lake whitefish is Coregonus clupeaformis. The first part, Coregonus, comes from Greek words meaning "angle eye." The second part, clupeaformis, is Latin for "herring-shaped."
About the Lake Whitefish
Lake whitefish look similar to other whitefish in the Salmonidae family. Like all salmon fish, they have a small, soft fin called an adipose fin on their back.
You can tell a lake whitefish apart from a cisco by its mouth. The lake whitefish has a snout that hangs over its lower jaw. This means its mouth opens slightly underneath its head. This helps it eat food from the bottom of lakes. It can also pick up food from the water or the surface. A cisco, however, has a shorter snout and its lower jaw sticks out further.
Lake whitefish also have two small flaps in each nostril. Their bodies are usually silver to white. Their backs can be olive, pale-green, or brown. Their bottom fins are white, and their tail has a dark edge. The tail fin is deeply forked, which helps them swim very fast.
Lake whitefish from inland lakes can weigh up to 5 pounds (2,300 g). On average, they weigh about 4 pounds. They can grow up to 31 inches (79 cm) long. It is common to see them around 20 inches (51 cm) long.
Life Cycle
Where They Live
Lake whitefish like cool water. You can find them in many inland lakes. They have also been known to enter slightly salty waters. Lake whitefish live from Alaska and western Canada all the way to the Atlantic coast. This includes places like Maine and New Brunswick up to Labrador.
Reproduction
Lake whitefish lay their eggs from September to January. They do this at night in water that is about two to four meters deep. In the fall, adult lake whitefish swim into shallow areas. They lay their eggs on rocky and gravelly spots. The parents do not take care of the young fish. The young fish hatch the following spring.
In northwestern Canada, many whitefish swim into the Athabasca Delta in late summer. They move upstream in the Athabasca River to lay their eggs. One tagged whitefish traveled 388 km (241 mi). This was from Fort McMurray to the north shore of Lake Athabasca in Alberta, Canada.
What They Eat
When they are very young, lake whitefish eat tiny water creatures called plankton. Once they grow to about 3–4 inches (76–102 mm), they start eating animals that live on the bottom of the lake. These include snails, insect larvae, zebra mussels, and fingernail clams. They will eat these foods for the rest of their lives.
In late June and July, some lake whitefish populations leave deep, cool waters. They do this to eat mayflies and midges that are hatching. Natural enemies of the lake whitefish include burbot, lake trout, and northern pike.
Fishing for Whitefish
Commercial Fishing
The lake whitefish is one of the most important fish for commercial fishing in North America. This means many people catch them to sell. In 1999, Canada caught 8,328 tons of whitefish. The USA caught 5,353 tons.
Lake whitefish is a very popular fish in the upper Great Lakes. This is because it tastes good and people in the area like to eat it fresh. From 1981 to 1999, about 11 million pounds of whitefish were caught from the Great Lakes each year.
Sports Fishing
Many people also enjoy catching lake whitefish for fun. This is popular in June, July, and early August. A simple fishing line and jig can be enough to catch them. This is especially true when they are eating mayflies and midges.
In winter, catching whitefish through the ice is very popular. This is common in northern Wisconsin. Many fishing guides help people catch this fish.
Protecting the Lake Whitefish
One big problem for the lake whitefish is an invasive parasite called the sea lamprey. Sea lampreys aggressively attack many fish, including lake whitefish. In Lake Michigan, sea lampreys started harming fish populations in the 1930s and 1940s.
Sea lampreys may have entered the Great Lakes region through the Erie Canal. This canal opened in 1825. They spread even more in 1919 when the Welland Canal was improved. This allowed them to reach Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior.
How They Changed Over Time
After the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago, whitefish moved back into many North American lakes. They came from different areas where they had developed into different groups. After moving, whitefish also changed into different groups in the same lakes. Now, in many lakes, there are two main types of lake whitefish. These are called "normal" and "dwarf" types.
These two types mainly live in different parts of the lake. Normal whitefish live near the bottom (benthic zone). Dwarf whitefish live in the open water (pelagic zone). Normal whitefish also grow much bigger and live longer than dwarf whitefish.
Many of these groups live in the same place (sympatry). But they do not reproduce with each other. Because they are relatively new types of fish, scientists study them. This helps them understand how species change and become different.
