Longjaw cisco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Longjaw cisco |
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The longjaw cisco (Coregonus alpenae) was a type of fish. It lived deep in the waters of the Great Lakes. These lakes include Huron, Michigan, and Erie. This fish was usually found at depths of 100 meters or more.
The longjaw cisco was silver and grew to about 30 centimeters (12 inches) long. Its Latin name came from Alpena, a city in Michigan. Sadly, this fish is now extinct. It disappeared because of too much fishing and pollution in the Great Lakes. Also, new animals like the sea lamprey changed the food chains in the lakes.
What Was the Longjaw Cisco?
Scientists study how different types of fish are related. This is called "systematics." For a long time, the longjaw cisco was thought to be its own species.
However, scientists now think it might have been a special kind of shortjaw cisco. It was likely a larger version of the shortjaw cisco (Coregonus zenithicus).
Fishing for Longjaw Ciscoes
People used to fish for longjaw ciscoes. They were caught by commercial fishermen. These fish were then sold as "smoked herring".
Fishing for longjaw ciscoes was very popular in the 1930s. At that time, about one-third of all ciscoes caught were longjaw ciscoes.
When Did They Disappear?
The longjaw cisco is now extinct. No one has reported catching this fish in commercial fishing since 1967.
In Ontario, Canada, the very last longjaw cisco was seen in Georgian Bay in 1975.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2010). "Coregonus alpenae" in FishBase. February 2010 version.
