Lake whitefish
Coregonus clupeaformis
FAMILY
Salmonidae
TAXONOMY
Salmo clupeaformis Mitchill, 1818, Falls of St. Mary's River, Chippewa County, Michigan, United States. May be conspecific with Coregonus lavaretus.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Common whitefish, eastern whitefish, lake whitefish; French: Grand corégone; German: Felchen; Spanish: Corégono; Inuktitut: Kavisilik.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Length 40 in (100 cm). A well-developed adipose fin, usually larger among males, characterizes this species. Coloration is dark brown to midnight blue above fading to silver on sides and white beneath.
DISTRIBUTION
North America throughout Alaska and most of Canada, south into New England, the Great Lakes basin, and central Minnesota. Successfully introduced in Chile and Argentina.
HABITAT
Primarily a lake dweller; can also be found in large rivers and enters brackish water.
BEHAVIOR
When not migrating, tends to be sedentary in small lakes. Migration in large lakes consists of movement from deep to shallow water in the spring, movement back to deep water in the summer as the shoal water warms, migration to shallow-water spawning areas in the fall and early winter, and post-spawning movement back to deeper water.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Adults feed on aquatic insect larvae, amphipods, mollusks, as well as smaller fishes and fish eggs, including their own. They are vulnerable to larger fishes, otters, bears, and fish-eating birds.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Spawns annually at night from October through December. One female and one or more males rise to the surface where the eggs are released and fertilized. Spawning fish are very active, sometimes leaping out of the water. Eggs are demersal.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Extensively hatchery-reared in the Great Lakes and other areas because of their value as meat and roe.
