![]() ![]() If necessary, remnant stocks of round whitefish will be enhanced through artificial propagation. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation plans to conduct research to verify and/or establish secure, abundant and self-sustaining populations of round whitefish in at least five Adirondack lakes. Round whitefish are now protected from harvest or possession by the Endangered Species Law. Some of these factors continue to pose a threat to remaining populations. Possible reasons for the decline in round whitefish populations include: predation by invading yellow perch on whitefish eggs and fry predation by smallmouth bass competition with lake whitefish overfishing loss of spawning sites siltation and lake acidification. Surveys conducted before 1979 found them in only 14 waters and surveys between 19 found them in only nine. However, surveys conducted from 1985-1987 by New York State's Division of Fish and Wildlife could only find round whitefish populations in six Adirondack water bodies. Many lakes were stocked with hatchery reared fry between 1886 and about 1904, but the consequences were uncertain. Once fairly common throughout the Adirondacks, the round whitefish could be found in about 60 different lakes including Big Tupper, Piseco, Big Wolf, Raquette, Blue Mountain, Meacham, and the Fulton Chain. Many lakes in the Adirondacks contained this species. The term white fish refers to species of fish that store their oil, or fat, in the liver, as opposed to fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel or tuna. Lake Ontario's population provides a limited commercial fishery in Ontario even today, but the last catch in New York State was 1942. Only seven New York State waters are known to contain round whitefish populations. ![]() With the exception of Lake Erie, the round whitefish's distribution includes the Great Lakes. In North America, the round whitefish is found from Alaska in the northwest to Labrador and New England in the east. They eat a variety of invertebrates including mayfly larvae, chironomid larvae, small mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and fish eggs. Adult round whitefish rarely live longer than 13 years. Both sexes become mature when they reach about 12 inches in length at age 3-4. The young reach 3-4.5 inches by the end of the first year of life. Eggs are broadcast over the shoals and hatch approximately 140 days later. The males arrive on the spawning grounds first. Round whitefish spawn in the fall (November-December) over gravel shoals of lakes or at river mouths. ![]() Young round whitefish have rows of black spots (called parr marks) similar to those of young trout and salmon. The round whitefish is olive-brown on top shading to silver below. A single flap exists between the nostrils, distinguishing it from other whitefishes and ciscoes. Its head is short and its mouth is small and inferior (snout extends beyond lower jaw). Its body shape is long and tubular with a nearly round midsection (hence its name). The round whitefish is a medium-sized fish, averaging 8-12 inches in length and occasionally reaching 22 inches. ![]()
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