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Great Lakes Water Life Photo GalleryFishSalmon, Trout and Coregonids |
Family: Salmonidae
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WHITEFISH SUBFAMILY--Coregoninae
Distribution and Habitat
N=Native, I=Introduced (exotic), X=Extinct, P=Extirpated
| Image/Link | Scientific Name | Common Name | Lake Superior | Lake Michigan | Lake Huron |
Lake Erie | Lake Ontario | Habitat |
| Coregonus alpenae | longjaw cisco | X | X | pelagic | ||||
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Coregonus artedi | lake herring | N | N | N | N | N | pelagic/benthic |
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Coregonus clupeaformis | lake whitefish | N | N | N | N | N | river/benthic |
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Coregonus hoyi | bloater | N | N | N | P | benthic/pelagic | |
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Coregonus johannae | deepwater cisco | X | X | benthic/pelagic | |||
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Coregonus kiyi | kiyi | N | P | P | P | benthic/pelagic | |
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Coregonus nigripinnis | blackfin cisco | X | X | pelagic | |||
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Coregonus reighardi | shortnose cisco | P | N | P | pelagic | ||
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Coregonus zenithicus | shortjaw cisco | N | P | P | pelagic | ||
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Prosopium coulteri | pygmy whitefish | N | N | benthic open water | |||
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Prosopium cylindraceum | round whitefish | N | N | N | euryhaline/benthic/littoral, tributaries and open water |
Table modified from "The Life of the Lakes: A Guide to the Great Lakes Fishery" MI Sea Grant Extension, Michigan State University.
Whitefish Species Profiles
Coregonus alpenae - longjaw cisco |
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 Scientific
Profile - Fishes of Wisconsin |
Extinct. |
Coregonus artedi - lake herring |
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A cold-water fish that needs well-oxygenated water deep in the lake in summer time. Feed on plankton and benthos. They begin eating copepods and small waterfleas and later add bigger waterfleas, midge and ghost midge larvae. Sometimes they feast on mayflies and caddisflies as they "hatch" at the water's surface. Length to 40 cm. |
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Coregonus clupeaformis - lake whitefish |
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Require cool, well-oxygenated water in the summertime. Spawn in shallow bays during the fall when temperatures drop below 50 degrees F. The lake whitefish is a bottom dweller. So, it eats things that it finds at or near the bottom of the lake. Young whitefish eat waterfleas at first and then begin to include small bottom-dwelling insect larvae. Adult whitefish eat a lot of sideswimmers, fingernail clams, snails, opossum shrimp, midge larvae, and small fish. Length to 60 cm, formerly larger. |
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Coregonus hoyi - bloater |
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From marginal waters to 200 m or more. Feed on plankton and benthos. Length to 30 cm. |
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Coregonus johannae - deepwater cisco |
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Extinct. Found in Lake Michigan at depths of 60-180 m and Lake Huron at 30-200 m. Fed on plankton and benthos. Length formerly to 40 cm. |
Coregonus kiyi - kiyi |
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Now restricted to Lake Superior. Depth to 60-200 m. Fed on plankton and benthos. Length to 25 cm. |
Coregonus nigripinnis - blackfin cisco |
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Extinct. Found at depths of 40-80 m. Fed on plankton and benthos. |
Coregonus reighardi - shortnose cisco |
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Depth to 12-180 m. A spring-spawner, restricted to Lake Huron (or possibly extinct). Feed on plankton and benthos. Length to 30 cm. |
Coregonus zenithicus - shortjaw cisco |
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Restricted to Lake Superior at depths of 20-200 m. Feed on plankton and benthos. Lengths to 40 cm. Subspecies bartletti (common name Siskiwit Lake cisco) length to 20cm. |
Prosopium coulteri - pygmy whitefish |
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Feed on benthos and plankton at depths between 20-108 m. Length to 15 cm. |
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Prosopium cylindraceum (aka Coregonus cylindraceum) - round whitefish, menominee |
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Feed on benthos and plankton. Length to 50 cm. | |
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SALMON, TROUT and CHAR SUBFAMILY--Salmoninae
Distribution and Habitat
N=Native, I=Introduced (exotic), X=Extinct, P=Extirpated
| Image/Link | Scientific Name | Common Name | Lake Superior | Lake Michigan | Lake Huron |
Lake Erie | Lake Ontario | Habitat |
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Oncorhynchus gorbuscha | pink salmon | I | I | I | I | I | littoral/pelagic, tributaries and open water |
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Oncorhynchus kisutch | coho salmon | I | I | I | I | I | littoral/pelagic, tributaries and open water |
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Oncorhynchus mykiss | rainbow trout, steelhead trout | I | I | I | I | I | stream/creek/river/littoral |
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Oncorhynchus nerka | sockeye salmon | I | I | littoral/pelagic, tributaries and open water | |||
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Oncorhynchus tshawytscha | chinook salmon | I | I | I | I | littoral/pelagic, tributaries and open water | |
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Salmo salar | Atlantic salmon | I | I | I | P | euryhaline/river/littoral/pelagic, open water | |
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Salmo trutta | brown trout | I | I | I | I | I | euryhaline/stream/creek/river, tributaries and open water |
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Salvelinus fontinalis | brook trout | N | N | N | I | N | euryhaline/stream/creek/river, tributaries and open water |
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Salvelinus namaycush | lake trout |
N | N | N | N | N | river/littoral/benthic/pelagic, tributaries and open water |
Table modified from "The Life of the Lakes: A Guide to the Great Lakes Fishery" MI Sea Grant Extension, Michigan State University.
Salmon and Char Species Profiles
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha - pink salmon |
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Native to Arctic and North Pacific drainages; accidentally introduced to Lake Superior drainage in 1956. Usually in the upper 20-m of the water column. Pink salmon die after spawning. Young salmon eat sideswimmers, waterfleas, and other small crustaceans. Juveniles and adults in the lake add small fish and opossum shrimp (a crustacean) to their diet. Length to 40-48 cm in Great Lakes. The current MN and PA state records are 2 kg (4.5 lbs). |
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Oncorhynchus kisutch - coho salmon |
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Native to Arctic and N Pacific; introduced in the Great
Lakes since 1960s to control alewife and provide sports fishing.
Little natural reproduction in the Great Lakes, except in Lake Superior
- coho die after spawning.. Usually found in the upper portions of
the water out to about 10 miles from the shore. While traveling from
stream to lake the young coho usually eat copepods and waterfleas.
Immature and adult coho eat mostly small fishes, especially smelt
and small cisco, but also include opposum shrimp and terrestrial
(land) insects. Length to 75-100 cm. |
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Oncorhynchus mykiss - rainbow trout, steelhead trout |
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Rainbow trout are stream form, steelhead in the open lake. Found in cool lakes and streams, prefer streams with cobbles, boulders, deep pools and overhead cover. An introduced exotic species native to the West Coast and some of the streams west of the Rocky Mountains. Great Lakes populations (steelhead) were introduced from McCloud Hatchery, California and now reproduce naturally, though they continue to be stocked. Spawn in early spring (sometimes fall and winter) and many live to spawn several times. Young rainbow trout first eat waterfleas and then add aquatic (water) insects, like caddisflies, mayflies, and midges, to their diet. As they grow larger they include small fish, but continue to consume larval and adult insects. They also supplement the diet with other kinds of food, such as snail, leeches, fish eggs, sideswimmers, and algae. Length to 90 cm in steelheads (open lake form); 60 cm in river forms (rainbow). Ohio State Record 20.97 pounds and 36 inches. | |
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Oncorhynchus nerka - sockeye salmon (aka red salmon, Kokanee salmon) |
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The sockeye salmon is native to the Pacific Ocean and streams of the Pacific Northwest, where it is known as the red salmon. Freshwater versions are usually bright silver on the sides, and steel-blue to green-blue on the head and back with no markings or spots. The fish found in the Great Lakes tend to be about 15 to 17 inches long and weigh around 2.5 pounds. |
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Oncorhynchus tshawytscha - chinook salmon |
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Native to Arctic and North Pacific; introduced in Great Lakes to control alewives and provide sport fishing. Survival of naturally-spawned chinooks is increasing in Great Lakes waters. While living in the parent stream, young chinooks consume a variety of terrestrial (land) and aquatic (water) insects and sideswimmers. After moving to the open lake, they begin to consume a variety of fish, especially smelt and ciscoes. Length to 90-100 cm (to over 140 cm in Alaska). Minnesota's state record for Chinook salmon is 15.1 kg (33 lbs. 4 oz). |
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Salmo salar - Atlantic salmon |
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Native to Lake Ontario- St Lawrence drainage, but
extinct in 1890s. Introduced in upper Great Lakes, but little natural
reproduction. Feed on fishes and invertebrates. Length to 75 cm. |
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Salvelinus fontinalis - brook trout |
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Preferred habitat includes headwater spring ponds and small spring-fed streams that have cool, clear waters with sand and gravel bottoms and moderate amounts of vegetation. Spawn each year of their adult life. The food of the young brook trout is mostly small insects. Older fish eat larger invertebrates including many types of aquatic (water) insects, sideswimmers, snails, and worms. They also feed on minnows and other small fishes. Length to 45 cm, rarely larger. The world record is 6.6 kg (14.5 lbs). |
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Salvelinus fontinalis x Salvelinus namaycush - splake |
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 Profile
- Interactive Fishtank - Great Lakes Fishery Commission |
Hybrid of the brook trout and lake trout. Minimal reproduction. |
Salvelinus namaycush - lake trout |
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2 subspecies - Salvelinus namaycush namaycush (lean lake trout) and Salvelinus namaycush siscowet (fat lake trout). Spawns in fall on rocky reefs. They spend most of their time in the deep water where there is plenty of oxygen and no vegetation. Young lake trout first eat a diet of copepods and waterfleas, then add opossum shrimp. Adult trout eat mostly fish including ciscoes, bloaters, smelt, and cottids. Length to 120 cm, but usually about half that. The PA state record for lake trout is 27 pounds 13 oz. |
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GRAYLING SUBFAMILY--Thymallinae
Distribution and Habitat
N=Native, I=Introduced (exotic), X=Extinct, P=Extirpated
| Image/Link | Scientific Name | Common Name | Lake Superior | Lake Michigan | Lake Huron |
Lake Erie | Lake Ontario | Habitat |
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Thymallus arcticus | Arctic grayling | N | N | N | stream/creek |
Table modified from "The Life of the Lakes: A Guide to the Great Lakes Fishery" MI Sea Grant Extension, Michigan State University.
Species profile
Thymallus arcticus - Arctic grayling |
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Subfamily Thymallinae (Grayling). Usually in streams. Feed on aquatic insects. Length to 35-40 cm. |
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