The crew and scientists aboard the 295-tonne U.S. research vessel Kiyi will be trawling Ontario waters each November for three years to estimate the abundance and density of spawning female cisco in Lake Superior’s Thunder and Black bays.
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| Jared with Herring – Researcher aboard the USGS research vessel, Kiyi, holding a ciscoe (lake herring). Photo: Peter Addison/MNR |
Cisco (also known as lake herring), one of the lake’s most important fish species and a vital part of the open water or pelagic fish community, are a forage base for top predator species. The results of this study will help fisheries managers determine the allowable catch of ciscoes in order to sustain their population which, in turn, will help ensure the future of species such as lake trout, Chinook and Coho salmon.
With funding support from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Kiyi, operated by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Biological Resources Division, will conduct acoustic runs of up to 500 kilometres in length; the echograms sent back will reveal schools of fish. The Kiyi crew will also conduct more than 30 mid-water trawls in the western basins of Superior. These basins are the centre of the two largest remaining commercial fisheries for cisco on the Great Lakes.
The studies will help fisheries managers determine how many ciscoes can be harvested. Researchers will monitor and report on the distribution, overall abundance, population density and biomass (or total weight) of cisco as well as other open-water prey and predator fish populations. Researchers will also note the abundance of ciscoes at different ages: one-year-olds, two year-olds, and so on.
Click here to view a map of the project area
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About the Cisco or Lake Herring
• The cisco, also known as the lake herring, is a commercial and sport fish found in the mid-water zone of cold water lakes and in some of Lake Superior’s larger rivers. They are a vital food source for lake trout, walleye, Chinook and Coho salmon and yellow perch.
• Once abundant throughout the Great Lakes, ciscoes are now common only in Lake Superior where, unfortunately, loss of spawning habitat, rebounding lake trout populations and increasing numbers of non-native stocked fish, such as Chinook and Coho salmon, are thinning cisco numbers.
• In the early 1900s, cisco provided some of the largest catches in the Great Lakes. More recently, cisco has been harvested for its eggs or roe, which is much sought after on the international market.
Project Partners:
- Lake Superior Advisory Committee
- Michigan State University
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
- United States Geological Survey – Lake Superior Biological Station
For more information, contact:
- Marilee Chase, Lake Superior COA Basin Coordinator, Upper Great Lakes Management Unit – Lake Huron, Ministry of Natural Resources, Thunder Bay (807) 475-1371