Round whitefish
📖 Overview
Adults inhabit shallow areas of lakes and clear streams and rarely enters brackish water . Also in rivers with swift current and stony bottom. Migration is limited to movements associated with spawning . Epipelagic . Adults feed on benthic invertebrates and occasionally on fishes and fish eggs . One specimen taken from a depth of 218.9 m in eastern Lake Superior, off Grand Marais, Michigan .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 13. Body slender, elongate, almost cylindrical in cross section, posteriorly somewhat compressed laterally, greatest depth in front of the dorsal fin. Head relatively short; eye moderate, its diameter less than snout length; snout pointed, "pinched" or compressed laterally, rounded in lateral view, a single flap of skin present between the nostrils; mouth small, ventral in position, overhung by snout; maxillaries extending posteriorly almost to anterior margin or eye in adults. This species has more color than most coregonids. Overall coloration of adults almost silvery, silvery white below. Scales specially on back, with well-defined, dark pigmented borders, making them conspicuous. Pectoral fins are amber in color, slight amber tint also to pelvic and anal fins. Pectoral fins take on an orange tint during spawning, the pelvic and anal fins also to a lesser extent. the adipose fin is usually brown spotted, particularly in specimens from central and eastern Canada. Two or more longitudinal rows of black spots are present on the sides of young specimen.: fusiform / normal; Cross section: oval.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Round whitefish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
There are inshore and upstream movements that may be related to spawning . Swims in pairs during spawning . Also Ref. 28803.
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; potamodromous ; depth range 4 - 72 m , usually ? - 37 m . Temperate; 2°C - 18°C ; 72°N - 41°N, 103°E - 56°W North America: Arctic and Pacific drainages from western Hudson Bay in Canada to Alaska and northern British Columbia, Canada; Arctic and Atlantic drainages from Quebec and Ontario in Canada to Connecticut in USA; St.
🌿 Ecology
benthic invertebrates and occasionally on fishes (Ref
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🎣 Angling Guide
- medium-action 8-9ft fly rod
- 5-8 lb tippet
- floating or sinking-tip line
- seams and current breaks in rivers
- tributary mouths
- undercut banks
- deep pools during high sun
Use barbless hooks, minimise air exposure, and revive fish head-first in current before release.
⚠️ Strict bag and size limits vary by jurisdiction. Barbless hooks required in many rivers.
📊 Population Dynamics
| Year | Region | Index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Frost Fish · Menominee · Menominee Whitefish · Pilot Fish · Round Fish · Round whitefish |
| 🇫🇮Finnish | Pyörösiika |
| 🇫🇷French | ménomini rond |
| 🇵🇱Polish | Walek a. koniek |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 10 records indexed .
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