Cisco Spawning In Chaumont Bay, Lake Ontario

Abstract

Cisco Coregonus artedi are an important prey fish for many Great Lakes predators, including lake trout Salvelinus namaycush. Their numbers have declined drastically in the last century due to the impacts of invasive species, overfishing, and habitat degradation. Chaumont Bay, New York contains one of the last remaining spawning populations of cisco in Lake Ontario. This thesis synthesizes over 100 years of cisco research, and documents the first confirmation of cisco spawning in Chaumont Bay in decades. Sampling was accomplished using a custom egg pumping device designed to collect eggs through lake ice, and eggs were identified to species using genetic barcoding. Cisco exhibited a strong spawning habitat preference for shallow, rocky shoals in Chaumont Bay. Establishing self-sustaining spawning stocks of cisco is a key objective to their restoration in Lake Ontario, and the results from this study will be used to inform managers and guide restoration initiatives.