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Confirmation of cisco spawning in Chaumont Bay, Lake Ontario using an egg pumping device

April 24, 2017

Cisco Coregonus artedi, a historically abundant and commercially important fish in the Great Lakes, have declined drastically in the last century due to the impacts of invasive species, overfishing, and habitat degradation. Chaumont Bay, New York is believed to contain one of the last remaining spawning populations of cisco in Lake Ontario although direct evidence of spawning has remained elusive. We document cisco spawning in Chaumont Bay for the first time in decades through the use of an egg pumping device specifically developed to sample through lake ice. Forty-one eggs were identified as cisco using genetic barcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. Cisco eggs were associated with shallow, rocky shoals. Contemporary knowledge of spawning behavior is an important step toward the successful restoration of cisco in Lake Ontario and across the Great Lakes.

Publication Year 2017
Title Confirmation of cisco spawning in Chaumont Bay, Lake Ontario using an egg pumping device
DOI 10.1016/j.jglr.2017.03.024
Authors Ellen M. George, Wendylee Stott, Brian Young, Curtis T. Karboski, Darran L. Crabtree, Edward F. Roseman, Lars G. Rudstam
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Journal of Great Lakes Research
Index ID 70187109
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Great Lakes Science Center