ROUND WHITEFISH 



Prosopiufn cylindraceum quadrilaterale (Richardson) 



The round whitefish is distributed from New England west through the 

 Great Lakes to Alaska. The whitefish family is close to the trout and salmon in 

 both structural and environmental requirements. 



The round whitefish spawn from October to December in the shallow waters 

 of stream mouths. The young possess three rows of dusky spots along the sides. 

 Specimens taken from Moosehead Lake by the Maine survey were from 8 to 

 14 inches in length. 



Their food consists of midge larvae and other small aquatic organisms. 

 They do not take a hook readily and are not classified as a game species. 



LAKE WHITEFISH 



Coregonus clufeaformis (Mitchill) 



The lake whitefish is found in all the Great Lakes and in other inland lakes 

 from the Great Lakes basin to New England and southern Canada. They inhabit 

 the larger and deeper lakes throughout their range. 



Lake whitefish spawn in the fall with the peak of spawning coming in early 

 November. They may breed on the shoals of lakes to which they migrate in the 

 fall or they may ascend streams for the same purpose. Males become mature 

 in the third or fourth year and females in their fifth year. The eggs are spawned 

 and fertilized and fall to the bottom where they develop. There is no parental 

 care of the young. After a lengthy incubation period which may extend to as 

 much as 4 or 5 months the eggs are hatched in March or April, 



Of the two whitefish in Maine the lake whitefish is the least abundant. 

 Only ten were taken by the survey crew from Moosehead Lake. These fish 

 ranged in length from 1 3 to 16 inches. The species is reported to reach a weight 

 of 3 to 4 pounds. 



The bulk of their food is small crustaceans, aquatic larvae of insects and 

 occasionally small fishes. They are taken infrequently on flies but are not con- 

 sidered a game fish. 



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