StatusĪtlantic whitefish is assessed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species and listed as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. While smallmouth bass and chain pickerel are native to Canada, they are not native to these lakes and have added a new predator that is impacting the small population of Atlantic whitefish. In addition to dams and barriers that have blocked the species’ migration, smallmouth bass and chain pickerel have been introduced to the lakes where it still lives. ThreatsĪtlantic whitefish may very well be one of the most endangered species in all of Canada. But as dams were built in the 1800s to power mills, its passage to the sea was cut off. Historically, the Atlantic whitefish was anadromous, meaning it spawned in fresh water but lived most of its life at sea.
Today, its range has shrunk further, and the last wild population of Atlantic whitefish on the planet is found only in the Petite Rivière watershed. Historical records show that it may have once been found throughout southwestern Nova Scotia. Lake whitefish are cold-water game fish subject to current Alberta sportfishing regulations.Atlantic whitefish is an endangered species unique to Canada that exists only in Nova Scotia.
See:Īnglers target whitefish primarily during the winter ice fishery. Lake whitefish are classified as Secure in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report. Large, old fish may develop a hump behind head (nuchal hump).Most lake whitefish mature by age-6 or 7 males mature at a younger age than females.The longest single movement of a tagged whitefish ever recorded was 388 kilometres (240 miles), from Fort McMurray to the north shore of Lake Athabasca. A large spawning migration enters the Athabasca Delta in late summer, moving upstream in the Athabasca River.Lake whitefish spawn from September through January in water two to four metres (6.5 to 13 feet) in depth.Reproduction and Growth Spawning Behaviour Mainly bottom feeders, lake whitefish eat crustaceans, snails, insects and other small aquatic organisms.Whitefish are mostly found in larger lakes in Alberta, where they prefer deep, cool water.They have a small mouth below a rounded snout, and a deeply forked tail.Lake whitefish are olive-green to blue on the back, with silvery sides.
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