Shortnose cisco (Coregonus reighardi) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 2

Executive Summary

Shortnose Cisco
Coregonus reighardi

Species Information

The shortnose cisco was one of 10 cisco species found in Canada, one of seven cisco species found in the Great Lakes, and one of six cisco species identified as endemic to the Great Lakes. The shortnose cisco can be distinguished from the other cisco species found in the Great Lakes by the distinctive dark pigmentation of the snout.

Distribution

The shortnose cisco was endemic to lakes Huron, Michigan and Ontario. It was last recorded in Lake Huron in 1985, Lake Michigan in 1982 and in Lake Ontario in 1964, so it may well be extinct.

Habitat

The shortnose cisco was reported at depths ranging from 22m to 146m.

Biology

Maximum known age is 11 years for females and 9 years for males, and maximum known length and weight is 265mm in Total Length (tip of the snout to the tip of the tail) and 420g. The shortnose cisco was the only known spring-spawning cisco in lakes Huron, Michigan and Ontario and spawning occurred from April to June at depths of 52-146m. Age at maturity was reported as 2+ to 3+ years in Lake Michigan. Prey items in lakes Huron and Ontario were predominantly freshwater shrimps. Shortnose cisco was a prey item for burbot (Lota lota) and deep water forms of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush).

Population Sizes and Trends

Although the deepwater cisco fishery (commonly known as the “chub fishery”) was very important in the Great Lakes, the catches were rarely identified to species. Too few collections of shortnose cisco (recorded to species) have been documented over time in a standardized manner to evaluate population sizes and trends. There are no known extant populations.

Limiting Factors and Threats

The decline of shortnose cisco in the Great Lakes was likely the result of commercial overfishing. It has been suggested that remnant shortnose cisco populations in these lakes may have competed with, or have been preyed upon by, introduced fish species.

Special Significance of the Species

The shortnose cisco was one of six cisco species identified as endemic to the Great Lakes.

Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

The shortnose cisco and its habitat are protected by the federal Fisheries Act. It was previously assessed as Threatened by COSEWIC in 1988. It is listed SX (extirpated) in Ontario by the Natural heritage Information Centre, and NH (historic) for Canada by NatureServe Canada. In the United States, it is listed as SX (extirpated) by 3 states and SH by 2 states. 

COSEWIC History

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list.  On June 5, 2003, the Species at Risk Act (SARA) was proclaimed. SARA establishes COSEWIC as an advisory body ensuring that species will continue to be assessed under a rigorous and independent scientific process.

COSEWIC Mandate

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assesses the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, or other designatable units that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, arthropods, molluscs, vascular plants, mosses, and lichens.

COSEWIC Membership

COSEWIC comprises members from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership, chaired by the Canadian Museum of Nature), three non-government members and the co-chairs of the species specialist and the Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge subcommittees. The Committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species. 

Definitions (November 2004)

Species
Any indigenous species, subspecies, variety, or geographically defined population of wild fauna and flora.
Extinct (X)
A species that no longer exists.
Extirpated (XT)
A species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.
Endangered (E)
A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.
Threatened (T)
A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.
Special Concern (SC) Footnote1
A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.
Not at Risk (NAR) Footnote2
A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.
Data Deficient (DD) Footnote3
A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list.

Canadian Wildlife Service

The Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, provides full administrative and financial support to the COSEWIC Secretariat.

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