The Last Whitefish
- Thread starter TMan
- Start date
Great video! These are obviously the lake form of the whitefish - and have wide, deep bodies.
But, those in BC should also know that some of the larger BC watersheds (e.g. Skeena, Fraser) & the Columbia in the USA have smaller, more streamlined forms of lotic, river whitefish. You likely won't catch them on sportsfishing gear - but maybe fly gear.
I couldn't understand why the smaller watersheds didn't have these pygmy whitefish, until I looked-up the geologic/glacial history of the Pacific NW.
That's because whitefish don't come in from the front end - unlike salmon - they are FW fish. And the glaciers had the Skeena, Fraser & the Columbia cut-off and those fish assemblages mixed and repopulated those rivers after the glaciers retreated & left, and the rivers reconnected with the Pacific coast with their remix of fish species assemblages, including stream whitefish. The smaller rivers weren't joined together in that glacial period, and the fish (esp. salmon) recolonized from the ocean-side of things.
Incidentally, that repopulation of salmon from the ocean also includes the river form of sockeye that looks more like a pink in body form/size (but not colour nor mouth/nose) - is a relic of that reinvasion & appears in some BC rivers usually 1st week of October.
But, those in BC should also know that some of the larger BC watersheds (e.g. Skeena, Fraser) & the Columbia in the USA have smaller, more streamlined forms of lotic, river whitefish. You likely won't catch them on sportsfishing gear - but maybe fly gear.
I couldn't understand why the smaller watersheds didn't have these pygmy whitefish, until I looked-up the geologic/glacial history of the Pacific NW.
That's because whitefish don't come in from the front end - unlike salmon - they are FW fish. And the glaciers had the Skeena, Fraser & the Columbia cut-off and those fish assemblages mixed and repopulated those rivers after the glaciers retreated & left, and the rivers reconnected with the Pacific coast with their remix of fish species assemblages, including stream whitefish. The smaller rivers weren't joined together in that glacial period, and the fish (esp. salmon) recolonized from the ocean-side of things.
Incidentally, that repopulation of salmon from the ocean also includes the river form of sockeye that looks more like a pink in body form/size (but not colour nor mouth/nose) - is a relic of that reinvasion & appears in some BC rivers usually 1st week of October.
Last edited:
Filmmakers capture Great Lakes whitefish in rare spawning event - The Weather Network
Filmmakers Zach Melnick and Yvonne Drebert used an underwater drone to capture the first-ever footage of lake whitefish spawning in the Great Lakes. This rare footage, part of their All Too Clear documentary, helps scientists better understand the species. The project highlights the changing...
www.theweathernetwork.com
Last edited:
Similar threads
