Anglers are being asked to carefully check the mouth of any small whitefish before they harvest them. If the mouth is set back from the snout, you have a whitefish; however, if the upper and lower jaws are even, than you have a cisco.
“We are distributing posters to as many ice hut operators as possible around the lake and asking them to display them in their rental huts. We are also reminding anglers that they need to release those cisco, and that it is an offence to keep any even if it’s a case of mistaken identity- so know how to tell the difference,” said Wickett.
The LSFSC is a group of stakeholders made up of representatives from angling and non-angling organizations around the lake supported and co-chaired by MNR. The mandate of the Committee is to advise the MNR on fishery related matters pertaining to Lake Simcoe. The committee also actively promotes education and awareness campaigns such as the Cisco/Whitefish ID Program.
Wickett concluded by adding, “Our committee is fully aware that an increasing number of cisco are being caught by anglers. Together with MNR staff, we are very excited that cisco are on scene once again as this shows the population has the potential to recover. However the purpose of this closed fishery is to allow the cisco population to rebuild until such time as we can safely determine that it could sustain some level of harvest.” The LSFSC, committee will continue to proactively review such fisheries management issues on Lake Simcoe and work towards improving angling opportunities.
Cisco/Whitefish ID posters can be seen at local bait and tackle shops or on line at: www.luresandtours.com
For more information: Larry Wickett, lbwickett@rogers.com
Lake Simcoe Ice Anglers Reminded They Must Live Release Cisco
Posted on Behalf of the: Lake Simcoe Fisheries Stakeholder Committee
For Immediate Release: February 23, 2009
Lake Simcoe ON: The Lake Simcoe Fisheries Stakeholder Committee (LSFSC) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) would like to remind ice anglers that cisco (lake herring) have a year round closed season on Lake Simcoe. This means that anglers cannot target cisco and must immediately release any cisco caught while fishing for other species.
For many years Lake Simcoe’s self sustaining population of cisco offered excellent angling opportunities; especially during the winter. Cisco are also an important food item in the diets of lake trout. By the late 1980’s and throughout the 90’s however, cisco numbers declined dramatically with little evidence of natural reproduction. This followed the recruitment failures (ability to naturally reproduce) of both lake trout and whitefish attributed to degraded water quality. In 2001 The MNR closed the cisco fishery to protect the remaining population.
Both MNR staff and anglers alike have documented a small resurgence in the cisco population.
Some anglers are having difficulty identifying small whitefish from the occasional cisco. With this in mind, the LSFSC initiated a Cisco/Whitefish Identification Program to help anglers know the difference and to remind them they must release any cisco they catch.
“We have developed a color poster and wallet sized ID card that clearly outline the key difference between whitefish and cisco,” said Larry Wickett co-chair of the LSFSC.
The easiest way to identify a whitefish is the shape and position of the mouth.
Many experienced anglers can be fooled by the similarities between Whitefish and Cisco particularly if the Whitefish is small and thin. Lake Simcoe Cisco (Herring as some know them) can get much bigger than average and 2 pound fish are becoming common. The coloration can vary as well. Cisco have a blue tinge normally but in the right light this blue sheen is difficult to see. The scale size and pattern can also look very similar to that of small Whitefish.
Much of the time the sheer size of Simcoe Whitefish will give it away with average size being approximatly 3 pounds with fish in the 5 to 7 pound range common. Anglers are seeing more small natural spawned Whitefish and it is these natural fish that are most often mistaken for Cisco and of course big Cisco that are being mistaken for smaller Whitefish.
Cisco are very aggressive and will hit anything shinny. This gives anglers the impression that there are large populations simply because they are easy to catch. To date there is not enough evidence to support the resurgence of Cisco.
If you catch a Cisco, remove the hooks and release it immediately regardless of the condition of the fish. Cisco are difficult to control once landed and thier scales come off very easily. If you can identify your catch as a Cisco without taking it out of the hole, try to remove the hooks and force it back down the hole with an ice spoon or something that will not harm the fish.
7 1/2 pound Simcoe Whitefish
