cisco

cisco (Coregonus artedi)[state endangered]
Photo © Paul Vecsei/Engbretson Underwater Photography

The upper lip of the cisco reaches to behind the front edge of its eye. This fish has a long, slender body with an adipose fin. The pelvic fins are located about even with the dorsal fin. The back is blue-green. The sides are silver. A cisco adult averages about nine to 12 inches in length and about one pound in weight.

This species travels in schools. Spawning occurs in fall and winter. It is a fish of shallow water that eats tiny crustaceans, plankton, insects and some small fishes. It is not tolerant of warm temperatures.

​Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae