Lake herring are making a comeback in the Great Lakes. Listen up:
Cisco (via Ellen George)
Until the sixties, schools of slender silvery cisco swam the Great Lakes, feeding on zooplankton, and dodging predators. Fishermen called them ‘lake herring.’
“They were one of the most abundant species across the great lakes. And at one time they comprised the largest commercial fishery in the Great Lakes,” says Ellen George, a graduate research assistant in the Cornell Department of Natural Resources.
She says overfishing, invasive species, and pollution caused cisco populations to plummet.
Today, they’re making a comeback, and George hopes a new generation will discover…
George: “… These fish are fun and tasty and good things to catch as well.”
Hear More:
Listen to Ellen George talk about how improved water quality helps support cisco populations:
Get Schooled:
- Get the facts about cisco from this Minnesota Sea Grant fact-sheet.
- Read about Lake Superior’s cisco fishery, from Minnesota Sea Grant.
Watch:
See Ellen George at work:
The Fine Print:
- This segment was produced with Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.
