WHITEFISH : LAKE (HUMPBACK)

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WHITEFISH : LAKE (HUMPBACK)
Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchill). This species is important commercially in the Yukon, where it is found in most of the lakes. In colouring the whitefish is olivaceous on the upper part of the body, with whitish sides and under portions. The tail fin is deeply forked. The lower fins may be dusky. The mouth is subterminal. Adults have a fleshy bump at the shoulders; hence their name. Mature fish average 18 inches in length and weigh about 2.5 pounds. They live on minute molluscs, crustaceans and other small aquatic creatures. Its summer habitat is in the deeper, colder parts of the lakes, from which it moves into more shallow water at spawning time - late October onward. Gillnetting is the chief method of catching them, although they have been known to strike angler lures in early spring.