Lake Erie fish species list

A large fish, the shortnose sturgeon reaches up to 3.5 feet in length and 14 pounds in weight. It is quite prehistoric, almost sharklike in appearance with five rows of pale bony plates (called scutes) covering its dark body. It has a short, conical snout with four barbels or whiskers in front of its large underslung mouth.

The shortnose sturgeon is anadromous, migrating from salt water to spawn in freshwater. In New York, this sturgeon only occurs in the lower portion of the Hudson River from the southern tip of Manhattan to the Federal Dam at Troy.

Losses in numbers of Hudson River shortnose sturgeon occurred as the result of several activities, including: overexploitation of sturgeon stocks for caviar and smoked flesh; pollution resulting in oxygen depletion; and damming of the Hudson which cuts off upriver spawning grounds. The shortnose sturgeon is officially listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service as endangered and is thus fully protected by the Endangered Species Act. Recovery in their numbers appears certain.

The pugnose shiner is one of the rarest minnows in North America. Populations of this fish have been reduced or extirpated in the United States, and in Canada its range is diminishing. The primary cause for this loss in pugnose shiner populations is thought to be increased turbidity in its waters.

A small minnow, it rarely exceeds two inches in length. It has a light, straw-colored back, silvery sides, and a white belly. Its most distinctive feature is its small mouth that is so sharply upturned it is nearly vertical.

The pugnose shiner has never been abundant in New York and lives only in bays of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Because of its rarity, few people have seen this fish. Thankfully it appears to be maintaining its numbers in two areas.

The round whitefish is a medium-sized fish that averages eight to 12 inches in length. Its body shape is long and tubular, with a nearly round midsection (hence its name). Its head is short and its mouth is small and inferior, meaning the snout extends beyond the lower jaw. An adult round whitefish is olive-brown on top and silver below. A young fish has rows of black spots, called parr marks, which make it similar in appearance to a young trout or salmon.