Restoring Lake White Fish As an Integral Component of the Coldwater Fish Community in Otsego Lake, NY

Lake Whitefish (LWF), a key component of the cold-water fish fauna of Otsego Lake was decimated by the introduction of alewives in the 1980’s. With the recent collapse of the alewife population the restoration of the cold-water ecology of Otsego Lake is now feasible. A collaborative effort to enhance LWF in Otsego Lake is now underway, involving the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cobleskill, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station. Our objectives are to 1) document LWF spawning locations and study population dynamics and 2) supplement the population through field spawning, egg rearing and stocking of fry and fingerlings. Potential spawning areas were documented in three locations in the lake by electrofishing, trap netting and fry emergence traps. Eighteen captured ripe whitefish were 6-13 years old, 521-629 mm long and weighed 1.7-2.9 kg. Field spawning of 3 females and 10 males on 9-10 Dec. produced 71,176 eggs for rearing at the Endangered Fish Hatchery at SUNY Cobleskill. The fertilization rate was 80%, eye-up rate was 60% and the hatch rate was 35%. This project is expected to produce 3,500-4,500 fry to be stocked in.