Atlantic whitefish  (Coregonus huntsmani)

Endemic to Canada, the Atlantic whitefish is currently restricted to three semi-natural freshwater lakes: Minamkeak, Milipsigate, and Hebb, covering a total area of just 16 square kilometres within the upper Petite Rivière drainage of south-west Nova Scotia (2) (4). Historically, this species occupied a greater range, occupying the Tusket River drainage, as well as other watersheds in Nova Scotia. As an anadromous species, populations moved from the freshwater spawning grounds to adjacent estuaries and coastal bays around Nova Scotia. However, since the disappearance of this species from the Tusket River drainage in the 1980s, the Atlantic whitefish has become landlocked due to the presence of dams in the Petite Rivière drainage, which inhibit migration (2) (4).

The natural anadromous life history of the Atlantic whitefish involved periods in both saltwater and freshwater environments. However, as ocean-going populations no longer exist, little is known of this species’ marine habitat preferences. The existing landlocked, freshwater populations are dispersed throughout the three lakes that form this species’ total range, as well as in the streams that connect them (4). The juveniles typically occur in shallow waters, while the adults range throughout the water column, avoiding the warm surface waters during the summer months (3) (4).