Lake Ontario and Great Lakes kiyi COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 2

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Executive Summary

Species Information

The kiyi is one of 10 cisco species found in Canada, one of seven cisco species found in the Great Lakes, and one of six cisco species identified as endemic to the Great Lakes. The kiyi can be distinguished from the other cisco species found in the Great Lakes by its unique combination of large eye and long paired fins. Two designatable units (C. kiyi orientalis occurring only in Lake Ontario, and C. kiyi kiyi of the upper Great Lakes) are recognized.

Distribution

The kiyi was endemic to all of the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America except Lake Erie. It is believed to be currently extant only in Lake Superior.

Habitat

The kiyi prefers the deepest parts of lakes in which it is found. It is rarely collected in waters less than 108m deep, and has been reported at depths ranging from 35m to 200m.

Biology

Maximum known age is 10+ years for females and 7+ years for males, and maximum known length is 250 mm Total Length (tip of snout to tip of tail fin). Spawning occurred from September to January at depths of 106-165m. Age at maturity was reported as 2+ to 3+ years in Lake Michigan and minimum size at maturity was reported as 132mm SL in Lake Superior. Prey items in lakes Huron and Ontario were predominantly small freshwater shrimps. The kiyi (itself) is a prey item for burbot (Lota lota) and deep water forms of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush).

Population Sizes and Trends

Although the deepwater cisco fishery (commonly known as the “chub fishery”) was very important in the Great Lakes, the catches were rarely identified to species. Too few collections of kiyi (recorded to species) have been documented over time in a standardized manner to evaluate population sizes and trends. It is estimated that there were between 22 tonnes and 330 tonnes of kiyi in the deepest parts of Lake Superior in 2000-01.

Limiting Factors and Threats

The decline of kiyi in lakes Huron, Michigan and Ontario was likely the result of commercial overfishing. It has been suggested that remnant kiyi populations in these lakes may have competed with, or have been predated by, introduced fish species. These threats are likely currently unimportant in Lake Superior.

Special Significance of the Species

Of the six cisco species (bloater, blackfin cisco, deepwater cisco, kiyi, shortjaw cisco, shortnose cisco) identified as indigenous to the Great Lakes, the kiyi is one of only three species (bloater, kiyi, shortjaw) known to be extant. The kiyi exhibits unique adaptations to its deepwater habitat including enlarged eyes and pectoral fins.

Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

The kiyi and its habitat are protected by the federal Fisheries Act. It was assessed previously as Special Concern by COSEWIC in 1988. It is listed S3? (Rare to Uncommon?) in Ontario by the Natural Heritage Information Centre. In the United States, it is assigned a conservation status by 5 states.

COSEWIC History

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list. On June 5, 2003, the Species at Risk Act (SARA) was proclaimed. SARA establishes COSEWIC as an advisory body ensuring that species will continue to be assessed under a rigorous and independent scientific process.

COSEWIC Mandate

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assesses the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, or other designatable units that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, arthropods, molluscs, vascular plants, mosses, and lichens.

COSEWIC Membership

COSEWIC comprises members from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership, chaired by the Canadian Museum of Nature), three non-government members and the co-chairs of the species specialist and the Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge subcommittees. The Committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species.

Definitions (November 2004)

Wildlife Species

A species, subspecies, variety, or geographically or genetically distinct population of animal, plant or other organism, other than a bacterium or virus, that is wild by nature and it is either native to Canada or has extended its range into Canada without human intervention and has been present in Canada for at least 50 years.

Extinct (X)

A wildlife species that no longer exists.

Extirpated (XT)

A wildlife species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.

Endangered (E)

A wildlife species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Threatened (T)

A wildlife species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Special Concern (SC)^Footnotea

A wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

Not at Risk (NAR)^Footnoteb

A wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given the current circumstances.

Data Deficient (DD)^Footnotec

A wildlife species for which there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction.