Alewife

From Great Lakes Wiki

Alewife

Scientific: Alosa pseudoharengus

Also known as: Seth, Mulhaden, Grey Herring, Golden Shad, and Skipjack

Lives in these Great Lakes: All of them

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Picture and information reference: http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/framefish.html (Click on Alewife)

This little fish weighs in at only 4 ounces. The length of the average fish is 6 inches. They usually appear bluish-green or silvery-blue. This fish came from the Atlantic. They traveled to the Great Lakes using the Welland Canal. They have been living in the Great Lakes since the 50's. They aren’t built for the freshwater lakes because of their Atlantic Heritage. Alewife fish do not enjoy the summer. Often, many of them die in June. The Alewife’s are common feed for the well known Trout and Salmon species. The Alewife’s swim in large numbers to prevent becoming prey. The Alewife’s who survive the summer and predators live around 6-7 years. The sea lampreys killed a ton of the predators of the alewife. After this happened the amount of Alewives rose dramatically. Alewives compete with other species for their food. They fight against chubs, perch, and finch for plankton and various small organisms living in the lake.

--Maurerd 15:40, 28 Nov 2006 (EST)