Native Fish to Winnipesaukee
John A. Viar, Fisheries Biologist at NH Fish and Game Department provided the following information to me regarding fish native to Winnipesaukee:
Lake Winnipesaukee Native Fish Residents
American eel (catadromous: adults live in freshwater but return to the ocean to spawn; only female American eels enter freshwater to grow and mature for 4-10 years before heading back to the ocean to rejoin the males and spawn in the Sargasso Sea) – note: I placed this species under “resident” since the females are present in the lake for such a substantial amount of time
Bridled Shiner
Brook trout
Brown bullhead (horned pout)
Burbot (cusk)
Chain pickerel
Common shiner
Common white sucker
Fallfish
Golden shiner
Lake trout
Lake whitefish
Rainbow smelt
Round whitefish
Pumpkinseed
Redbreast sunfish
Slimy sculpin
Yellow perch
Past Visitor: American shad
(anadromous: adults live in the ocean but return to freshwater on spawning runs; trapped by Native Americans at “The Weirs” – hence the name)
American shad are no longer able to reach historic spawning grounds (such as "The Weirs") due to dams, but they are able to make it a considerable distance inland/upstream with the help of fish ladders at particular dams. Many people erroneously use the term "shad" to refer to lake whitefish. Lake whitefish are a native, resident species, and still present (though not as abundant as past years) in Lake Winnipesaukee.
Many thanks to John!
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