Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Wisconsin Fishery
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Cisco are an important sentinel species that support recreational fisheries and are also prey items for game fish such as muskellunge and walleye. The WDNR has recently conducted a large survey of cisco populations in an effort to better understand the spatial distribution and population dynamics of this species in Wisconsin. The goal of the current project is to extend the WDNR survey work by investigating the spatial genetic structure of Cisco populations across Wisconsin. Cisco in Wisconsin also vary in a number of morphological characteristics and contain multiple morphotypes (dwarf and normal), making them an appealing model to study the genetic basis of adaptation.