INDIANAPOLIS — Anglers beware, beginning Dec. 17, it will be illegal to take or possess the cisco species of fish in Indiana.
According to a report from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the change is a result of action taken this fall by the Natural Resources Commission. The species was previously listed as a species of special concern.
Cisco is the only native fish from the salmon family found in Indiana waters other than Lake Michigan. According to the DNR, it is a cold-water species that requires exceptional water quality to thrive. The glacial lakes of northern Indiana represent the southernmost extent of the species' range in North America.
Failing Lake (Steuben County), Indiana Lake (Elkhart County), North Twin and South Twin lakes (LaGrange County), Lake Gage (Steuben County), Eve Lake (LaGrange County), and Crooked Lake (Noble/Whitley counties) are the only remaining Indiana lakes containing cisco.
According to the DNR, listing cisco as state endangered will prioritize and incentivize conservation actions in areas near lakes containing cisco to protect existing water quality.
"The preservation of water quality at these lakes is vital because once degraded, water quality is costly and difficult to restore," Matthew Linn, fisheries research biologist, said.
Future cisco management will focus on collaborative efforts with regional partners to preserve cold-water habitat through the application of best management practices that reduce the quantity of nutrients entering the remaining lakes with cisco, the DNR said.
