Fish

maazhamegosens (Female Coaster Brook Trout)

USFWS Photo / Katie Steiger-Meister

Giigoonyag (Fish)

 

Traditional herring smoking

NPS Photo / S. Layton

A Lasting Tradition

For centuries, area fisheries provided an important source of food for local Anishinaabe and other Native people that continues to this day. During the fur trade era, Anishinaabe harvested fish for trade to sustain the employees of the North West Company because feeding the large number of people moving through the region meant wild game was sparse.

Just as the fur trade significantly impacted this environment, activities such as logging and commercial fishing strained these fisheries by introducing toxins and non-native species, changing waterways, and overharvesting. Challenges continue today as warming air temperatures and unpredictable winters can alter spawning places, creating another obstacle for survival.

Today, the Monument partners with community fishermen who obtain herring from Lake Superior that is prepared on the historic site as part of our interpretive activities to emphasize the significance of this vital resource.

 

Mizay (Burbot)

NPS Photo / J. Glase

Giigoonyag Gichi-onigamiing (Fish of Grand Portage)

Click on the Ojibwe Names to hear them pronounced.

Ojibwe Name	Common Name	Scientific Name
adikameg	Lake Whitefish	Coregonus clupeaformis
asaawens	Yellow Perch	Perca flavescens
giizgoozens	Smelt	Osmerus mordax
ginoozhe	Northern Pike	Esox lucius
maazhamegosens	Coaster Brook Trout	Salvelinus fontinalis
miskwemeg	Coho Salmon	Oncorhynshus kisutch
mizay	Lawyer, Burbot, Eelpout	Lota lota
name	Lake Sturgeon	Acipenser fulvescens
namebin	White Sucker	Catostomus commersoni
namegos	Lake Trout	Salvelinus namaycush
namegoshens	Steelhead	Oncorhynshus mykiss
noosa'owesi	Smallmouth Bass	Micropterus dolomieu
odazhegomoo	Rock Bass	Ambloplites rupestris
ogaa	Walleye	Stizostedion vitreum
okewis	Lake Herring (Cisco)	Coregonus artedii

Giigoonyag Gichi-onigamiing (Fish of Grand Portage) poster.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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