It spawned in August and September, earlier than most other ciscoes. The systematics of the group of fishes called "ciscoes" is complicated. The deepwater cisco ("Coregonus johannae") was one of the largest ciscoes in the Great Lakes. Stechlin ciscoes feed primarily on cladocerans and copepods. The peled is related to ciscoes of the "Coregonus sardinella" complex. Usually, several taxa of ciscoes are found in a single lake. The deepwater ciscoes there also comprise "Coregonus hoyi" and "Coregonus kiyi". A year after hatching, young ciscoes drift downstream to estuaries. In New York, smoked Bering ciscoes are popular, and are esteemed for their creamy flesh. The deepwater cisco fishery caught longjaw ciscoes and sold them as "smoked herring". In the Great Lakes, at least five ciscoes coexist. Stechlin ciscoes are silvery pink in body color, with a bluish-brown back and glassy fins.