[2] The shortjaw cisco has large, smooth scales and is iridescent silver, with a greenish back and white belly.

It typically weighs approximately 300 g (11 oz), and ranges from 150 to greater than 300 mm (6 to 12 inches) standard length.

[3]: 13  The population in Lake Superior is known to be lower than historic levels, based on commercial catch statistics.

Shortjaw cisco are believed to be vulnerable to the invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus,) which has presumably played a role in its decline in the Great Lakes, where expansion in the range of sea lamprey has overlapped the decline in shortjaw cisco numbers.

Competition and predation from rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), two introduced exotic fish species, have had a negative impact on shortjaw cisco populations.

The cumulative effect of these factors, sea lamprey predation and habitat changes associated with urban, agricultural, and industrial activities in the Great Lakes Basin undoubtedly combined to make this species vulnerable to over-exploitation, even at exploitation rates that had once been sustainable.

Genetic data show that the shortjaw cisco is not a unique and coherent taxon, but has evolved from the sympatric Coregonus artedi s.str.