How do whitefish filter tiny organisms from lake water?

Whitefish species (genus Coregonus) that inhabit lakes in the Northern Hemisphere filter tiny organisms from the water by using their gill rakers.1

These gill rakers are minute, bony elements attached to the gill arches that form a fine mesh. As the fish cruises through open water, this mesh strains out minute organisms from the water passing over the gills. This feeding mechanism is similar to that of herrings in the ocean, which is why these whitefish are often referred to as freshwater herrings.1