Arctic cisco (''Coregonus autumnalis''), also known as omul russian: Омуль, is an

anadromous Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...

species of

freshwater whitefish The freshwater whitefish are fishes of the subfamily Coregoninae, which contains whitefishes (both freshwater and anadromous) and ciscoes, and is one of three subfamilies in the salmon family Salmonidae. Apart from the subfamily Coregoninae, th ...

that inhabits the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

parts of

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It has a close freshwater relative in several lakes of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, known as the pollan, alternatively regarded as

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

with it, or as a distinct species.

Taxonomy

The freshwater

omul The omul, ''Coregonus migratorius'', also known as Baikal omul (russian: байкальский омуль), is a whitefish species of the salmon family endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. It is considered a delicacy and is the object o ...

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

, formerly considered a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

''Coregonus autumnalis migratorius'' of the Arctic cisco, has no close genetic relationship to it and is now classified as a separate species, '' Coregonus migratorius''.

Description

The Arctic cisco have a relatively small head with a non-prominent snout. They have metallic silver body, a brown or dark green back, and nearly colorless fins. They have neither spots nor teeth on their jaws. They do have a patch of teeth on their tongue. They can reach 50 cm (20 in) in length and can weight up to 2 kg (4.4 lbs), but are usually less than 40 cm (16 in) in length and 1 kg (2.2 lbs) in weight.

Distribution and habitat

Arctic cisco can be found in the

Beaufort Sea The Beaufort Sea (; french: Mer de Beaufort, Iñupiaq: ''Taġiuq'') is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, and west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after Sir Fr ...

, Colville River delta, and freshwater drainages east of the

Sagavanirktok River The Sagavanirktok River or Sag River ( Iñupiaq: ''Saġvaaniqtuuq'') is a stream in the North Slope Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is about long and originates on the north slope of the Brooks Range, flowing north to the Beaufort Sea ne ...

. They can be found in several drainages in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

and Siberia, such as the

Chaun River The Chaun (russian: Чаун) is a stream in Far East Siberia. It flows roughly northwards, passing through the sparsely populated areas of the Siberian tundra. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . Course The Chaun originates in rivers flowi ...

, and are not often found east of

Point Barrow Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska, northeast of Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow). It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States, at , south of the North Pole. (The nor ...

Food chain

Diet

The Arctic cisco preys upon plankton, crustaceans, and small fishes.

Predators

Predators of the Arctic cisco include marine mammals, seabirds, and large fishes such as the

Dolly Varden trout The Dolly Varden trout (''Salvelinus malma'') is a species of salmonid fish native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. It belongs to the genus '' Salvelinus'', or true chars, which includes 51 recognized ...

and

burbot The burbot (''Lota lota'') is the only gadiform (cod-like) freshwater fish Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. These environments di ...

Behaviors

Reproduction

Arctic cisco are able to spawn at 8 or 9 years of age. Females may only be able to spawn two or three times in their life, and do not necessarily produce eggs every year. The Arctic cisco reproduce in September. They do not reproduce in Alaskan waters, but do reproduce in Mackenzie River. Females have up to 90,000 eggs.

Migration

Young Arctic cisco migrate along the Beaufort Sea coast. They are then aided by winds to the Colville River delta, where they are over 160 km (100 mi) from where they spawned. They return to the Mackenzie River to spawn. They do not feed while migrating upward.

Life history

Arctic cisco can live to be 13 years old or more.

Conservation

Little is known of the abundance of the Arctic cisco in Alaska.

Threats

The largest threats to the Arctic cisco appear to be climate change and oil and gas development.

References

Coregonus Freshwater fish of the Arctic Freshwater fish of Europe Freshwater fish of the United States Fish of Canada Fish described in 1776 {{Salmoniformes-stub