Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis)

Scientific name: Coregonus autumnalis Pallas, 1776

Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis)

The Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) is a freshwater fish of the family Salmonidae.

Biology

Occurs in brackish waters (20-22 ppt) of coastal lagoons and mouths of rivers and bays. Mostly in larger lowland rivers. Nerito-pelagic. Feeds on small crustaceans, insects, small fishes, worms and clams. At sea, feeds on larger crustaceans and small fish. No feeding occurs during the upstream migration. Lives 10 -12 years, rarely up to 20. Enters rivers in shoals to spawn. Spends 6-8 years at sea before maturing and returning to rivers in June - July, to spawn in September - October of same year. A second run in autumn; those fishes remain a year in rivers before spawning. Moves far upstream, sometimes our to 1500 km. Spawns in shallow tributaries with some current in well oxygenated water over gravel bottom. Individual females do not spawn

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Coregonus autumnalis
Family
Salmonidae (Salmonids)
Order
Salmoniformes (Salmons)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
65.0
Common length
47.0
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; anadromous
Climate
Polar
Distribution
Europe: All drainages (except Ob and Baikal) of Arctic Ocean in Eurasia from Mezen eastward; America from Cape Barrow to Coronation Bay. Introduced in many localities of former USSR, but not established.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=6; Fec=2,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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