Humpback whitefish (Coregonus pidschian)

Scientific name: Coregonus pidschian Gmelin, 1789

The Humpback whitefish (Coregonus pidschian) is a freshwater fish of the family Salmonidae.

Biology

Inhabits coastal waters near shore, lower reaches of rivers with slow current, large lakes with tributaries, floodplain lakes, deltas and estuaries, brackish waters. Migrates up to more than 1,200 km inland for spawning. Overwinters near river mouths. There are non-migratory freshwater populations. Adults feed mostly on mollusks, crustaceans and chironomid larvae.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Coregonus pidschian
Family: Salmonidae (Salmonids)
Order: Salmoniformes (Salmons)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 50.0
Common length: 32.8
Environment: Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous
Climate: Polar
Distribution: Arctic: Sweden and Finland to the extreme northeast of Siberia, in the western portion of the Bering Sea basin, and partly in the basin of the Sea of Okhotsk. In Alaska in the tributaries of the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering seas. Additional populations in Poland and in the Alps. Appendix III of the Bern Convention (protected fauna). Belongs to Coregonus clupeaformis complex.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026