Nelma

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Stenodus nelma
Nelma fish.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Genus: Stenodus
Species:
S. nelma
Binomial name
Stenodus nelma
(Pallas, 1773) [1]
Synonyms
  • Salmo nelmaPallas, 1773
  • Stenodus leucichthys nelma(Pallas, 1773)
  • Salmo mackenziiRichardson, 1823
  • Stenodus leucichthys mackenzii(Richardson, 1823)
  • Stenodus mackenzii(Richardson, 1823)
  • Leucichthys nelma(Pallas, 1773)

Stenodus nelma, known alternatively as the nelma, sheefish, siifish, inconnu or connie, is a commercial species of freshwater whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is widespread in the Arctic rivers from the Kola Peninsula (White Sea basin) eastward across Siberia to the Anadyr River and also in the North American basins of the Yukon River and Mackenzie River. [2] [1] [3] [4]

Contents

Appearance and lifestyle

Stenodus nelma is an anadromous fish, up to 150 centimetres (59 in) in length. [4] The fish has a large mouth with a protruding lower jaw and a high and pointed dorsal fin. It is generally silver in color with a green, blue or brown back. The meat is white, flaky and somewhat oily. An adult fish weighs up to 27 kilograms (60 lb). [5]

The fish eat plankton for their first year of life and then become predators of smaller fish. They live in lakes and rivers and in the brackish water at the outlets of rivers into the ocean. They may migrate more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) to their upriver spawning grounds, but some populations spend their entire life in fresh water and do not migrate. [5]

Systematics

Stenodus nelma has previously been considered a subspecies of Stenodus leucichthys (S. leucichthys nelma). The typical Stenodus leucichthys (beloribitsa) is a landlocked Eurasian species restricted to the Caspian Sea basin, and now extinct in the wild. [6] [7]

Relationship with people

Inupiat fishing for sheefish at Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Inuit fishing for sheefish at Selawik NWR.jpg
Iñupiat fishing for sheefish at Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Stenodus nelma is a historically important subsistence food for Native Alaskans in the Yukon and Mackenzie River basins. [8]

It is prized by sport fishers who sometimes refer to it as "Tarpon of the Tundra" due to its leaping and fighting abilities matching that of the tropical Tarpon. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2008). "Stenodus nelma". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008: e.T135545A4141935. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T135545A4141935.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Kottelat, M.; Freyhof, J. (2007). Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes. ISBN   978-2-8399-0298-4.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Stenodus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Stenodus nelma". FishBase . February 2013 version.
  5. 1 2 Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "Sheefish Species Profile". www.adfg.alaska.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  6. ↑ Belyaeva, E. S. "Stenodus leucichthys leucichthys". caspianenvironment.org. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03.
  7. ↑ Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2008). "Stenodus leucichthys". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008: e.T20745A9229071. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T20745A9229071.en .
  8. ↑ Kuhnlein, H.V. (2017). "Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of North America". Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE). McGill University . Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ Fraley, Kevin; Fraley, Heather. "Tarpon of the Tundra". theflyfishjournal.com. The Fly Fishing Journal . Retrieved 6 September 2025.


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