Untitled - Alaska Resources Library

Mallotus villosus (Müller, 1776). Candlefish, Capelin, or Grunion. To 25.2 cm (10.1 in) TL (Hart 1973).
Circumglobal, boreal to arctic; Korea, Japan, and Sea of Okhotsk to Beaufort Sea and across Canadian
Arctic to western Atlantic as far south as Cape Cod (citations in Mecklenburg et al. 2002) and to Strait
of Juan de Fuca (Clemens and Wilby 1946). Pelagic, in coastal areas and offshore banks, from surface to
200 m (660 ft) (min.: Clemens and Wilby 1946; max.: Andriashev 1954); although reported to 725 m
(2,393 ft), the fish were probably caught much nearer the surface (Allen and Smith 1988). Mallotus
catervarius (Pennant, 1784) is a junior synonym.
Osmerus mordax (Mitchill, 1814). Arctic Smelt, Rainbow Smelt, or Toothed Smelt. To 35.6 cm (14.0 in) TL
(Scott and Scott 1988). North Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific; North Korea, Japan, and Sea of Okhotsk to
Beaufort Sea and across Canadian Arctic to western Atlantic as far south as Pennsylvania and to Heceta
Head, Oregon (Mecklenburg et al. 2002). Near coast, surface to 150 m (495 ft), occasionally deeper but
deep records probably due to fish entering nets nearer the surface than at the maximum depth of the
tow (Allen and Smith 1988). Anadromous.
Spirinchus starksi (Fisk, 1913). Night Smelt. To 23 cm (9 in) TL (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983). Shelikof
Bay, southeastern Gulf of Alaska (McAllister 1963, Mecklenburg et al. 2002) to Point Arguello, central
California (Miller and Lea 1972). Surf zone and deeper, surface to 128 m (422 ft; Coad 1995).
Spirinchus thaleichthys (Ayres, 1860). Longfin Smelt. To 20 cm (8 in) TL (Morrow 1980). Shelikof Strait,
western Gulf of Alaska (Mecklenburg et al. 2002) to Monterey Bay, central California (Eschmeyer and
Herald 1983). Along coast, including surf zone (Miller et al. 1980), from surface to about 137 m (452 ft;
Mecklenburg et al. 2002). Anadromous.
Thaleichthys pacificus (Richardson, 1836). Candlefish, Eulachon, or Hooligan. To 25.4 cm (10.0 in) TL
(Miller and Lea 1972). Eastern Bering Sea from west of St. Matthew Island and off Kuskokwim Bay
and Nushagak River, and Bowers Bank, central Aleutian Islands to Point Conception, central California
(Mecklenburg et al. 2002). Near coast, surface to about 300 m (990 ft) and occasionally deeper (Allen
and Smith 1988). Records of much greater depths, such as 625 m (2,050 ft; Allen and Smith 1988) and
533 m (1,748 ft; Hoff and Britt 2003), probably pertain to fish that entered nets near the surface, not
near maximum fishing depths. Anadromous.
Family Salmonidae — Trouts and Salmons
Various alternatives for salmonid classification are in use, such as classifying the Pacific trouts in genus
Parasalmo as preferred by some Russian taxonomists. The various proposals were summarized and
referenced by Mecklenburg et al. (2002:178–179, 192–193, and individual species accounts). Many of the
West Coast trouts and salmons have been introduced elsewhere, including the East Coast and Europe.
Only their native ranges are given here. At sea, trouts and salmons typically frequent epipelagic depths.
Coregonus autumnalis (Pallas, 1776). Arctic Cisco. To 64 cm (25 in) TL (Berg 1948). Arctic coasts from
Siberia west to White Sea; Point Barrow, Alaska to Murchison River, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Close to shore in estuaries. Anadromous and landlocked populations. All in Mecklenburg et al. (2002).
Coregonus laurettae Bean, 1881. Bering Cisco. To 48 cm (18.9 in) FL (Alt 1973). Chukchi Peninsula, eastern
Siberia to Alaska; Oliktok Point, Beaufort Sea, Alaska to Kenai Peninsula, northern Gulf of Alaska.
Primarily freshwater and coastal marine habitats, some populations anadromous. All in Mecklenburg
et al. (2002).
Coregonus nasus (Pallas, 1776). Broad Whitefish. To 71 cm (28 in) TL (Page and Burr 1991). Arctic coasts
from Siberia to Perry River, Nunavut, eastern Canada; Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering drainages of
Alaska south to Kuskokwim Bay. Primarily in fresh water, not venturing far seaward in brackish water.
All in Mecklenburg et al. (2002).
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