Fish of Siberia: Arctic and River Species

Siberia's vast river systems (Ob, Yenisey, Lena, Kolyma) and Arctic coast host distinctive cold-water fauna:

Anadromous (Sea-Run)

• Sturgeon: Siberian (Acipenser baerii), Sterlet (A. ruthenus), Beluga (Huso huso — rare). Caviar/meat. CITES listed.
• Salmon: Chum (Oncorhynchus keta), Pink (O. gorbuscha), Siberian salmon (Salmo salar m. baicalensis — landlocked)
• Nelma (Stenodus nelma): "Siberian white salmon"; up to 1.5m, 40kg. Prized commercial/sport.

Freshwater Residents

• Taimen (Hucho taimen): World's largest salmonid (2m, 100kg). Apex predator. Vulnerable (IUCN). Catch-and-release sport fishery.
• Lenok (Brachymystax lenok): "Siberian trout"; two species (sharp/blunt snout)
• Muksun (Coregonus muksun): Coregonid; important commercial
• Peled (Coregonus peled): Introduced widely; fast-growing aquaculture species
• Broad Whitefish (Coregonus nasus): Arctic drainages; commercial
• Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus): Circumpolar; landlocked & anadromous forms
• Pike (Esox lucius), Perch (Perca fluviatilis), Burbot (Lota lota): Widespread

Conservation Pressures

• Overfishing (commercial + poaching)
• Hydroelectric dams blocking migration (e.g., Sayano-Shushenskaya)
• Industrial pollution (Norilsk, mining)
• Climate change: permafrost thaw, hydrology shifts

Indigenous peoples (Khanty, Mansi, Evenki, Yakuts) maintain subsistence fisheries co-managed with federal agencies.