The Bering cisco or Lauretta whitefish (Coregonus laurettae) is a freshwater whitefish

Freshwater whitefish

The freshwater whitefish are fish of the subfamily Coregoninae in the salmon family Salmonidae. Along with the freshwater whitefish, the Salmonidae includes the freshwater and anadromous trout and salmon species as well as graylings...

 found in Alaska and part of Russia. It is often considered to be the same species as the more common Arctic cisco

Arctic Cisco

Arctic cisco is an anadromous species of freshwater whitefish that inhabits the Arctic parts of Siberia, Alaska and Canada. It also has a close freshwater relative in several lakes of Ireland, known as the pollan, alternatively regarded as conspecific with it, or as a distinct species...

 (Coregonus autumnalis).

Description

The Bering cisco has an elongate, compressed body. It is silvery-coloured, with a brownish or greenish back. Its pelvic and pectoral fins are almost clear, and its other fins are spotted white. It is distinguished from the Arctic cisco by its smaller number of gill rakers. It reaches a maximum length of 48 centimetres (18.9 in).

Distribution

The Bering cisco is found in Alaska from Cook Inlet

Cook Inlet

Cook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage....

 on the south coast to Oliktok Point on the Arctic coast. It occurs on the Yukon River

Yukon River

The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...

 as far upstream as Dawson City, on the Porcupine River

Porcupine River

The Porcupine River is a river that runs through Alaska and the Yukon. Having its source in the Ogilvie Mountains north of Dawson City, Yukon, it flows north, veers to the southwest, goes through the community of Old Crow, Yukon, flowing into the Yukon River at Fort Yukon, Alaska...

, and in the lakes of the Brooks Range

Brooks Range

The Brooks Range is a mountain range in far northern North America. It stretches from west to east across northern Alaska and into Canada's Yukon Territory, a total distance of about 1100 km . The mountains top out at over 2,700 m . The range is believed to be approximately 126 million years old...

. There are some reports of Bering ciscoes from the Chukchi Peninsula

Chukchi Peninsula

The Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotka Peninsula or Chukotski Peninsula , at about 66° N 172° W, is the northeastern extremity of Asia. Its eastern end is at Cape Dezhnev near the village of Uelen. It is bordered by the Chukchi Sea to the north, the Bering Sea to the south, and the Bering Strait to the...

 and the Kamchatka Peninsula

Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...

, these presumably being migrants from Alaska.

Ecology

The Bering cisco is usually found in river mouths, brackish lagoons, and coastal waters, but may penetrate far upstream. Most populations are anadromous, migrating as far as 2100 kilometres (1,304.9 mi) inland to spawn during the late summer. In most of its range, the Bering cisco is abundant. Its habitats are mostly remote and pristine, and it has no known threats. In rivers, it may be the most abundant migratory fish. In estuaries, the Bering cisco is an important "cornerstone species", serving as an important source of food for larger animals. The Bering cisco is taken commercially, and sold as "white trout". In New York, smoked Bering ciscoes are popular, and are esteemed for their creamy flesh. They are sold instead of the usual holiday food of Great Lakes whitefishes. Subsistence fishermen also take the Bering cisco in small numbers, as do commercial fishermen fishing for salmon during its migration.

The Bering cisco feeds on amphipods and other invertebrates and small fish such as sculpin

Sculpin

A Sculpin is a fish that belongs to the order Scorpaeniformes, suborder Cottoidei and superfamily Cottoidea, that contains 11 families, 149 genera, and 756 species...

s. It migrates to clear and shallow streams in the late summer, not feeding during migration. Not eating during migration is typical among salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

, but rare in whitefishes. Spawning occurs in clear, cool streams with 1 to 3 inch gravel. A year after hatching, young ciscoes drift downstream to estuaries. The Bering cisco becomes sexually mature when it is four to nine years old.