Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) is a freshwater species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of ≥ 30 m.
Scientific name: Thymallus arcticus · Water: Freshwater
Size: up to 76 cm
The Arctic grayling is a benthopelagic salmonid whose adults inhabit the open water of clear, cold, medium to large rivers and lakes, and it is recorded from 30 m downwards, with no maximum depth recorded for it. They enter rocky creeks to spawn, and they occur in piedmont and montane cold streams, rivers and lakes with high oxygen concentrations, forming schools in moderate numbers. The young feed on zooplankton with a gradual shift to immature insects, while adults feed mainly on surface insects but also take fishes, fish eggs, lemmings and planktonic crustaceans. Its range is North America, widespread in Arctic drainages from Hudson Bay to Alaska and in Arctic and Pacific drainages to central Alberta and British Columbia, and the upper Missouri River drainage in Montana. Maximum length is about 76 cm total length, commonly about 34.3 cm, and it can live 18 years, maturing at about 24.5 cm. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, with a very high price category. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 51 of 100 and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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