Inconnu
(Stenodus leucichthys)
(Stenodus leucichthys)
(Guldenstadt, 1772); SALMONIDAE FAMILY; also called sheefish, connie (or conny) Eskimo tarpon. Inconnu is a French name meaning “unknown.”
This member of the salmon family is found in of Alaska from the Kuskokwim River (Bering Sea drainage) north, throughout the Yukon River into Canada as well as the MacKenzie River and Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes in Canada's Northwest Territories as far as the Anderson River near Cape Bathurst, and in isolated areas of extreme northern British Columbia. On the Asian side, it occurs westward as far as the White Sea, and an isolated population inhabits the Caspian Sea. In coastal areas this species is anadromous, but in many inland lakes it has become strictly a freshwater fish.
The inconnu belongs to the salmon subfamily Coregoninae, which includes the whitefishes and ciscoes. Its general body shape is very similar to that of char or whitefish, but the head is relatively long, pointed, and depressed on the top. Its mouth is large, and the lower jaw clearly projects outward beyond the upper jaw. The maxillary, or upper jaw bone, extends back at least as far as the middle of the eye. Its small, fine teeth are found on the anterior part of the lower jaw, on the tongue, the premaxillaries, the head of the maxillaries (upper jaw bones), the vomer, and on the palatines (bones of the roof of the mouth). The tail is distinctly forked.
The only predatory member of the whitefish group in Northern America, it is highly favored as a sport fish. Its silvery coloring and tendency to leap high out of the water when hooked have earned it the name “Eskimo tarpon” As a food fish opinion is mixed. It is certainly edible, but the somewhat oily flesh tastes best when smoked
This member of the salmon family is found in of Alaska from the Kuskokwim River (Bering Sea drainage) north, throughout the Yukon River into Canada as well as the MacKenzie River and Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes in Canada's Northwest Territories as far as the Anderson River near Cape Bathurst, and in isolated areas of extreme northern British Columbia. On the Asian side, it occurs westward as far as the White Sea, and an isolated population inhabits the Caspian Sea. In coastal areas this species is anadromous, but in many inland lakes it has become strictly a freshwater fish.
The inconnu belongs to the salmon subfamily Coregoninae, which includes the whitefishes and ciscoes. Its general body shape is very similar to that of char or whitefish, but the head is relatively long, pointed, and depressed on the top. Its mouth is large, and the lower jaw clearly projects outward beyond the upper jaw. The maxillary, or upper jaw bone, extends back at least as far as the middle of the eye. Its small, fine teeth are found on the anterior part of the lower jaw, on the tongue, the premaxillaries, the head of the maxillaries (upper jaw bones), the vomer, and on the palatines (bones of the roof of the mouth). The tail is distinctly forked.
The only predatory member of the whitefish group in Northern America, it is highly favored as a sport fish. Its silvery coloring and tendency to leap high out of the water when hooked have earned it the name “Eskimo tarpon” As a food fish opinion is mixed. It is certainly edible, but the somewhat oily flesh tastes best when smoked