The Alaska whitefish is part of the Coregonus clupeaformis complex (lake whitefishes).
Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Alaska whitefish (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
Alaska Whitefish
Coregonus nelsonii
Salmonidae · freshwater water fish
1 minute read · Species guide
About Alaska Whitefish
The Alaska whitefish (Coregonus nelsonii) is a species of whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is found in parts of northwestern North America, where it occurs only in small and large rivers, and rarely in lakes. The maximum length recorded for this species is 56.0 cm (22.0 in).
Range
Where it lives
0%
100%of mapped records
Share of records by state
Habitat
Water and movement
- Water
- WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
- Migration
- Migratory
- Pattern
- Potamodromous — migrates within fresh water
Classification
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Superclass
- Actinopterygii
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Salmoniformes
- Family
- Salmonidae
- Genus
- Coregonus
- Species
- Coregonus nelsonii
- ITIS TSN
- 201899
- WoRMS AphiaID
- 567526
- GBIF key
- 2351189
- Outside the US
- ITIS also files it in Canada.
Common questions about Alaska Whitefish
What is the scientific name of Alaska Whitefish?
The scientific name is Coregonus nelsonii, in the family Salmonidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Alaska Whitefish live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Alaska Whitefish been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 1 states, with the most records in Alaska. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.
Closest relatives
Other Coregonus species
Arctic Cisco1 states
Coregonus autumnalisSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Bering Cisco1 states
Coregonus laurettaeSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Blackfin Cisco6 states
Coregonus nigripinnisSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Bloater6 states
Coregonus hoyiSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Broad Whitefish1 states
Coregonus nasusSalmonidaeNativeFreshBrackish
Cisco11 states
Coregonus artediSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Deepwater Cisco3 states
Coregonus johannaeSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Humpback Whitefish2 states
Coregonus pidschianSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Kiyi5 states
Coregonus kiyiSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Lake Whitefish15 states
Coregonus clupeaformisSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshBrackish
Least Cisco1 states
Coregonus sardinellaSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Shortjaw Cisco5 states
Coregonus zenithicusSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Shortnose Cisco4 states
Coregonus reighardiSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Same family
More Salmonidae
Apache Trout5 states
Oncorhynchus apacheSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Arctic Char8 states
Salvelinus alpinusSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Arctic Cisco1 states
Coregonus autumnalisSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Arctic Grayling16 states
Thymallus arcticusSalmonidaeNative and introducedFresh
Atlantic Salmon26 states
Salmo salarSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Bear Lake Whitefish2 states
Prosopium abyssicolaSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Bering Cisco1 states
Coregonus laurettaeSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Blackfin Cisco6 states
Coregonus nigripinnisSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Bloater6 states
Coregonus hoyiSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Bonneville Cisco2 states
Prosopium gemmiferSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Bonneville Whitefish2 states
Prosopium spilonotusSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Broad Whitefish1 states
Coregonus nasusSalmonidaeNativeFreshBrackish
Brook Trout40 states
Salvelinus fontinalisSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Brown Trout41 states
Salmo truttaSalmonidaeIntroducedFreshSaltBrackish
Bull Trout8 states
Salvelinus confluentusSalmonidaeNativeFreshBrackish
Chinook Salmon18 states
Oncorhynchus tshawytschaSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Chum Salmon5 states
Oncorhynchus ketaSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Cisco11 states
Coregonus artediSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Coho Salmon22 states
Oncorhynchus kisutchSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Cutthroat Trout18 states
Oncorhynchus clarkiiSalmonidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Deepwater Cisco3 states
Coregonus johannaeSalmonidaeNativeFresh
Dolly Varden9 states
Salvelinus malmaSalmonidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Gila Trout2 states
Oncorhynchus gilaeSalmonidaeNative and introducedFresh
Golden Trout8 states
Oncorhynchus aguabonitaSalmonidaeNativeFresh