Home › Volumes › Fishes › The Whitefish, Salmon and Trout
Broad Whitefish; Muksun
Images coming soon.
This species, known also as Kennicott's whitefish, and the Delta whitefish, was described from Fort Good Hope, British America, in 1883. Since then it has been observed in the Meade, Kuahroo, Kuwuk and Yukon rivers of Alaska, and in Great Bear Lake. These localities indicate its known geographic range.
The broad whitefish is one of the largest species of the genus. It reaches a weight of 30 pounds, and as a food-fish is held in high esteem. It is said by Dr. Dall to be abundant in the Yukon in both winter and summer, and that it spawns in September when it enters the small tributary streams.
Nothing is known as to its game qualities or other habits.
Head 5 2/3; depth 4 2/3; eye 5 1/2; D. 11; A. 14; scale 10-87 to 90-10. Head small and very blunt; mouth inferior, the high blunt snout but little projecting; premaxillaries wide and vertically placed; maxillary reaching slightly beyond vertical at front of eye; preorbital narrow, its greatest width only 1/5 its length, or 1/3 diameter of eye; gillrakers 6 or 7+14, short and slender; tongue with a round patch of weak, bristle-like teeth, resembling those of the inconnu; adipose fin large, a wide strip at base covered with small scales. Colour, probably very dark in life; fins all blackish in spirits, with a bluish tinge.