Next Adventure Newsletter
Species Profile: Sheefish (Stenodus leucichthys)
Thank you for subscribing to my Next Adventure Newsletter. My goal for these newsletters is to introduce my readers to topics and perspectives related to outdoor pursuits. I’ll keep these letters short and readable.
In this edition, I’m introducing you to a fish species that isn’t well known: the sheefish. I profile this species below and explain why it's relevant today.
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Finding Sheefish
I didn’t know Sheefish existed until I started planning a trip to Ambler in 2021. Located 45 miles north of the Arctic Circle, this remote native village (population 258) is in the Northwest Arctic Borough of the Iñupiaq language-speaking region of Alaska. I chose this destination because I wanted to experience the remote Arctic, and it was the most remote place I was comfortable visiting with my 13 and 11-year-old children. The satellite imagery indicated there were houses, I discovered there was regularly scheduled flight service, and there’d likely be a place to stay with a hard roof (i.e., not a tent). Ambler is located south of the Brooks Range and slightly southwest of Gates of the Arctic National Park. After a short flight from Kotzebue on a turbine-powered Cessna Caravan, we arrived in Ambler with a bump on the gravel surface airstrip. While researching places to stay in town, I realized fishing for sheefish was a draw for the area. Intrigued, I read about this species I hadn’t heard about before and was thrilled to be checking out a new place.
The name sheefish comes from the Inupiat word “sii” pronounced “shee”. Sheefish are also known as Inconnu, a French word for unknown; this moniker was applied to the species when explorers first laid eyes on this fish.
A type of whitefish, they look similar to whitefish found in the lower 48 except for their extended lower jaw. They are silver in color with large scales. They are capable of reaching over 3’ in length and 50 pounds.
Holding a sheefish on the banks of the Kobuk River.
Location
Sheefish inhabit remote arctic and subarctic locations, predominantly in large rivers in North America and Asia. In Alaska, they inhabit river drainages that span the state's interior, including Kuskokwim, Yukon, Selawik, and Kobuk drainages. They are not considered strong swimmers, avoid rapids when migrating upriver, and are susceptible to disturbances that accelerate water flow.
Sheefish spawn multiple times in their lifetime. Spawning occurs in late summer, between September and October, after they’ve traveled upriver to feed. The spawning water temperature must be 40 or colder, and the eggs can take up to six months to hatch. According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, some sheefish migrate over 1,000 miles within a season. A broadcast spawner, sheefish eggs get lodged in gravel near side lakes where they remain protected. They then migrate back downriver to overwinter in brackish bays. Eating any available fish (including herring and juvenile sheefish), they typically live to 20-30 years, with males reaching sexual maturity at age six and females at age seven.
Sheefish are used by rural Alaskans for subsistence, especially where there isn't a salmon run. Their flesh can be smoked and dried, but the locals I enjoyed it with recommended battering and frying in oil, which was delicious.
Fished using spinning or fly rods (as well as ice fishing), most sheefish are caught using a spinning rod and spoons. On the Kobuk River, we used this technique and caught more fish than we could use. They are remarkable fighters, resembling tarpon in their abilities.
Today’s Relevance: The Ambler Road
Sheefish are sensitive to environmental changes, including naturally occurring ones, such as exceptionally high tides, since they are freshwater fish. Humans haven’t overfished them, and this is because they’re in hard-to-reach locations. These circumstances could change if a new contentious road is approved. Linking the Dalton Highway to the Ambler area, the 211-mile Ambler Road will intersect rivers and tributaries inhabited by sheefish, potentially leading to siltation and contamination from industrial road activities. This road would breach unspoiled roadless areas to facilitate commercial access to new mines.
Map courtesy of AK Dept. of Natural Resources
The Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has articulated the Ambler Road’s threat to the sheefish fishery and the Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve. Currently under review, a decision on the road’s construction is expected sometime in 2024. I encourage you to check out the links above and learn more about this project.
In case you missed it, I published a fishing article in the Northwoods Sporting Journal in August; check it out here.
Copyright (C) 2023 Jesse C. McEntee, PhD. All rights reserved.