Hucho taimen

This article is about the species of fish. For the folding kayak, see taimen (kayak).

Taimen
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Salmoniformes
Family:	Salmonidae
Genus:	Hucho
Species:	H. taimen
Binomial name
Hucho taimen Pallas, 1773

The taimen (Hucho taimen), also known as Siberian taimen and Siberian salmon, is a species of fish in the salmon family (family Salmonidae) of order Salmoniformes.

Habits and range

The taimen is distributed from the Volga and Pechora River basins east to the Yana River in the north to the Amur River in the south. On a larger scale, this includes parts of the Caspian and Arctic drainages in Eurasia and portions of the Pacific drainage in Mongolia and Russia (the Amur River). In Mongolia, the taimen is found in both the Arctic and Pacific drainages, specifically the Yenisei/Selenga, the Lena, and the Amur River Basins. The taimen lives in flowing water and is only occasionally found in lakes, usually near the mouth of a tributary. The taimen is not anadromous, but does show increased movement rates during the spawning season. The average home range size of taimen in the E.g.-Uur River of Mongolia is 23 km, but some tagged individuals show home ranges up to 93 km. Some authors consider the taimen to be a subspecies of the huchen, i.e. Hucho hucho taimen.

Description

Coloration varies geographically, but is generally olive green on the head blending to reddish brown in the tail. Adipose, anal, and caudal fins are often dark red. The belly ranges from nearly white to dark gray. The taimen is one of the largest salmonids in the world. Most mature fish caught weigh from 15 to 30 kg (33 to 66 lb). The average length is from 70 to 120 cm (28 to 47 in). The maximum size is not assured, but supposedly a fish caught in the Kotui River in Russia in 1943 with a length of 210 cm (83 in) and a weight of 105 kg (231 lb) is the largest size recorded. The maximum length is about 150 to 180 cm (59 to 71 in). The IGFA world record is 92.5 lb or 41.95 kg with a length of 156 cm. It can reach at least 55 years of age.

Diet

Adult taimen are mainly piscivores, though they frequently eat terrestrial prey such as rodents and birds.

Angling and commercial use

Fly fishing
targets
bluefish
brook trout
crappie
hucho taimen
largemouth bass
northern pike
peacock bass
shoal bass
smallmouth bass
more fly fish...
other sport fish...
fishing
I N D E X

The taimen is becoming a more well-known game fish, particularly for fly fishermen. Catch-and-release with barbless hooks is practiced in many areas to conserve dwindling populations of this species. Organizations such as the Taimen Conservation Fund are working to conserve the remaining populations. While the taimen is sometimes (often illegally) harvested commercially, its low price and slow growth and reproduction make it more valuable as a game fish.

Folklore

• Mongolian legend tells of a giant taimen trapped in river ice. Starving herders were able to survive the winter by hacking off pieces of its flesh. In the spring, the ice melted and the giant taimen climbed onto the land, tracked down the herders, and ate them all.
• According to Chinese folklore, a type of giant taimen lives in Kanas Lake in China. Villagers near Kanasi claim to have found fish weighing over 4 tonnes.
• National Geographic called the taimen the "Mongolian Terror Trout".

Further reading

• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2005). "Hucho taimen" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.
• Holcik, J., Hensel, K., Nieslanik, J., and L. Skacel. 1988. The Eurasion Huchen, Hucho hucho: largest salmon of the world. Dr. W. Junk Publishers (Kluwer), Dordrecht, Netherlands
• Taimen Research [1]
• From Madison to Mongolia: The crusade for a giant fish