The Peace/Williston Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (PWFWCP)

Grayling Key (Family Thymallinae)

The grayling, a subfamily of salmonid fishes, are widely distributed in the cool waters of Europe, northern Asia, and North America. Although widely distributed, relative to the other two subfamilies of salmonids fishes, there are not many species of grayling. A single species, the Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus), ranges throughout much of northern North America and Siberia, while another species, the European grayling (T . thymallus), is widespread in Europe and extends into central Asia.

This species, Arctic grayling, is well known for having a long dorsal fin (more than 17 bony rays) and scattered black spots above the pectoral fin.