Fatty Acid Content of Four Salmonid Fish Consumed by Indigenous Peoples from the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Northwestern Siberia, Russia)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Fish is an important source of nutritious fatty acids, which are necessary for the prevention of cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Many fish species are a major component of the human diet, especially for indigenous peoples from Siberia, Russia, but information about their fatty acid profiles is scarce. We studied the fatty acid content of four salmonid fish (Arctic cisco, least cisco, muksun, and Arctic charr) inhabiting water bodies of the Gydan Peninsula, Kara Sea basin. We found a high content of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in local salmonid fishes. Arctic charr was the fish species with the highest concentration of fatty acids in the flesh. The results of our multivariate analysis may be useful for anglers, stakeholders, and local consumers. ABSTRACT: We assayed fatty acids in the flesh of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis (adult and juvenile), least cisco Coregonus sardinella, muksun Coregonus muksun, and Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus inhabiting water bodies of the Gydan Peninsula, Siberia, Russia. The highest concentrations of total and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were found in Arctic charr (27.8 and 9.5 mg g(−1)) and adult Arctic cisco (20.2 and 7.6 mg g(−1)), while the lowest concentrations occurred in juvenile Arctic cisco (7.5 and 3.6 mg g(−1)). Multivariate analyses divided all studied fish into five distinct groups with the highest similarity between least cisco and muksun and the highest dissimilarity between juvenile Arctic cisco and Arctic charr. Coregonid fish from the study area had a higher content of docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids than their conspecifics from subarctic and temperate habitats. The flesh of the studied fish is a source of a healthy diet for humans. Taking into account that all the studied fish are components of the traditional diet of indigenous peoples in northwestern Siberia, our data may be useful not only for local consumers and anglers but also for stakeholders focused on food policy and food security in the area.