Bering cisco spend more time in saline waters than other whitefish, feeding around river mouths/estuaries and brackish lagoons, although they do survive longer periods in salt water. In North America, Bering cisco are most commonly encountered in coastal margins of the Beaufort, Bering and Chukchi seas in Alaska. Bering cisco prefer water that's not too salty.

The Bering cisco is a silver coloured whitefish with moderately sized scales. It is a coregonid, meaning a soft-finned fish comprising the freshwater whitefishes, and is often difficult to distinguish from other types. Those found in the Yukon River average about 34 centimetres (males) to 38 cm (females) in length. Not to be confused with other species of cisco, the Bering cisco has almost no colour on its pelvic and pectoral fins and has between 18 and 25 gill rakers-bony projections that stop food from escaping its gills. Bering ciscoes reach sexual maturity between four and nine years of age.