In Mongolia, the taimen is found in both the Arctic and Pacific drainages, specifically the Yenisei/Selenga, the Lena, and the Amur River Basins.

Coloration varies geographically, but is generally olive green on the head blending to reddish brown in the tail.

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.

The taimen has been assessed as vulnerable and in decline by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

[1] Threats to the taimen include land-use change, such as the establishment of sand and gravel industries in Mongolia and in Heilongjiang Province, China, industrial water pollution in Europe, commercial fishing in the Amur River region of Russia and China, legal and illegal sport fishing throughout its range and the impacts of climate change.