Vendave (coregonus Albula) And Freshwater Flouting (coregonus Lavaretus Maraena)
The vendace has a relatively short life, usually reaching an age of only five years. It lives in large shoals in lakes and matures sexually in the second or third year of its existence. Its main source of food is plankton. Two subspecies are known, one of which inhabits the watershed of Lake Oncga and the other the upper reaches of the Volga. It breeds in November and December and deposits its spawn on the gravelly river bottom at a depth of 2 to 10 metres.
This fish is found in great numbers in the northern lakes around the watershed of the Baltic Sea, whilst in some areas it is also artificially introduced into large reservoirs. It also occurs in a few natural lakes in the Lake District, Scotland and Ireland (where it is known as pollan).
The freshwater houting is a large fish, which in Europe measures up to 130 cm in length and weighs up to 10 kg. It has a dark green back, silvery white sides and belly, and a short snout. It originally came from Lake Madu in Pomerania. As early as 1882 it was introduced into some ponds and since then, it has become an important breeding fish in some areas. It is a deep-water species, which only swims to shallow waters in November, which is its spawning time. It generally lives on plankton but large specimens also catch insects and small fish. A form of C. lavarelus occurs in the English Lake District (where it is known as the skelly or schelly), others such as the gwyniad and powan occur in North Wales and south-west Scotland. These fishes never grow to a great size.
Similar whitefishes, also knOwn as ciscoes, are found in North American high altitude lakes.
Coregonus albula Maximum size and weight:
30 cm, 300 g.
Identifying characteristics:
Relatively slender body, lower jaw longer than
upper jaw, mouth in superior position. Caudal fin deeply curved.
Coregonus lavaretus maraena
Maximum size
and weight:
130 cm, 10 kg.
Identifying characteristics:
Back dark green, sides and belly silvery white. Snout short and rounded, mouth in inferior position
