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Coregonus lavaretus (Linnaeus, 1758)

European whitefish
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Image of Coregonus lavaretus (European whitefish)
Coregonus lavaretus
Picture by Østergaard, T.


Denmark country information

Common names: Helt
Occurrence: introduced
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: fairly common (chances are about 50%) | Ref: Østergaard, T.A.S., 2000
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: protected | Ref:
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: Occurs in the watercourses of Gudenåen, Limfjorden and the fjords and watercourses of West Jutland (Ref. 9945). Minimum size limit in TL: 36 cm in general; 34 cm in Ringkøbing Fjord. Protected in the period: 1. Nov. - 31. Jan. (Ref. 10963). Also Ref. 556.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/da.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Kottelat, M. and J. Freyhof, 2007
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Salmoniformes (Salmons) > Salmonidae (Salmonids) > Coregoninae
Etymology: Coregonus: Greek, kore = pupils of the eye + Greek, gonia = angle (Ref. 45335).
  More on author: Linnaeus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; brackish; demersal; pH range: 7.0 - 7.5; dH range: 20 - ?; anadromous (Ref. 51243).   Temperate; 4°C - 16°C (Ref. 2059); 78°N - 41°N, 6°W - 85°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Europe: Native to Lake Bourget (France) and Geneva (Switzerland, France). Population of Lake Aiguebelette (France) apparently introduced, but a 'lavaret' had already been recorded from there in the 17th century (Ref. 59043). Other authors assume it to be a superspecies occurring in Great Britain and Alpine areas of Central Europe. Has been stocked into many other places in Europe outside its native range. There are many parallel and wrong scientific names for this species in use because of the problems in classifying the genus Coregonus (Ref. 7495). Asia: introduced to Iran (Ref. 39702).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 27.1, range 40 - ? cm
Max length : 73.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); max. published weight: 10.0 kg (Ref. 35388)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 3 - 5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 12; Anal spines: 3 - 5; Anal soft rays: 10 - 13. Mouth small with protruding upper jaw. Silvery body (Ref. 35388). Caudal fin with 19 soft rays (Ref. 40476).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Gregarious lacustrine forms (Ref. 2163) and anadromous estuarine forms, rarely in full saltwater. Feeds on planktonic crustaceans, or larger benthic crustaceans in brackish water. Movement in water column as a function of zooplankton repartition (Ref. 2163). Spawns in gravel, near shore, in shallow water, in December (Ref. 59043). Likely to benefit from environmental regulations in France passed on 8/12/88 (Ref. 2163).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Spawning takes place at night.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Wheeler, A., 1992. A list of the common and scientific names of fishes of the British Isles. J. Fish Biol. 41(suppl.A):1-37. (Ref. 5204)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerable (VU) (D2); Date assessed: 01 January 2008

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO(Aquaculture systems: production; Fisheries: production; publication : search) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
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Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Population dynamics
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Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
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Abundances
Life cycle
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Maturities
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Spawnings
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Egg(s)
Egg developments
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Anatomy
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Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
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Swimming type
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Visual pigment(s)
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Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 5.8 - 12.5, mean 9.5 (based on 528 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00447 (0.00377 - 0.00529), b=3.20 (3.16 - 3.24), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.1   ±0.0 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.3-0.7; tmax=8; Fecundity=3,800 - 169,800).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (51 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  High to very high vulnerability (72 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   High.