Pollan (fish)

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Pollan
FMIB 46344 Pollan.jpeg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Genus: Coregonus
Species:
C. pollan
Binomial name
Coregonus pollan
Synonyms
  • Coregonus autumnalis pollan Thompson, 1835
  • Coregonus elegans Thompson, 1839
  • Coregonus altior Regan, 1908 [2]

The pollan [3] or Irish pollan [2] (Coregonus pollan [2] or Coregonus autumnalis [3] ) is a freshwater whitefish known only from five Irish lakes, Lough Neagh, Lower Lough Erne, Lough Ree, Lough Derg and Lough Allen. The pollan faces competition from introduced species such as pike, roach and zebra mussel, and the populations rely on restocking for survival.

Contents

Conservation status

The pollan populations are threatened by ecosystem changes such as eutrophication and increases in species, including pike, roach and zebra mussel. [4] Only the population of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland remains abundant and supports a small commercial fishery. The other Northern Irish population in Lough Erne has severely declined. [4] The Lough Allen population was only confirmed for the first time in 2006. [5] Other populations rely on stocking for their survival. [6]

Description

The Irish pollan and other members of the Coregonus genus are very like herrings in appearance but the presence of an adipose fin distinguishes them. The mouth is relatively small and the teeth are deciduous and very small. The scales are of moderate size, the dorsal fin is of moderate length and the tail fin deeply forked. The different species are difficult to tell apart unless the lake from which they originated is known. This species grows to an average length of 9 to 10 in (22.9 to 25.4 cm) and a weight of 6 ounces (170 g). [7]

Ecology

The Irish pollan is a shoaling species. The diet consists small crustaceans and insect larvae. Breeding takes place in November and December, with spawning taking place over hard ground in deep water. [7]

Classification

In scientific literature and national biodiversity and conservation assessments, the Irish pollan are usually classified within the species Coregonus autumnalis . That is a widespread anadromous whitefish which inhabits coastal waters and rivers of Arctic Siberia, Alaska, and Canada and is there known as the Arctic cisco or Siberian omul. [3] [5] [8] [9] C. autumnalis is not distributed elsewhere in northwestern Europe, and the pollan are often given a status of subspecies as Coregonus autumnalis pollan. [4] [10] These classifications are based on the close genetic similarity of the Arctic and Irish whitefish populations. [11] [12] [13] By IUCN and in the FishBase, the Irish pollan is, however, listed as a distinct fish species Coregonus pollan. [6] [2]

Unlike its Arctic relatives, the Irish pollan does not migrate to the sea. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Coregonus</i> Genus of fishes

Coregonus is a diverse genus of fish in the salmon family (Salmonidae). The Coregonus species are known as whitefishes. The genus contains at least 68 described extant taxa, but the true number of species is a matter of debate. The type species of the genus is Coregonus lavaretus.

<i>Coregonus lavaretus</i> Species of fish

Coregonus lavaretus is a species of freshwater whitefish, in the family Salmonidae. It is the type species of its genus Coregonus.

Cisco (fish) Group of fishes

The ciscoes are salmonid fish of the genus Coregonus that differ from other members of the genus in having upper and lower jaws of approximately equal length and high gill raker counts. These species have been the focus of much study recently, as researchers have sought to determine the relationships among species that appear to have evolved very recently. The term cisco is also specifically used of the North American species Coregonus artedi, also known as lake herring.

Powan Species of fish

The powan is a kind of freshwater whitefish endemic to two lochs in Scotland, Loch Lomond and Loch Eck. It has been successfully introduced in two other sites, Loch Sloy and the Carron Valley Reservoir.

Omul Species of fish

The omul, Coregonus migratorius, also known as Baikal omul, is a whitefish species of the salmon family endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. It is considered a delicacy and is the object of one of the largest commercial fisheries on Lake Baikal. In 2004, it was listed in Russia as an endangered species.

<i>Coregonus albula</i> Species of fish

Coregonus albula, known as the vendace or as the European cisco, is a species of freshwater whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is found in lakes in northern Europe, especially Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia and Estonia, and in some lakes of Norway, the United Kingdom, northern Germany, and Poland. It is also found in diluted brackish water in the Gulfs of Finland and Bothnia, both of which are in the Baltic Sea.

Arctic cisco Species of fish

Arctic cisco is an anadromous species of freshwater whitefish that inhabits the Arctic parts of Siberia, Alaska and Canada. It has a close freshwater relative in several lakes of Ireland, known as the pollan, alternatively regarded as conspecific with it, or as a distinct species.

Broad whitefish Species of fish

The broad whitefish is a freshwater whitefish species. Dark silvery in colour, and like a herring in its shape, its distinctive features include a convex head, short gill rakers, and a mild overbite. It is found in the Arctic-draining streams, lakes, and rivers of far eastern Russia and North America. Its prey includes larval insects, snails, and shellfish. It is eaten by humans and brown bears.

<i>Coregonus sardinella</i> Species of fish

Coregonus sardinella, known as the least cisco or the sardine cisco, is a fresh- and brackishwater species of salmonid fish that inhabits rivers, estuaries and coastal waters of the marginal seas of the Arctic Basin, as well as some large lakes of those areas.

Round whitefish Species of fish

The round whitefish is a freshwater species of fish that is found in lakes from Alaska to New England, including the Great Lakes. It has an olive-brown back with light silvery sides and underside and its length is generally between 9 and 19 inches. They are bottom feeders, feeding mostly on invertebrates, such as crustaceans, insect larvae, and fish eggs. Some other fish species, like white sucker in turn eat their eggs. Lake trout, northern pike and burbot are natural predators. Other common names of the round whitefish are Menominee, pilot fish, frost fish, round-fish, and Menominee whitefish. The common name "round whitefish" is also sometimes used to describe Coregonus huntsmani, a salmonid more commonly known as the Atlantic whitefish.

The schelly is a living fresh water fish of the salmon family, endemic to four lakes in the Lake District, England. Its taxonomy is disputed with some recognizing it as a distinct species and others as a variant of the widespread Eurasian whitefish species Coregonus lavaretus. It is present in Brothers Water, Haweswater, Red Tarn and Ullswater, and the population seems stable in all of these except for Haweswater where it seems to be declining. The main threats it faces are seen to be water abstraction and cormorants, and the fish-eating birds are being culled from Haweswater. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the conservation status of this fish as "endangered".

Freshwater whitefish Subfamily of fishes

The freshwater whitefish are fishes of the subfamily Coregoninae, which contains whitefishes and ciscoes, and is one of three subfamilies in the salmon family Salmonidae. Apart from the subfamily Coregoninae, the family Salmonidae includes the salmon, trout, and char species of the subfamily Salmoninae, and grayling species of the subfamily Thymallinae. Freshwater whitefish are distributed mainly in relatively cool waters throughout the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Duck mussel Species of bivalve

The duck mussel is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Houting European extinct fish

The houting is a European, allegedly extinct species of whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is native to the estuaries and rivers draining to the North Sea. The houting is distinguishable from other Coregonus taxa by having a long, pointed snout, an inferior mouth and a different number of gill rakers. The houting once occurred in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and England.

Humpback whitefish Species of fish

The humpback whitefish, also referred to as the bottom whitefish, the Arctic whitefish or the pidschian, is a species of freshwater whitefish with a northern distribution. It is one of the members in the broader common whitefish complex, or the Coregonus clupeaformis complex. This fish lives in estuaries and brackish water near river mouths, in deltas and in slowly running rivers, in large lakes with tributaries, and floodplain lakes. It can migrate long distances upriver for spawning.

Muksun Species of fish

The muksun(Coregonus muksun) is a type of whitefish widespread in the Siberian Arctic waters. It is mostly found in the freshened areas of the Kara and Laptev Seas and up the major rivers, as well as in Lake Taymyr.

Bering cisco Species of fish

The Bering cisco or Lauretta whitefish is a freshwater whitefish found in Alaska and part of Russia. It is often considered to be the same species as the more common Arctic cisco.

Lake whitefish Species of fish

The lake whitefish is a species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Lake whitefish are found throughout much of Canada and parts of the northern United States, including all of the Great Lakes. The lake whitefish is sometimes referred to as a "humpback" fish due to the small size of the head in relation to the length of the body. It is a valuable commercial fish, and also occasionally taken by sport fishermen. Smoked, refrigerated, vacuum-packed lake whitefish fillets are available in North American grocery stores. Other vernacular names used for this fish include Otsego bass, Sault whitefish, gizzard fish, common whitefish, eastern whitefish, Great Lakes whitefish, humpback whitefish, inland whitefish and whitefish.

Carrickaport lough is a freshwater lake in Kiltubrid parish, south County Leitrim, northwest Ireland. Drumcong village, and Lough Scur, lie nearby. Carrickaport lough is known for quality bream and pike fishing. The ecology of Carrickaport lough, and other Leitrim waterways, is threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.

Keshcarrigan lough is a mesotrophic freshwater near Keshcarrigan village, in northwest Ireland. Known for quality coarse fishing, Keshcarrigan lough allows bank fishing from concrete stands on the northern shore, two with wheelchair access. The ecology of Keshcarrigan lough, and other Leitrim waterways, is threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.

References

  1. "Ireland, Red List No.5: Amphibians, Reptiles & Freshwater Fish" (PDF). IUCN. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2016). "Coregonus pollan" in FishBase. April 2016 version.
  3. 1 2 3 Pollan IFI Inland Fisheries Ireland (accessed 1 June 2015)
  4. 1 2 3 Ferguson, A: Northern Ireland Priority Species: Coregonus autumnalis pollan – Pollan habitats.org.uk (read April 2010)
  5. 1 2 Harrison, A.J., Kelly, F.L., Rosell, R.S., Champ, T.W.S., Connor, L. and Girvan, J.R. (2010) First record and initial hydroacoustic stock assessment of pollan Coregonus autumnalis Pallas in Lough Allen, Ireland. Archived 2011-06-15 at the Wayback Machine Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 110B, 69-74.
  6. 1 2 Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2008) Coregonus pollan IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. Downloaded 25 April 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 Jenkins, J. Travis (1925). The Fishes of the British Isles. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 240–242.
  8. All-Ireland Species Action Plan: Pollan (Coregonus autumnalis) Archived 2010-06-13 at the Wayback Machine Northern Ireland Environmental Agency 2006
  9. National action plan - Coregonus autumnalis (Pollan) UK Biodiversity Action Reporting System. (read April 2010)
  10. Andrew J. Harrison, Lynda Connor, Emma Morrissey and Fiona Kelly (2012) Current status of pollan Coregonus autumnalis pollan in Lough Ree, Ireland. Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Biology and Environment: Proc. Royal Irish Academy 112B, 1-9 DOI: 10.3318/BIOE.2012.09
  11. Ferguson, A., Himberg, K.-J.M., & Svärdson, G. (1978). Systematics of the Irish pollan (Coregonus pollan Thompson): an electrophoretic comparison with other Holarctic Coregoninae. Journal of Fish Biology 12, 221-233.
  12. Bodaly, R.A., Vuorinen, D.A., Ward, R.D., Luczynski, M., & Reist, J.D. (1991). Genetic comparisons of the New and Old World coregonid fishes. Journal of Fish Biology 38, 37-51.
  13. Politov, D.V., Gordon, N.Y., & Makhrov, A.A. (2002). Genetic identification and taxonomic relationships of six Siberian species of Coregonus. Archiv für Hydrobiologie: Special Issues Advances in Limnology 57, 21-34.