Powan

Powan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Subfamily: Coregoninae
Genus: Coregonus
Species: C. clupeoides
Binomial name
Coregonus clupeoides
(Lacépède, 1803)

The powan (Coregonus clupeoides) is a kind of freshwater whitefish endemic to two lochs in Scotland, Loch Lomond and Loch Eck.[1] It has been successfully introduced in two other sites, Loch Sloy and the Carron Valley Reservoir.[2]

Powan populations are relatively healthy,[1] but may have been negatively impacted by the introduced ruffe, which eats powan eggs and fry. As a conservation action, an attempt to establish populations in four additional lakes has been undertaken.[3][4]

The taxonomic status of the British whitefish populations, including powan, is a matter of debate. Currently the Scottish powan, along with the Welsh gwyniad known from a single lake, and four similar populations in England known as schelly, are generally considered belonging to the widespread Eurasian common whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus).[2][5] This accords with the close genetic similarity among these units.[6] The FishBase and IUCN however classify the Scottish powan as a distinct species, Coregonus clupeoides.[7][1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2008) Coregonus clupeoides. In:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. (Accessed 17 April 2010)
  2. 1 2 Vendace and Powan: the Coregonids Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba (Scottish Nature Heritage) (Accessed 17 April 2010)
  3. ↑ Powan project to ensure survival of rare UK fish species fishnewseu.com (9 February 2010)
  4. ↑ Hundreds of rare powan fish to be released into Loch Lomond in conservation effort news.scotsman.com (23 March 2010)
  5. ↑ Winfield, I,J., Fletcher, J.M. (2008) Hydroacoustic assessment of the introduced powan populations of Carron Valley Reservoir and Loch Sloy. Final Report. Natural Environment Research Council
  6. ↑ Etheridge E.C (2009) Aspects of the conservation biology of Coregonus lavaretus in Britain. University of Glasgow
  7. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2010). "Coregonus clupeoides" in FishBase. March 2010 version.
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