Theomul,Coregonus migratorius,also known asBaikal omul(Russian:байкальский омуль), is awhitefishspecies of thesalmonfamilyendemictoLake BaikalinSiberia,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 by an unknown group in Russia as an endangered species.
| Omul | |
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| Omul (freshly caught above, smoked below) | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Genus: | Coregonus |
| Species: | C. migratorius
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| Binomial name | |
| Coregonus migratorius (Georgi,1775)
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| Lake Baikal,the only home of the omul | |
Taxonomy
editThe omul has traditionally been regarded as a subspecies of theArctic ciscoCoregonus autumnalis.However, recent genetic studies have shown it actually belongs to the circumpolarCoregonus lavaretus-clupeaformiscomplex of lake whitefishes, which also has other members in Lake Baikal,[1]and it is now considered its own species withinCoregonus.[2]The four or five traditionally accepted subpopulations of omul within Lake Baikal are: North Baikal (северобайкальский), Selenga (селенгинский), Chivyrkui (чивыркуйский) and Posolsk (посольский). These vary in size, feeding behaviors and preferredspawninghabitats. The extent of their reproductive isolation is debated.
Description
editThe omul is a slender,pelagic fishwith light silver sides and a darker back. It has small spots on its dorsal fin and larger ones on its head, aterminal mouth positionand a large number ofgill rakers,typical of fish that feed in the pelagic zone.[1]The mean size of adults is 36–38 cm and 0.6 to 0.8 kg, though the maximum reported length is 56 cm[2]weighing about 2.5 kg. The subpopulations on the northern end of the lake tend to be smaller.
Behavior
editThe omul feeds primarily onzooplankton,smaller fish, and occasionally somebenthicorganisms. It feeds primarily in the rich pelagic zone of Lake Baikal up to 345–450 m. It is a relatively long-lived,iteroparousspecies that attains reproductive maturity at five to 15 years of age. The omul only enters the rivers that feed Lake Baikal to spawn, like theSelenga,initiating short spawning migrations, usually in mid-October, broadcasting 8000–30000 eggs before returning to the lake.
Consumption and fishery
editOmul is one of the primary food resources for people living in the Baikal region. It is considered a delicacy throughout Russia, and export to the west is of some economic importance. Smoked omul is widely sold around the lake and is one of the highlights for many travelers on theTrans-Siberian railway,and locals tend to prefer the fish salted. A popular Siberian salad calledstroganinaconsists of uncooked frozen omul shaved thinly and served with pepper, salt and onion.
Due to its high demand, the omul is the object of one of the most important commercial fisheries in Lake Baikal. The highest recorded annual landed catches occurred in 1940s and amounted to 60-80 thousand tonnes.[3]A subsequent crash in the population led to a closing of the fishery in 1969, followed by a reopening with strict quotas in 1974 after some recovery of the stocks.[4]Currently, the omul fishery accounts for roughly two-thirds of the total Lake Baikal fishery.[5]Fluctuations in the population and intensive fishing make sustaining the fishery one of the highest priorities for local fisheries managers.
Conservation
editThe omul's main food source is anendemicspecies ofalga,melosira.[6]
Gallery
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Freshly caught Baikal omul -
Baikal omul -
Baikal cold-smoked omul on the counter of the store -
Omul on a cutting board
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abSukhanova, L.V.; et al. (2004)."Grouping of Baikal OmulCoregonus autumnalis migratoriusGeorgi within theC. lavaretuscomplex confirmed by using a nuclear DNA marker "(PDF).Ann. Zool. Fenn.41:41–49.
- ^abFroese, Rainer;Pauly, Daniel (eds.)."Coregonus migratorius".FishBase.January 2008 version.
- ^Research-Educational Center "Baikal": FAQ
- ^Galazin, G.I. (1978) Рыбные ресурсы Байкала и их использование (Fish resources of Baikal and their exploitation).Problemy Baikala,Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, v. 16 (36).(in Russian)[1]
- ^Ye.I. Buyanova (2002)Экология рыбного хозяйства бассейна озера Байкал (Ecology of commercial fisheries on Lake Baikal),MSU, Moscow, 2002. (in Russian)[2]Archived2007-12-23 at theWayback Machine
- ^Lonely Planet Trans-Siberian Railway
External links
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Media related toCoregonus migratoriusat Wikimedia Commons
