About whitefish and whitefish
Photos: Tiit Hunt
Translation: Liis
Sea whitefish.
| Sea whitefish | Merisiig |
| Lake Peipus whitefish | Peipsi siig |
There is good reason to talk about whitefish. Their spawning should have started now, judging from the water temperature.
Migratory whitefish spawn in the Pärnu river, downstream of the Sindi dam. The spawning grounds of sea whitefish are in sea areas with sandy-gravelly bottoms, and with water depths of up to a couple of metres. The signal for spawning should be a sea water temperature of 6 degrees. The cold of the last days has made the water even colder, varying with the nearness of deep waters and water flow. Sea whitefish near Ruhnu spawn in deeper waters, sometimes at a depth of 15 metres; they have been designated as their own “flock” or population. There is still a long time left of the spawning period, until the beginning of December.
Lake Peipus whitefish differ from the sea whitefish by their sturdier body, shorter head and larger fins. This is the shape that has evolved for the group after the last Ice Age. Their spawning period lasts only a few weeks. The most important spawning areas on the Estonian side of Lake Peipus are the mouth of the Emajõgi river, the sandy and gravelly bottoms around Meerapalu and Piirisaar, at depths of a couple of metres and up to four metres.
Good that we can show photos of both species. And by the way, in the Estonian Museum of Natural History, Eesti Loodusmuuseum, Tiit Hunt’s exhibition “Estonian fish” opens next week, on November 11.
Migratory whitefish spawn in the Pärnu river, downstream of the Sindi dam. The spawning grounds of sea whitefish are in sea areas with sandy-gravelly bottoms, and with water depths of up to a couple of metres. The signal for spawning should be a sea water temperature of 6 degrees. The cold of the last days has made the water even colder, varying with the nearness of deep waters and water flow. Sea whitefish near Ruhnu spawn in deeper waters, sometimes at a depth of 15 metres; they have been designated as their own “flock” or population. There is still a long time left of the spawning period, until the beginning of December.
Lake Peipus whitefish differ from the sea whitefish by their sturdier body, shorter head and larger fins. This is the shape that has evolved for the group after the last Ice Age. Their spawning period lasts only a few weeks. The most important spawning areas on the Estonian side of Lake Peipus are the mouth of the Emajõgi river, the sandy and gravelly bottoms around Meerapalu and Piirisaar, at depths of a couple of metres and up to four metres.
Good that we can show photos of both species. And by the way, in the Estonian Museum of Natural History, Eesti Loodusmuuseum, Tiit Hunt’s exhibition “Estonian fish” opens next week, on November 11.
Lake Peipus whitefish.
Eesti | 
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