The omul, ''Coregonus migratorius'', also known as Baikal omul (russian: байкальский омуль), is a whitefish species of the

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

family

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. 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.

Taxonomy

The omul has traditionally been regarded as a subspecies of the Arctic cisco ''Coregonus autumnalis''. However, recent genetic studies have shown it actually belongs to the circumpolar ''

Coregonus lavaretus ''Coregonus lavaretus'' is a species of freshwater whitefish, in the family Salmonidae. It is the type species of its genus ''Coregonus''. There are widely different concepts about the delimitation of the species ''Coregonus lavaretus'' and abou ...

- clupeaformis'' complex of lake whitefishes, which also has other members in Lake Baikal, and it is now considered its own species within '' Coregonus''. 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 preferred spawning habitats. The extent of their reproductive isolation is debated.

Description

The omul is a slender,

pelagic fish Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reef ...

with light silver sides and a darker back. It has small spots on its dorsal fin and larger ones on its head, a terminal mouth position and a large number of gill rakers, typical of fish that feed in the pelagic zone. The mean size of adults is 36–38 cm and 0.6 to 0.8 kg, though the maximum reported length is 56 cm weighing about 2.5 kg. The subpopulations on the northern end of the lake tend to be smaller.

Behavior

The omul feeds primarily on

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

, smaller fish, and occasionally some

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

organisms. It feeds primarily in the rich pelagic zone of Lake Baikal up to 345–450 m. It is a relatively long-lived, iteroparous species that attains reproductive maturity at five to 15 years of age. The omul only enters the rivers that feed Lake Baikal to spawn, like the Selenga, initiating short spawning migrations, usually in mid-October, broadcasting 8000-30000 eggs before returning to the lake.

Consumption and fishery

Omul 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 the

Trans-Siberian railway The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the ea ...

, and locals tend to prefer the fish salted. A popular Siberian salad called ''stroganina'' consists 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. 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.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

/ref> Currently, the omul fishery accounts for roughly two-thirds of the total Lake Baikal fishery. Fluctuations in the population and intensive fishing make sustaining the fishery one of the highest priorities for local fisheries managers.

Conservation

The omul's main food source is an

species of alga, ''

melosira ''Melosira'' is a genus of diatoms belonging to the family Melosiraceae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution, and inhabits both freshwater and marine habitats. Species Species: *'' Gaillonella ampla'' *'' Gaillonella apiculata'' *'' G ...

''.Lonely Planet Trans-Siberian Railway
/ref>

Gallery

Freshly caught Baikal omul.jpg, Freshly caught Baikal omul Baikal omul.jpg, Baikal omul Baikal smoked omul on the counter of the store.jpg, Baikal cold-smoked omul on the counter of the store Omul on a cutting board.jpg, Omul on a cutting board

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q82572 Coregonus Fish of Lake Baikal Fish described in 1775 Taxa named by Johann Gottlieb Georgi