Salmo letnica
Encyclopedia
Ohrid trout or the Lake Ohrid brown trout (Salmo letnica) is an endemic species of trout
in Lake Ohrid
and in its tributaries and outlet, the Black Drin
river, in the Republic of Macedonia
and Albania
in the Balkans
. Locally the fish is known as Ohridska pastrmka in Macedonian
and koran/korani in Albanian
.
complex, and therefore its taxonomic status is controversial. It has however been deemed to be genetically sufficiently distinct to be regarded as a distinct species for conservation arguments.
and by the IUCN. Morphological or molecular data so far do not support this division however. These forms are characterized by different breeding areas and different breeding times, by which they are thought to be reproductively isolated from each other. The four forms or species include:
In addition to the Ohrid trout, Lake Ohrid has another endemic and truly distinct salmonid, Salmo ohridanus
.
crossed with an atlantic salmon
.
In recent years extensive fishing has driven the Ohrid trout to the verge of extinction, though there are several conservation activities. A fishing ban has been imposed by the Government of Macedonia, since 2004 and until 2014. In Albania, since 2003 the state law on fisheries prohibits fishing during the spawning period only, but no restrictions exist for the rest of the year, and the fish population is still dwindling due to illegal fishing and overfishing
.
The Ohrid trout is depicted on the reverse
of the Macedonian 2 denars
coin, issued in 1993.
in Serbia
, during the 1950s and 1960s; current population status is unknown. The first lots of Ohrid trout (Salmo trutta (m) lacustris L.) were introduced in the newly formed Vlasina reservoir in 1953, when around 500,000 fish were transferred. The Ohrid trout was the dominant species in the lake at the time, but then lost its position during the 1980s, because the breeding program was discontinued, and because of failure of natural spawning due to water level variations related to working schedules of the hydroelectric plant, Vrla. Some fish still spawn successfully in the flooded tributaries of the lake. During the 1990s bleak (Alburnus alburnus) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) from Lake Ohrid were introduced into Vlasina as food for the Ohrid trout. Also a yearly program of artificial spawning and conservation efforts started.
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
in Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance...
and in its tributaries and outlet, the Black Drin
Black Drin
The Black Drin is a river in Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. It flows out of Lake Ohrid in Struga, Macedonia. After approximately it crosses the border to Albania, west of Debar. It merges with the White Drin in Kukës to form the Drin, which flows into the Adriatic Sea...
river, in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Locally the fish is known as Ohridska pastrmka in Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
and koran/korani in Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
.
Taxonomy
Ohrid trout is part of the brown troutBrown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
complex, and therefore its taxonomic status is controversial. It has however been deemed to be genetically sufficiently distinct to be regarded as a distinct species for conservation arguments.
Subdivision of the Ohrid trout
Within the Ohrid trout itself, up to four intralacustrine forms have been separated, which are treated as distinct species in the FishBaseFishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
and by the IUCN. Morphological or molecular data so far do not support this division however. These forms are characterized by different breeding areas and different breeding times, by which they are thought to be reproductively isolated from each other. The four forms or species include:
- Salmo balcanicusSalmo balcanicusSalmo balcanicus is a type of trout, a fish in the Salmonidae family. It is endemic to Lake Ohrid and its outlet in Macedonia and Albania in the Balkans....
, breeds in the outlet of the lake in its NW end, in October–January; possibly extinct. - Salmo lumiSalmo lumiSalmo lumi is a type of trout, a fish in the Salmonidae family. It is endemic to Lake Ohrid and its tributaries in Albania and Macedonia....
, breeds in January–February in the tributaries of the lake. - Salmo apheliosSalmo apheliosSalmo aphelios is a variety of trout, a salmonid fish endemic to Lake Ohrid in Macedonia and Albania in the Balkans.Salmo aphelios is one of four different forms of the Ohrid trout complex within the single lake, along with Salmo balcanicus, Salmo letnica and Salmo lumi...
, breeds in May–July near springs of the eastern shore of the lake. - Salmo letnica, breeds in January–February.
In addition to the Ohrid trout, Lake Ohrid has another endemic and truly distinct salmonid, Salmo ohridanus
Acantholingua ohridana
Salmo ohridanus, also known by the local name as the belvica, is a species of freshwater salmonid fish, endemic to Lake Ohrid in Albania and Macedonia....
.
Fisheries and gastronomy
The Ohrid trout is a specialty in Macedonian and Albanian gastronomy; it is used for soups and other dishes. It tastes like a brown troutBrown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
crossed with an atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
.
In recent years extensive fishing has driven the Ohrid trout to the verge of extinction, though there are several conservation activities. A fishing ban has been imposed by the Government of Macedonia, since 2004 and until 2014. In Albania, since 2003 the state law on fisheries prohibits fishing during the spawning period only, but no restrictions exist for the rest of the year, and the fish population is still dwindling due to illegal fishing and overfishing
Overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
.
The Ohrid trout is depicted on the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
of the Macedonian 2 denars
Macedonian denar
The denar is the currency of the Republic of Macedonia. It is subdivided into 100 deni . The name denar comes from the name of the ancient Roman monetary unit, the denarius...
coin, issued in 1993.
Vlasina Lake
The Ohrid trout has been successfully translocated to and bred in the Vlasina LakeVlasina Lake
Vlasina Lake is a semi-artificial lake in Southeast Serbia. Lying at the altitude of 1211 m, with the area of 16 km², it is the highest and largest artificial lake in Serbia...
in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, during the 1950s and 1960s; current population status is unknown. The first lots of Ohrid trout (Salmo trutta (m) lacustris L.) were introduced in the newly formed Vlasina reservoir in 1953, when around 500,000 fish were transferred. The Ohrid trout was the dominant species in the lake at the time, but then lost its position during the 1980s, because the breeding program was discontinued, and because of failure of natural spawning due to water level variations related to working schedules of the hydroelectric plant, Vrla. Some fish still spawn successfully in the flooded tributaries of the lake. During the 1990s bleak (Alburnus alburnus) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) from Lake Ohrid were introduced into Vlasina as food for the Ohrid trout. Also a yearly program of artificial spawning and conservation efforts started.