Selected biological characteristics of the catch-available part of population of vendace, Coregonus albula (L.) from Lake Miedwie, Poland

Background. Due to its economical importance the vendace has been considered one of the most important items of the ichthyofauna of Polish lakes. This is mainly because of favourable biological features of this species, namely: short (2–3 years) period of attaining market size, relatively fast growth rate, schooling behaviour facilitating catches, and most of all the high meat value, making it a desirable consumer item. Material and methods. Biological characters were determined in 451 vendace from Lake Miedwie, caught in spring, (124 individuals), summer (132), late summer (87), and autumn (108). The age and growth rates of the fish were determined based on scales using commonly accepted methods. Fultonand Clark coefficients were used to determine the fish condition. Results. The fish caught were 180–294 mm-long (TL) and weighed 45.2–176.3 g. Mean values of the Fulton coefficient indicated a pronounced improvement in the fish condition from spring to later summer (0.70 and 0.80, respectively) and a slight reduction in autumn (0.75). The age composition of the fish was as follows: 1+, 213 individuals (47.2%); 2+, 229 ind. (50.8%); 3+, 9 ind. (2.0%). The von Bertalanffy equations that describe theoretical growth of the fish examined in length (Lt) and weight (Wt), were calculated. Conclusion. According to the generally accepted criteria of the vendace growth rate, the Lake Miedwie individuals showed a very good growth, higher than that recorded in populations inhabiting other whitefish lakes of Polish Western Pomerania, which indicates the availability of appropriate food resources for the vendace in the Miedwie.