Vendace

The Vendace is the smallest whitefish that lives in the lakes of the Baltic Sea basin, in Karelia, in the lakes of the upper Volga and west to Denmark. Basically, it is a lake fish, as a significant population dwells in the waters of the Gulf of Finland, passing for spawning in the Ladoga Lake across the Neva. Chudskoe, Ladoga, Onega and Pskov lakes are the habitat of the vendace. This fish prefers habitats with a clean sandy or clay bottom of large and cold lakes, often at a depth of 15 m and below. It avoids warm water. Its main food is small crustaceans. The vendace is a slender and agile fish. Its body resembles a herring, with a greenish back and silvery sides and belly. In some lakes there is a vendace of golden pink color. Dorsal and caudal fins are gray, the rest whitish. As with all whitefish, there is a fat fin. The body is covered with tender scales. It's mouth is small, without teeth on jaws. The lower jaw protrudes forward and upward. Large forms of vendace (in the Onega and Ladoga lakes) usually have a mass from 200 to 400 g. There are rare specimens of about 1 kg. The shallow form (typical for lakes with average depths) has a body weight of 25-50 g, with a maximum of 130-150 g.