Powan

• It has several distinct morphs adapted to lake or anadromous habitats within the same species.
• It lives mainly in deep, cold lakes, especially in the Alps and Great Britain.
• It has been maturing earlier over recent decades as water temperatures rise.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (fish)

Habitat and environment

Deep, cold lakes of Europe, especially in the Alps and Great Britain, with some anadromous populations in the Baltic

Birth weight

Egg laid in gravel; a tiny larva on hatching

Size at birth

A tiny larva on hatching, after winter spawning in shallow gravel

Sexual maturity

Male: 1 year (in managed breeding populations) | Female: 2 years (in the wild, 2-5 years depending on the region)

Gestation / incubation

The egg develops through the winter months into spring

Litter / clutch size

3,600 eggs per female at a first spawning; up to 8,000 at later ones

Sources consulted: Aquatic Living Resources (Baltic Sea maturity study) · ResearchGate (Lake Gaładuś brood stock study) · FishBase · AdriaticNature · Grokipedia

Best time: From November to January, during spawning, when it gathers over shallow gravel bottoms in Alpine and northern European lakes.