MINNOW (phoxinus phoxinus) The most common fish in Sweden, yet a species that almost no-one recognises, because they think it's something else. Perhaps the fry or young fish of another species. The minnow is known by many different names in Sweden: elritsa, kvidd, alkuva, alkutta, alekula, alkura, kur, äling, sabbik, elling, glirr, gli, blindsill, budd, hundgädda, iggling, im, kvidd, laxbådd, lortbuk, mjolpus, mudd, myrsik, spragg, stensil, görkänga, skinnfisk, plump, agn, ölkytt and örkytt. Next time you go for a swim and see fish that are 6–8 centimetre long in the water around you, they're probably minnow.
astirle
) s u n i x onamaycush) hp sunixohp( LAKE TROUT (salvelinus
kanadaröding
A latecomer in Swedish Lapland. Or, perhaps a kind of research 'Gulag'. The species – sometimes spitefully referred to as 'pike trout' – was introduced to the large mountain lakes to eat small fish. According to researchers they wouldn't be able to breed well in these new waters. But the new species didn't care much about either assumption. The stock of smaller fish hasn't been that affected and the lake trout is multiplying. World-leading research is carried out in Ammarnäs by the University of Umeå. And many trolling fishermen find their challenge in the hunt for the lake trout.
(salvelinus namaycush)
ARCTIC CHAR (salvelinus alpinus) Fishing journalists often refer to the arctic char as 'the Greta Garbo of the mountains'. Partly because of its beauty and partly because of its temperament. There's no other fish that can make mountain fishing go from one extreme to the other the way this Lady Camellia does. One second it bites anything. The next there's absolutely nothing you can tempt it with. Among chefs the arctic char is a sought-after table fish. It's a little bit fattier than other salmon species and therefore there's less risk of it becoming 'dry as a bone' when you fry it.
gnidörlläjf )sunipla sunilevlas(
TROUT (salmo trutta)
öring
A sweet-water chameleon and almost every sport fisherman’s dream. The trout can adapt to all kinds of environments as long as the water quality is good. There’s the anadromous, or sea-run, kind that spends its life in the Baltic Sea and then rises up the rivers to spawn. There’s the brown trout version that stays in small bodies of water and just adapts its size to its habitat. And there’s the version that lives in lakes and runs up the rivers to spawn during autumn, and they can get as big as you’d like. The Swedish record, 17 kilos, is from a lake in Swedish Lapland.
(salmo trutta)
VENDACE (coregonus albula) As a sport fish perhaps it's not worth mentioning, but as an individual it's very special. It's a kind of matriarchy in the northern Baltic Sea. Or rather – a fish subject to gynocracy where the 'women', the females, are worshipped for their roe and the males might at best be salted and barbecued on a gridiron over an open fire. Vendace roe from Kalix became Sweden's first product with protected designation of origin in 2010, on a par with Champagne and Parmesan. And if you ask us it goes well with both, and with much else besides.
ajölkis )alubla sunogeroc(
GRAYLING (thymallus thymallus) It’s said that the grayling gets its Latin name from smelling vaguely of thyme, thymos, when it’s caught. The large, shimmering dorsal fin – often known as ‘the sail’ among sport fishermen – is the grayling’s distinctive feature. And it’s also a real mood enhancer for us fishermen, because there’s always a grayling in the mood for a bite. And if you find one you’ll find several. Grayling live in shoals. It’s present all over Swedish Lapland, from the sea to the mountains. A one-kilo grayling is a trophy, but many weighing in at over two kilos are caught every year.
harr
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