Abstract
The conditions for the natural reproduction of whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) in Lake Constance have been subject to strong variations during recent decades by the impact of fishing and trophic changes. We analysed fluctuations of stock size, age structure, spawning time, and amount of sampled eggs of this species. The onset of spawning altered because of changes in the age structure of the stock. We found a clear relation of spawning time to the mean age of the annual catch and the November epilimnion temperature. The quantity of eggs sampled from the lake bottom with a dredge is in relation to the number of female spawners and may serve as an early indicator for stock size changes. The proportion of viable eggs on the lake floor correlates with oxygen concentrations in deep water. Extremely low oxygen conditions and an almost total loss of eggs occurred when the nutrient levels were high and oxygen regeneration by vertical winter mixing was weak. A mathematical model serves to interpret the changing abundance of living eggs on the lake bottom over the course of a season and is also used to estimate mortality rates.
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