Sustainable management of leisure and professional fisheries at the ...

B. THE FISH POPULATION OF LAKE ANNECY
Recent pelagic and littoral sampling operations
(ONEMA 2007, 2010) have made it possible to
update the inventory of species. The common
bream (Abramis brama) and the carp (Cyprinus
carpio), which were not sampled but are indeed to
be found in the lake, were added to this list, which
features 19 species.
SPECIES LATIN name SPECIES LATIN name
Lake trout Salmo trutta Bleak Alburnus alburnus
Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus Silver bream Blicca bjoerkna
Whitefish Coregonus lavaretus Common bream Abramis brama
Pike Esox lucuis Carp Cyprinus carpio
Roach Rutilus rutilus Stone loach Barbatula barbatula
Common dace Leuciscus leuciscus Perch Perca fluviatilis
Chub Leuciscus cephalus Bullhead Cottus gobio
Rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus Burbot Lota lota
Tench Tinca tinca Blennie Salaria fluviatilis
Gudgeon
Gobio gobio
The lake also hosts a population of spiny-cheek
crayfish (Orconectes limosus) and a population of
signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), both of
which were introduced.
Several earlier studies (1860, 1908, 1928, cited
in Gerdeaux, 1995) revealed the presence of
other species, some of which were abundant,
but which have not been found since, such as
the eel (Anguilla anguilla), the minnow (Phoxinus
phoxinus), the vairone (Telestes soufia), and the
rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In 1999,
divers filmed the presence of a significantly large
European catfish (Siluris glanis). The absence
of any reports since, either during dives or
concerning fishermen’s catches, suggest that
this “clandestine” introduction of one or more
individuals did not enable this species to become
self-supporting.
The lake’s two symbolic species which are the
most sought after these days, the whitefish and the
Lake Annecy Arctic char
(Photo: J-L. BERTONCELLO)
Arctic char, were introduced for the first time in 1888
and 1890 respectively. Young fish continued to be
placed in the lake throughout the first half of the
20th century, with these operations involving fish
of very diverse origins (Lake Constance, Geneva,
Bourget, Neuchâtel, Scandinavian countries, etc.).
C. THE Organization OF THE FISHERY OF LAKE ANNECY
a. Regulation and governance
The lake is owned by the French State, which
also holds the fishing rights. Fishery exploitation
involves renting a fishing lease from the leisure
fishermen’s association, and the issuing of a
fixed number of professional fishing licences.
The principle adopted for defining management
and regulations, which was reaffirmed in 2010, is
equitable, sustainable sharing of the fish resource
by the two categories of fishermen.
In France, only professional fishermen have the
right to sell their catches. In the case of Lake
Annecy, the supply is much smaller than the
demand, which means that outlets are solely local:
mainly restaurant owners, along with some direct