Freshwater ichthyofauna of Solovetsky Islands (white sea): Natural colonization and recent introductions

The freshwater ichthyofauna of the Solovetsky Islands, located in the White Sea (Arctic Ocean), exhibits significant patchy distribution patterns that vary markedly between lakes. The study identified two main groups of species: aboriginal and introduced. Aboriginal species include rainbow smelt, perch, pike, roach, burbot, crucian carp, sticklebacks, and ruff. Introduced species comprise sterlet, brown trout, vendace, tench, and goldfish, with the origins of whitefish and ide remaining uncertain. The research, conducted from 1989 to 2012 across 40 lakes on Bolshoi Solovetsky and Anser islands, suggests that economic activities have differentially affected watersheds, necessitating individual assessments for each lake to determine species origin. This patchy distribution highlights the complex interplay between natural colonization and human-induced introductions in shaping the region's ichthyofauna.

Alekseeva, Ja. A., Andreeva, A. P., Gruzdeva, M. A., Dvoryankin, G. A., Kuzishchin, K. V., Makhrov, A. A., Novoselov, A. P., & Popov, I. Yu. (2014). Freshwater ichthyofauna of Solovetsky Islands (white sea): Natural colonization and recent introductions. Russian Journal of Biological Invasions, 5(3), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.1134/s2075111714030023