The taxonomic status of the British whitefish populations, including powan, is a matter of debate.

Apart from Loch Lomond, it is the only naturally occurring habitat of the powan.

Coregonus clupeoides (powan)

The FishBase and IUCN however classify the Scottish powan as a distinct species, Coregonus clupeoides.

On the shores of Lake Annecy, in the French Alps, we ate Féra, a delicious whitefish related to the vendace or powan which appears to be largely vegetarian.

The powan (Coregonus clupeoides) is a kind of freshwater whitefish endemic to two lochs in Scotland, Loch Lomond and Loch Eck.

Rarer native species include the endemic Salvelinus killinensis and the Powan, the latter found in only two locations and under threat from introduced Ruffe and the Arctic Charr.

In Britain the schelly populations are usually considered as members of the widespread Eurasian whitefish species Coregonus lavaretus, or common whitefish, as with the Welsh gwyniad and Scottish powan.

Currently the Scottish powan, along with the Welsh gwyniad known from a single lake, and four similar populations in England known as schelly, are generally considered belonging to the widespread Eurasian common whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus).

Determined to eat lake fish, I chose a classic antipasto of the northern lakes, lavarello (powan or whitefish, known elsewhere as coregone) in carpione, a thick fillet of marinated fish wrapped around crunchy diced marinated vegetables.

The type species is Coregonus lavaretus.

In the Baltic basin countries, this species has traditionally been known as Coregonus lavaretus (the common whitefish).

Coregonus lavaretus (common whitefish, European whitefish; lavaret)

In addition are several species of fish, including Salvelinus salvelinus, Coregonus lavaretus and Salmo salar.

It is part of the European whitefish complex (Coregonus lavaretus sensu lato), and often not distinguished from C. lavaretus.

In the broad sense, Coregonus lavaretus, referred to as the common whitefish or European whitefish, is widespread from central and northwest Europe to Siberia.

Currently the Scottish powan, along with the Welsh gwyniad known from a single lake, and four similar populations in England known as schelly, are generally considered belonging to the widespread Eurasian common whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus).

In a narrow sense, Coregonus lavaretus, or the lavaret, is considered to be endemic to Lake Bourget and Lake Aiguebelette in the Rhône river basin in France, whereas it formerly also occurred in Lake Geneva.

The name Coregonus maraena has been adopted following the suggestion that the name Coregonus lavaretus should only be applied narrowly to some whitefish populations in France and Switzerland, as advocated by Kottelat and Freyhof, and repeated by the IUCN and FishBase.