346
Despite this work, the beliefs lingered on, which explains the
lack of descriptions of its fi sh fauna which, it was thought, sim-
ply could not exist. Fears tied to the lake, together with the
absence of catches made with fi shing gear, allowed only dubi-
ous knowledge of its littoral fi sh fauna.
Any discussion of original fi sh fauna needs to bear in mind
that man has always taken a certain pleasure in transporting spe-
cies from site to site, and Lake Pavin is no exception— despite
popular belief that the lake was haunted, a millstream and an
antique millstone have been found on its banks, and the lake
may well have had fi sh from nearby rivers introduced into it.
For Eusébio and Reynouard ( 1925 ), the natural fauna of
the lake included minnows, stickleback, and gudgeon,
although it is unclear whether these descriptions are from
Jaloustre ( 1884 ) or Chevalier who may have spotted spiny
fi sh with shimmering colors. They claim the gudgeon disap-
peared in 1925 after a period of strong growth, whereas min-
nows and stickleback persisted into the early twentieth
century. These writings contradict Meybeck ( 2011 ) who
states that the original fi sh fauna of Lake Pavin was composed
of bleak and gudgeon. However, the description of the fi sh
fauna given by Eusebio & Reynouard ( 1925 ) appears closer
to reality, as minnows are very common in the lakes and
streams around Lake Pavin, as are gudgeon, even though cur-
rently located at much lower altitude and farther downstream
in our waterways. The presence of stickleback seems surpris-
ing but fi ts with Chevalier’s description. He may have con-
fused stickleback with male minnows in breeding colors with
their bright red and green markings and white tubercles on the
head. However, Olivier ( 1939 ), in his Materials for the
Limnological Knowledge of the Lakes of Mont Dore, claims
that in most lakes the primitive fauna included tench and
perch, but for Lake Pavin he cites the presence of stickleback
( Gasterosteus leiurus ) and gudgeon ( Gobio fl uviatilis ).
Stickleback is no longer listed among the species present in
Lake Pavin, but in the early twentieth century, many fi sh
catches (char and trout) had stickleback in their digestive tract
(Eusébio and Reynouard 1925 ), which would confi rm that it
was indeed present. It may seem surprising to fi nd stickleback
present in such apical lakes and streams, but keep in mind that
this species is currently associated with downstream typo-
logical levels. Note that Emile Blanchard ( 1866 ) cites the
abundance of this species in all small streams of low gradient
and vegetation-rich water as well as in bodies of water pos-
sessing identical habitat characteristics. Emile Blanchard
( 1866 ) makes particular reference to sampling done in the
Sioule at Pontgibaud, a river situated at the foot of the Sancy.
Refocusing on brown trout ( Salmo trutta ), it may very
well be possible that it frequented the lake. As mentioned
above, the early descriptions of lake fauna concerned the lit-
toral zone, so it is not surprising that trout were not men-
tioned as being present. However, the spillway of Lake Pavin
converges on the Couze Pavin river after running a straight
line for 600 m, and this small emissary is a particularly popu-
lar breeding site for brown trout. Though the transfer of the
species is not currently possible, it was only in the second
half of the nineteenth century that the dike was created and
grilles were installed. Old prints (Fig. 21.1 ) show, at certainFig. 21.1 Ancient representation
of Lake Pavin Tissandier ( 1873 )
F. D e s m o l l e s