Caviar, soup and other dishes made of Eurasian ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernua (Linnaeus, 1758): forgotten foodstuff in central, north and west Europe and its possible revival

Background Many freshwater fish species that were earlier appreciated by consumers have disappeared in the central, north and west European foodways. Although they were regarded as healthy and tasty, commercially captured marine species and highly processed products have nowadays replaced these fishes. The global transformations of the food system contribute to the erosion of many local foodstuffs. Habitual tastes disappear. Methods The article is based on a vast amount of scattered original data found in sources such as in local ethnographical studies, fishing reports, topographic literature, zoological literature, archaeological fish reports, and cookery books Results and discussion This article discusses how Eurasian ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernua (L., 1758), once was used, and the reason for its disappearance, as foodstuff in some parts of Europe. Actually, it is a fish with potential for a revival as fine food. The authors discuss the chances of its rediscovery as a foodstuff, which could be used for instance within the concept of the New Nordic Cuisine and beyond. There are also environmental reasons to increase the use of local biodiversity not to mention making tastier food. Conclusion Ruffe is a common species in many waters and nowadays a non-used potential food resource.

Risk analysis for species introductions: forecasting population growth of Eurasian ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus)

The North American distribution of the Eurasian ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus), an ecologically important and costly invasive fish, is presently limited to the Laurentian Great Lakes. Risk analyses for accidental introductions of ruffe to inland lakes should focus on the chance of establishment for small introductions such as those that would result from transporting ruffe as bait. Here I use Akaike's Information Criterion to select a population growth model for ruffe based on observed population dynamics during the invasion of Loch Lomond, Scotland. This population is regulated by a high carrying capacity and Allee effects were undetected. Parameter estimates obtained from this population forecast that the chance of establishment for possible introductions of ruffe to inland lakes in North America is high. A model for ruffe winter survival suggests that survivorship between introductions and spawning may be an important determinant of establishment success, but that the chance of establishment is high for introductions of only a few individuals. To prevent invasions of ruffe in inland waters, release of ruffe, whether intentional or accidental, should not be tolerated.