Listen to the Song – The River Remembers
The complete lyrics are included in the companion book, Our Jewels in the Water, allowing readers to follow every song while learning about Europe’s remarkable freshwater and migratory fish.
Enjoying the music?
The companion book Our Jewels in the Water includes the full lyrics, additional stories, exclusive photographs and beautiful illustrations for every species.
The Houting
“Between river and sea travels a silver wanderer, following an ancient journey written into its very nature.”
Species Profile
The Houting is one of Europe’s fascinating members of the whitefish family.
Closely related to fish such as the Powan, Pollan and Vendace, the Houting has a very different way of life. Rather than spending its entire existence within a single lake, it is associated with rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.
Its sleek, silvery body reflects its life as a travelling fish, moving between different environments during its life cycle.
Once much more widespread, the Houting has suffered greatly from changes to Europe’s rivers and estuaries.
Today, its story is not only one of migration, but also of survival.
Clive’s Story
The Houting fascinates me because it reminds us that rivers do not end when they reach the sea.
They are part of a much greater system.
For a migratory fish, every stretch of river matters. The spawning grounds, the flowing water, the estuary and eventually the sea are all connected.
When we place barriers across rivers or damage an estuary, we are interfering with a journey that fish have been making for countless generations.
I like to imagine the Houting moving through those changing waters — from fresh water towards the coast and eventually returning again.
It is another of those remarkable stories taking place beneath the surface that most of us never get to see.
Natural History
The Houting is associated with river systems connected to estuaries and coastal waters.
Unlike whitefish that remain permanently within freshwater lakes, Houting can move between fresh and brackish or coastal water during their lives.
Adults return towards freshwater spawning areas, where reproduction takes place during the colder part of the year.
Young fish develop within the river system before gradually moving downstream towards estuarine and coastal habitats.
Their diet includes small aquatic animals such as zooplankton, insect larvae and small crustaceans.
This dependence upon several connected habitats makes the Houting particularly vulnerable when rivers are altered.
Interesting Facts
- Member of the Salmonidae family.
- Belongs to the European whitefish group.
- Closely related to Powan, Pollan and Vendace.
- Associated with rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.
- Capable of moving between freshwater and more saline environments.
- Spawns in freshwater.
- Young fish migrate downstream as they develop.
- Feeds on small aquatic invertebrates and crustaceans.
- River barriers can interfere with its natural migrations.
- Once considerably more widespread in north-western Europe.
Behind the Song
When writing [INSERT SONG TITLE], I wanted the music to capture the feeling of movement.
The Houting is not a fish whose story belongs to one quiet pool or one deep lake.
Its story is a journey.
The river carries it towards the estuary, the estuary opens towards the sea, and eventually instinct calls the fish back towards freshwater once again.
The song reflects that constant connection between different waters.
It is also a reminder that every part of a river’s journey matters, because for migratory fish there can be no missing link.
Conservation
The Houting’s history demonstrates how vulnerable migratory fish can become when rivers are changed.
Dams, weirs and other barriers can prevent fish from reaching spawning areas, while pollution, dredging and alterations to estuaries can damage important feeding and nursery habitats.
Conservation efforts in parts of Europe have therefore concentrated on restoring river connectivity, improving water quality and protecting suitable spawning habitat.
The Houting’s survival depends upon something very simple but increasingly precious:
a healthy journey from river to sea — and back again.
Clive’s Reflection
The Houting makes me think about rivers differently.
As anglers, we often know individual stretches intimately. We remember particular swims, bends, bridges and pools.
But the fish does not recognise those boundaries.
To the Houting, the river, estuary and sea are parts of one continuous world.
Its ancient migration reminds us that protecting a fish sometimes means protecting an entire journey.
If we keep those pathways open and the waters healthy, perhaps this silver traveller will continue making that journey for generations to come.
That is why the Houting deserves its place among Our Jewels in the Water.
“Protect the journey, and the traveller will always have a way home.”