The Pollen
Listen to the Song – A Hidden Treasure of Our Rivers
“Hidden beneath the great lakes of Ireland swims a silver survivor whose story reaches back through thousands of years.”
The complete lyrics are included in the companion book, Our Jewels in the Water, allowing readers to follow every song while learning about Britain and Ireland’s remarkable freshwater 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.
Species Profile
The Pollan (Coregonus pollan) is one of Ireland’s most remarkable freshwater fish.
A member of the whitefish group and a relative of the Powan and Vendace, the Pollan is especially important because it is endemic to Ireland — a native fish found nowhere else naturally in the world.
Its slender silver body is perfectly suited to life in open water, where shoals move quietly through the cooler depths of Ireland’s great lakes.
The Pollan is a living reminder of an ancient natural history, surviving in waters shaped by the end of the last Ice Age.
Clive’s Story
There is something especially fascinating about a fish that exists naturally in only one small part of the world.
The Pollan may not possess the fame of the Salmon, the power of the Pike or the popularity of the Trout, but in many ways that makes it even more precious.
It has quietly survived within Ireland’s great lakes for thousands of years.
When I think of the Pollan, I imagine a shoal of silver fish moving through the deep water beneath a grey Irish sky, almost invisible from the world above.
These are exactly the sort of fish that inspired Our Jewels in the Water.
They may rarely be seen, yet they are an irreplaceable part of our freshwater heritage.
Natural History
Pollan are primarily open-water fish, spending much of their lives swimming in shoals within large freshwater lakes.
Their diet consists mainly of small aquatic organisms, including zooplankton, freshwater crustaceans and insect larvae.
Spawning generally takes place during the colder months, when the fish move towards suitable areas of hard, stony or gravelly lake bed.
The eggs remain amongst the substrate during winter before the young fish emerge and begin their lives in the lake.
Because Pollan depend upon healthy lake ecosystems, changes in water quality and competition from introduced species can have serious consequences for their populations.
Interesting Facts
- Scientific name: Coregonus pollan
- Family: Salmonidae.
- A member of the whitefish group.
- Endemic to Ireland.
- Naturally found nowhere else in the world.
- Closely related to Powan and Vendace.
- Lives mainly in large freshwater lakes.
- Usually forms shoals in open water.
- Diet includes zooplankton, small crustaceans and insect larvae.
- An important survivor of Ireland’s ancient freshwater fauna.
Behind the Song
When writing [INSERT SONG TITLE], I wanted the music to capture the mystery of a fish that has survived almost unnoticed beneath Ireland’s great lakes.
There is something haunting about the Pollan’s story.
For generation after generation, these silver fish have moved through the same waters while the world above them has changed beyond recognition.
The song reflects that sense of endurance, solitude and belonging.
It is not simply a song about a fish.
It is a song about survival, ancient waters and the importance of protecting something that exists nowhere else on Earth.
Conservation
The Pollan’s extremely limited natural distribution makes its conservation particularly important.
Pollution, nutrient enrichment, changes in water quality and competition from introduced species can all alter the delicate ecosystems upon which it depends.
Some Pollan populations have declined considerably, making continued monitoring and protection of their remaining habitats essential.
Lough Neagh remains particularly important for the species, and the Pollan there has received specific conservation recognition.
Protecting the Pollan means protecting not only a single species, but a unique part of Ireland’s natural heritage.
Clive’s Reflection
The Pollan represents everything that Our Jewels in the Water is trying to celebrate.
It is rare, ancient, beautiful and easily overlooked.
Most people will probably never see one swimming in the wild, yet that does not make its existence any less important.
Perhaps it makes it more important.
Knowing that these silver fish are still swimming beneath Ireland’s great lakes gives us a connection with a natural world that existed thousands of years before us.
I hope they will still be there thousands of years after us.
To me, the Pollan is not simply another freshwater fish.
It is one of Ireland’s hidden jewels.
“Some jewels do not glitter in the sunlight — they shine quietly beneath ancient waters.”