A trip on Lake Femunden with MS Fæmund II. Photo: Naturcentrum AB.
Femunden - large and fish-rich
Femunden is the third largest lake in Norway, and the only large lake in the country that is not regulated. It spreads across an area of 200 square kilometres and is almost 60 kilometres long from north to south. The greatest depth is 132 metres, but the lake also has shallow parts that are rich in fish.
The lake holds brown trout, charr, grayling, whitefish, pike, perch, burbot and minnow. No new species have been introduced, and the fish ecosystem in Femunden is rare and untouched.
The lake is famous for its abundance of whitefish. There are at least three different types of Femund whitefish, of varying size and with different spawning grounds. The deep-water whitefish spawns in deep water and grows slowly, while the shallow water variety spawns in shallow water and grows quickly. The third type, river whitefish, spawns in flowing water and outflows.
A trip on MS Fæmund II...
... is a good way of discovering Femunden. As early as 1887, its predecessor Fæmund started transporting produce and people across the lake. The shipping lane is, and was, a lifeline in the roadless area around Lake Femunden.