In some published literature, this species is treated as a subpopulation of the Bourget Whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) or a member of the "Coregonus lavaretus species complex", and referred to by the English vernacular names "Common Whitefish" or "European Whitefish" (see below).

At the regional scale, the systematics of European ciscoes and whitefishes (Coregonus spp.) has been the subject of considerable debate since the turn of the 21^st century, with little indication of a definitive outcome.

It is widely accepted that non-anadromous members of this group have repeatedly undergone adaptive radiations in boreal, subarctic and perialpine lakes (Douglas et al. 1999, Østbye et al. 2005, Kahilainen and Østbye 2006, Harrod et al. 2010, Hudson et al. 2011).

Subpopulations inhabiting these systems largely diversified in the wake of the most recent glacial period 10,000-15,000 years ago. They are typified by parallel patterns of divergence in traits associated with foraging (i.e., gill raker counts, benthic vs. pelagic feeding ecology), physiology (i.e., growth rate, habitat depth partitioning) and reproductive ecology (i.e., reproductive timing and spawning habitat).

Up to six different sympatric forms sometimes referred to as “morphs”, "ecomorphs" or "ecotypes" have been recorded in perialpine lakes, and these radiations might be even more diverse in some large systems of northeastern Europe (Præbel et al. 2013, Doenz et al. 2018, Bitz‐Thorsen et al. 2020, Öhlund et al. 2020).

However, there exist significant differences in opinion regarding the taxonomic status of these forms.

In Northern Europe, including the United Kingdom, all except a handful of Irish subpopulations are usually regarded as belonging to two widely-distributed species; Coregonus albula (ciscoes) and C. lavaretus (whitefishes), with the latter also frequently referred to as the "Coregonus lavaretus species complex” (Etheridge et al. 2012, Wanke et al. 2017, Häkli et al. 2018, Crotti et al. 2020). Within this comparatively uniform taxonomic concept, the catch-all English vernacular name “Vendace” is typically used for C. albula while "Common Whitefish" or "European Whitefish" are applied to C. lavaretus.

Conversely, researchers and fisheries authorities based in Central Europe have tended to treat the different forms as distinct taxa, leading to the recognition of more than 60 species across the European region (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007, Selz et al. 2020, De-Kayne et al. 2022, Selz and Seehausen 2023). Under this diverse taxonomic concept, the name “Vendace” is restricted to its original usage for the United Kingdom endemic Coregonus vandesius and the native range of C. lavaretus is limited to its type locality of Lake Bourget in France.

In the absence of a region-wide consensus, the Red List continues to follow the taxonomy provided by Fricke et al. (2024).

Global and European regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)
EU 27 regional assessment: Not Recorded

The Noble Whitefish is endemic to Lake Lucerne, central Switzerland. It has a restricted range (extent of occurrence (EOO) c. 285 km², area of occupancy (AOO) c. 112 km²), which meets the thresholds for the Endangered category under Criterion B1 (EOO < 5,000 km²) and Criterion B2 (< 500 km²). It is restricted to one location, but there is no indication of continuing decline or extreme fluctuations, hence it does not qualify for a threatened category under Criterion B.

There is no evidence of any population size reduction that would approach the threshold for Vulnerable under Criterion A (≥ 30% over the past ten years or three generations). The population size is unknown, precluding the use of Criterion C and Criterion D1, and there exists no quantitative analysis of extinction probability which would permit application of Criterion E.

Therefore, this species is assessed as Vulnerable under Criterion D2, based on its presence at a single location which is threatened by supplementary stocking and climate change that could drive it to Critically Endangered or Extinct in a very short time period.

This species is endemic to Lake Lucerne (fr. Lac des Quatre-Cantons; de. Vierwaldstättersee) in the upper Rhine River system, central Switzerland. It is not present in the mesotrophic southwestern arm known as Lake Alpnach (de. Alpnachersee).

This species' current population size and trend have not been quantified, but its overall abundance is understood to be low. It was formerly the second-most abundant whitefish species inhabiting Lake Lucerne, but its population declined significantly on two occasions during the 20^th century (see 'Threats') and by 1980 it was considered to be extinct. From 1995, a few individuals were recorded in fisheries landing reports, and in 2004 a small number of ripe individuals were caught during a targeted survey focussed on its known spawning sites.

Lake Lucerne is a meromictic, perialpine, naturally oligotrophic lake formed after the last glacial period. It has a maximum depth of 214 metres, and a complex shape comprising four steep-sided basins fed by individual rivers.

Five whitefish species which differ in traits related to feeding and reproductive ecology along depth gradients are currently understood to be endemic to the lake. The Noble Whitefish occupies shallow to moderately-deep habitats in the pelagic zone at depths of 5-25 metres. It feeds on a range of zooplankton, e.g., cladocerans, copepods and leptodorans, supplemented by insects such as Chironomidae. It has a moderate growth rate. The annual reproductive period extends from late July to mid-September when spawning occurs at depths of 80-214 metres. The primary spawning sites are understood to be located in the sub-basins known locally as "Gersauerbecken" and "Vitznauerbecken", and may comprise gravel beds replenished by nearby tributaries.

It is the only whitefish species inhabiting Lake Lucerne that spawns in deep water during summer.

This species' population experienced two significant contractions during the 20^th century.

The first decline has been attributed to overfishing during the reproductive period prior to the year 1900, and led to the establishment of early mitigation measures (see 'Conservation').

After 1960, Lake Lucerne became increasingly eutrophic due to human activities leading to a crash in the Noble Whitefish population when this process peaked during the 1970s and 1980s. The likely cause of this decline was depletion of oxygen in the profundal (below 100 metres) zone of the lake, leading to a loss of spawning sites.

A secondary outcome of such changes in the available range of spawning depths is the potential for overlap and increased gene flow between different whitefish species that were formerly segregated along depth gradients. This raises the possibility of speciation reversal and extinction events due to hybridisation and introgression, as have been observed in some other Swiss lakes.

The stocking of non-native whitefish species from other perialpine lakes and elsewhere may also threaten the genetic differentiation of endemic taxa. There exists historical evidence of whitefish fry from Lake Constance (de. Bodensee) being repeatedly introduced to Lake Lucerne during the mid-20^th century, but the long-term effect on the native species remains unknown.

The supplementary stocking of hatchery-reared native whitefishes, whereby gametes are stripped from wild individuals and larvae reared under hatchery conditions before being released as fingerlings, may represent a further threat. These procedures are carried out in many Swiss lakes, although there is no evidence that they improve yield when ecological conditions are suitable for natural whitefish reproduction. The influx of juvenile individuals can impair natural recruitment, impose artificial sexual selection on target species and increase hybridisation rates due to the inadvertent crossing of similar-looking taxa in hatcheries.

The warming of Lake Lucerne due to climate change constitutes a plausible future threat.

This species was formerly one of the two most commercially important whitefish species inhabiting Lake Lucerne. It was harvested intensively until the 1970s, after which landings abruptly declined (see 'Threats').

A permanent year-round ban on both commercial and recreational fishing is currently in place (see 'Conservation').

This species is included (as Coregonus spp.) in Appendix III of the Bern Convention.

Eutrophication of Lake Lucerne was not as severe as in some other Swiss lakes, and investment in wastewater treatment facilities plus a ban on detergents containing phosphates has resulted in the lake returning to its former oligotrophic state.

The initial decline of the Noble Whitefish led to the establishment of an annual closed annual fishing season from July 25 to October 1 during the early years of the 20^th century. After the stock displayed signs of a rapid recovery, the closed season was made shorter with fishing permitted from September 8.

In response to its threatened status, commercial and recreational fishing for the Noble Whitefish are currently not permitted at any time of the year, and a limited bi-annual monitoring campaign targeting a maximum of 10 individuals has been carried out since its rediscovery (see 'Population').

Translocation of non-native whitefishes in Switzerland has been prohibited since 1991.

Genetic analyses indicate that the different whitefish species inhabiting Lake Lucerne remain reproductively isolated to some extent, and it has been proposed that the development of more sophisticated fisheries and conservation plans are required in order to maintain whitefish species diversity in the lake.

A deeper understanding of this species' demographics (population size and trend) and life history would likely prove useful for future management planning.