It is found in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia (Štrbské pleso), Russia and Sweden.

Due to a variety of factors, mostly overfishing, the maraena's population dwindled to near-extinction levels.

Thus, rampant repopulation was enacted to preserve this important fish.

[4] In the Baltic basin countries, this species has traditionally been known as Coregonus lavaretus (the common whitefish).

The name Coregonus maraena has been adopted following the suggestion that the name Coregonus lavaretus should only be applied narrowly to some whitefish populations in France and Switzerland, as advocated by Kottelat and Freyhof,[5] and repeated by the IUCN and FishBase.