Shallow eutrophic lakes commonly existin two alternative stable states: a clear-water state anda turbid water state. A number of mechanisms,including both abiotic and biotic processes, buffer therespective states against changes, whereas othermechanisms likely drive transitions between states.Our earlier research shows that a large proportion of zooplanktivorous fish populations in shallow lakesundertake seasonal migrations where they leave thelake during winter and migrate back to the lake inspring. Based on our past research, we propose anumber of scenarios of how feedback processesbetween the individual and ecosystem levels mayaffect stability of alternative stable states in shallowlakes when mediated by fish migration. Migrationeffects on shallow lakes result from processes atdifferent scales, from the individual to the ecosystem.Our earlier research has shown that ecosystemproperties, including piscivore abundance and zoo-plankton productivity, affect the individual state of zooplanktivorous fish, such as growth rate or condi-tion. Individual state, in turn, affects the relativeproportion and timing of migrating zooplanktivorousfish. This change, in turn, may stabilize states orcause runaway processes that eventually lead to stateshifts. Consequently, such knowledge of processescoupled to seasonal migration of planktivorous fishshould increase our understanding of shallow lakedynamics.