Survival, Growth, Reproduction, and Diet of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Stocked into Lakes after Liming to Mitigate Acidity

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven P. Gloss ◽  
Carl L. Schofield ◽  
Robert L. Spateholts ◽  
Barbara A. Plonski

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were stocked into two previously acidic (pH 4.5–5.2) Adirondack Mountain lakes, Woods Lake and Cranberry Pond, following liming in June, 1985. Age 0+ Temiscamie × Domestic hybrid brook trout were stocked at 200∙ha−1 with one-half of the fish selected for presumed acid tolerance. Age 1+ Temiscamie strain brook trout were also stocked at 50∙ha−1. Liming increased pH to well above 7 and alkalinity to over 200 μeq∙L−1. Growth and condition of stocked fish were good while water quality conditions remained suitable. However, in Cranberry Pond, which reacidified 6 mo after liming, both growth and survival declined dramatically. Much of the population loss was due to emigration. Annual survival in Woods Lake averaged 35 and 25% for the age 0+ and 1+ fish, respectively. Initially large invertebrates made up most of the diet for stocked fish. These taxa were replaced by zooplankton within a few months. Limited natural reproduction was associated with low velocity groundwater inflows and high acidity in tributary streams. Fry emergence from artificial spawning substrates placed in Woods Lake peaked well after snowmelt inflows which produced toxic conditions in littoral areas.

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1359-1367 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Flick ◽  
Dwight A. Webster

No well-defined changes in growth and survival rates of native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were detected during a 13-yr period when non-trout species were removed from a small Adirondack Mountain stream using fixed traps located throughout the system. The catch of non-trout species was about 124,000 weighing 2000 kg, and of trout, 13,000, weighing 500 kg. Slow growth characterized the population through this time, with mean lengths of 13.2, 17.3, and 21.3 cm at ages I+, II+, and III+, respectively. The weighted annual survival rate for ages II–V was 18%, with most deaths due to natural causes. The most striking observation was virtual cessation of movement of both trout and non-trout species after 7 yr, suggesting that the removal program had an effect on population behavior, even if it was not reflected in an improvement in trout growth.


1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Menendez

During an 11-mo period all developmental stages of the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were continuously exposed to pH levels of 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and the control 7.1. The number of viable eggs was reduced significantly at pH 5.0 and to a lesser extent at the higher pH levels. Embryo hatchability was significantly less at all pH levels below 6.5. Growth and survival of alevins was reduced at the lower pH levels. These data indicate that continual exposure to pH values below 6.5 will result in significant reductions in egg hatchability and growth.


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J Raffenberg ◽  
Donna L Parrish

Competitive interactions among stream salmonids in resource-limited environments have been linked to reduced success for many species. Few studies have focused on interactions at scales larger than individual fish or stream reach. We chose to focus our study on these larger scales to provide information for managing species that have complex life histories transcending multiple scales. Our objective was to explore age-0 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) growth and survival in relation to trout abundance (introduced rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and native brook (Salvelinus fontinalis) trout) and prey resources at 24 stream reaches across two Vermont watersheds that flow into the Connecticut River. Simple linear and multilinear regressions were conducted on response and predictor variables related to fish and invertebrate prey. Age-0 Atlantic salmon survival was greatest at the site with highest trout abundance; however, no linear relationships to trout abundance were detected possibly because Atlantic salmon growth and survival were highly variable across sites. In contrast, a positive significant multivariate relationship was identified among age-0 Atlantic salmon survival, the abundance of age-1+ brook trout (i.e., 100–130 mm), and benthic prey abundance. These results suggest that stocking streams based on trout abundance may not increase Atlantic salmon growth and survival during the first summer of life.


1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1525-1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Flick ◽  
Dwight A. Webster

Hatchery-reared wild and domestic strains of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were released in natural lakes, and survival and growth estimated at semiannual intervals throughout the life span. Angling was restricted. Four experiments with two year-classes involved three different Adirondack Mountain (New York) wild strains and two domestic strains, a fifth experiment included two wild strains from James Bay, Quebec and a hybrid between one of these (Assinica Lake) and a New York domestic strain. Wild and hybrid strains consistently exhibited greater longevity (5–7 yr) compared with domestic (few recovered after 3 yr). Climax sizes were not much different, except the Domestic × Assinica hybrid that was substantially larger than either of the two parents. Gross production and yield to angling of any given strain cohort was correlated (r = 0.93) and life-span gross production was 50% greater for wild and hybrid groups per unit fish stocked. Biomass stocked per recruit was much larger for domestic strains, and taking this into account, the ratio of gross production to weight stocked was about 6 times greater. Increased costs of rearing nondomesticated strains, if any, must be taken into consideration in an economic evaluation, but use of wild and/or hybrid strains of trout offers significant benefits under management conditions of these experiments.


1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1107-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Howard McCormick ◽  
Kenneth E. F. Hokanson ◽  
Bernard R. Jones

Instantaneous rates of growth, mortality, and net biomass gain were determined for alevin through juvenile brook trout reared for 8 weeks at six constant temperatures: 7.1, 9.8, 12.4, 15.4, 17.9, and 19.5 C. Growth rates were maximum between 12.4 and 15.4 C. Mortality rates increased between 15.4 and 17.9 C and were maximum between 17.9 and 19.5 C. The net rates of biomass gain were maximum between 12.4 and 15.4 C.Median upper thermal tolerance limits (TL50 values) were determined for newly hatched and swim-up alevins. Tolerance did not increase in newly hatched alevins with acclimation to temperatures from 2.5 to 12 C. The upper 7-day TL50 for newly hatched alevins acclimated over this range of temperatures was 20.1 C. The swim-up alevins showed both an increase in temperature tolerance with acclimation temperatures between 7.5 and 12 C and an increase in tolerance over that of the newly hatched alevins at comparable acclimation temperatures. The ultimate 7-day TL50 of swim-up alevins was 24.5 C. Swim-up alevins exceed newly hatched alevins in thermal tolerance by 2.0–4.5 C, depending on the temperature of acclimation. The TL50 of newly hatched alevins of comparable acclimation (12 C) is reduced by about 2 C when the exposure time is increased from 1 to 7 days.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Schaffner

The zooplankton communities in two acidified lakes in the Adirondack region of New York changed considerably following liming and the reintroduction of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Most rotifer taxa were greatly reduced in numbers within a week following base addition. Keratella taurocephala declined by orders of magnitude in both lakes. Rotifer species that replaced K. taurocephala were far less abundant. The crustacean communities were also affected by liming. Diaptomus minutus, the dominant in both lakes, declined following base addition. Longer-term population responses appeared to be related to the dynamics of the individual populations, and changes in predation pressure. Four additional crustacean species became prominent in the lakes after liming: the caldocerans Bosmina longirostris and Daphnia catawba in Cranberry Pond, and D. catawba and the cyclopoid copepod Cyclops scutifer in Woods Lake. Over the longer-term liming and the introduction of brook trout tended to have an overall positive effect on the zooplankton communities in the two lakes.


1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 458-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Carline ◽  
O. M. Brynildson

We conducted two field trials to determine the effects of the gun-injected, Floy anchor tag (FD-67) on growth and survival of 10-month-old domesticated brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in a 0.7 ha pond. Trials ran from October to the following June. In 1968 we stocked 106 tagged trout and 1005 controls, and in 1969, 300 tagged trout and 500 controls. We removed different fins from each group to determine tag loss. In both trials we sampled the trout twice through the ice and twice during open water. The tags retarded growth of the trout from October to January; differences in growth rates between tagged and controls were 18 and 28% for the 1968 and 1969 trials, respectively. After January both groups grew at similar rates. Thetags did not affect survival, and tag losses were 5.7 and 2.0% for the two trials.


<i>Abstract</i>.—Recovery of Brook Trout <i>Salvelinus fontinalis</i> in an Adirondack (New York, USA) lake that was subject to anthropogenic acidification provides a remarkable example of fishery improvement in response to environmental regulation. Studies initiated in the 1950s following a steady decline in Brook Trout populations helped document this recovery. Unsuccessful efforts to maintain a fishery in Honnedaga Lake with hatchery-reared fish in the 1950s forced managers to look beyond stocking, the primary approach employed until that time. As a result, fishery scientists collaborated in the 1960s and 1970s with researchers from other disciplines, providing a broad understanding of atmospheric inputs, watershed processes, and chemical interactions influencing lakes and streams. Extensive studies in the 1980s confirmed the connection between Brook Trout mortality and airborne emissions of strong acid nitrogen and sulfur compounds that released toxic inorganic aluminum from increasingly acidic soils. Political debates in that decade focused on federal regulatory efforts to reduce these emissions, which culminated in passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Within the next decade, Brook Trout that took refuge within a few well-buffered, groundwater-fed tributaries began to recolonize Honnedaga Lake as conditions improved in the main lake due to reduced atmospheric deposition of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Since then, management of Honnedaga Lake in the 21st century relied upon natural reproduction by wild Brook Trout. Ultimately, social and political decisions made far away from the Adirondack Mountain region developed regulations that fostered recovery of the Honnedaga Lake fishery by restoring necessary water-chemistry conditions. The recovery of Honnedaga Lake highlights three lessons. First, environment and habitat conditions must be suitable before fishery management actions can be effective. This criterion requires a broad understanding of environmental conditions that sustain fisheries, incorporating insights from atmospheric sciences, geology, and limnology. Second, natural reproduction of Brook Trout in Honnedaga Lake successfully increased population abundance without the additional intervention of stocking hatchery-reared fish. Finally, successful management of Honnedaga Lake required political support and regulatory action from beyond the Adirondack region, as well as media attention.


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