How Now Brown Trout (Salmo trutta): North America's Wary, Wild, Willful Freshwater Fish

The word trout is a household word which has name recognition for speakers of many of the world's languages. But it actually is a general term which may be used to name more than one kind of trout. Indeed, the brown trout is an example of one kind of trout.

The brown trout's common name: The common name is the term by which people in their daily lives refer to a certain animal or plant. It may be based upon a distinct characteristic of the animal’s or plant’s physical appearance. Or it may be based upon the geographic occurrence of that animal or plant. But in general, the common name remains whereas the personal identity of the original namer does not.

Such happens with the brown trout. Its common name in Romance (Latin: romanice, "Roman") languages such as French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish honors its common, successful, widespread geographic occurrence. Its common name in Germanic languages such as Danish and English honors its common, hallmark, physical trait of being brown-colored.

The common name of the brown trout therefore can sound somewhat common, drab, ordinary and unexciting. But in fact, the adventurous life of the brown trout has few dull moments.

The brown trout’s scientific name: Animals and plants also have scientific names by which scientists stereotype them. A scientific name is made up of at least two words of Greek, Latin or mixed Greek and Latin origins. Therefore, it also may be called a binomial (Latin: binōminis, “having two parts”) or Latin name. But whatever the terminology, the original designator always will be known.

In the case of the brown trout, Swedish physician Carl Linnaeus (Carl Nilsson Linnæus, May 23, 1707-January 10, 1778) chose the scientific, Latin or binomial name of Salmo trutta in 1758. The Swedish biologist, botanist, naturalist and zoologist made his choice based on a system of biological classification which he had pioneered and perfected since 1730. The scientific namer of the brown trout therefore was none other than the naturalist known to countless generations of environmentalists and scientists as the father of modern ecology (Greek: οἶκος, oikos, “house” + -λογία, -logia, “study of”) and taxonomy (Greek: τάξις, taxis, “arrangement” + νομία, nomia, “method”).

Sir Linnaeus identified the Salmo family as mostly ". . . found in rapid stony rivers, and . . . impatient of foul water; . . . the flesh of all is excellent . . ." ("45. Salmo", p. 845)

His specific description of Salmo trutta noted that ". . . like the salmon ascends rivers periodically; . . . flesh pale red and excellent."

The brown trout’s homeland: The brown trout is native to Iceland, Europe, northwestern Africa and western Asia. But it now numbers among North America’s freshwater fishes. In fact, the introduction into the United States took place with the shipment of fertilized eggs from Europe in the late 19^th century.

Specifically, three fish which subsequently were not bred or distributed matured from fertilized eggs which were shipped from England to the Old Colony Trout Ponds of Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1882. In the following two years, Baron Friedrich Karl Gustav Felix von Behr (November 3, 1821-January 13, 1892), Prussian House of Lords (Preußische Herrenhaus) member and president of the German Fisheries Society (der Deutschen Fischerei-Verein), shipped 150,000 fertilized eggs to pioneer fish culturist Frederick Mather (August 2, 1833-February 14, 1900) of New York. The first shipment of 60,000 fertilized eggs from lake brown trout (Seeforelle) and 20,000 from brook and stream brown trout (Bachforelle) was unloaded from the German ship Werra on February 23, 1883. The second shipment of 70,000 was unloaded on February 5, 1884. Both shipments were hatched in the Cold Spring Hatchery of Long Island as well as in Northville, Michigan and by rival fish culturist Seth Green (March 19, 1817-August 18, 1888) in Caldonia, New York.

On April 11, 1884, the U.S. Fish Commission ran a railroad car from Northville, Michigan to the Baldwin River. The car was loaded with 4,900 fry from the Northville hatchery. The load was released into the Baldwin River, a tributary of the Pere Marquette River one mile east of Baldwin, Michigan. This first official planting was to be repeated such that, according to Robert J. Behnke:

“…the 1884 stocking of brown trout initiated a history of brown trout contributing to the replacement of native American salmonids --- grayling in Michigan and Montana, brook trout in many Eastern rivers, and especially cutthroat in the West.” (p. 49)

The brown trout's new homeland: The brown trout now is found in the cold, oxygenated waters of higher elevations, as well as downstream waters, in North America. Within its downstream and upland habitats, it seeks the following living conditions:

· Alkaline pH levels such as those found in limestone streams;

· Clean, clear, hard stream bed bottoms although soft-bottomed streams are tolerated;

· Cover of overhanging vegetation, submerged rocks and timber, and undercut banks;

· Current;

· Minimum of chemical, fecal, heat, light, nutrient or sediment pollution;

· Protection from direct light, high water temperatures, and predation;

· Retreat to deep water during freezing winters and hot summer months;

· Water temperatures ranging from 54.3 to 75.2 °F (12.4 to 24 °C), with the following provisos:

Death at 59 °F (15 °C) in terms of eggs;

Death at 77 to 84.2 °F (25 to 29 °C) in terms of young and adults;

Optimum range at 56 to 66 °F (13.33 to 18.88 °C).

The brown trout’s look: The brown trout can be described as follows:

Head:

Large mouth;

Lower lines in dirty white to pearl;

Body:

Brassy, olive brown or tawny back heavily speckled with pale blue haloes surrounding black, olive brown or red spots although the brown trout of stocked lakes may end up with an almost completely silvery look with hardly any spots;

Compressed;

Creamy white, dirty white or pearl belly;

Golden, light brown or yellow sides heavily speckled with dirty white or pale blue haloes surrounding orange or red spots;

Lateral line acting as a sensory organ for detecting movement, pressure changes and vibrations and running from the gill covers to the base of the tail;

Mature body length of 8.1 to 21.5 inches (20.57 to 82.55 centimeters);

Mature body weight of 1 to 5 pounds (0.45 to 2.27 kilograms), with a known maximum of 41.45 pounds (18.80 kilograms);

Scales;

Fins, rays, and spines:

10 to 13 anal rays;

Dusky or pale lower fins;

Large, yellow orange adipose (Latin: adeps, “soft fat of animals”) fin with orange to red markings;

Olive caudal (Latin: caudālis, “of or relating to the tail of an animal”) fin, sometimes streaked in orange red;

Olive to amber or orange olive anal and pelvic fins with dirty white leading edges;

Soft amber to olive dorsal (Latin: dorsālis, “of or relating to the back”) fin free of spines, sporting 14 to 16 dorsal rays, spotted with brown or black marks, and sometimes streaked with orange red;

12 to 15 pectoral rays;

9 to 10 pelvic rays.

The brown trout’s spawning: The spawning season is fall to winter. It takes place after upstream migrations and in water temperatures of 44.06 to 48.02 °F (6.7 to 8.9 °C). It will be October to February in Canada and the northern United States. It will be shorter in length in the mid-Atlantic and southern states. In Virginia, for example, spawning will take place in October and November.

The female builds a nest which is called a redd, or slight depression, in the shallow waters of gravel-bottomed streams or bubbling, exuberant, oxygenated riffles. She clears the area by fanning her tail. She deposits about 900 eggs per pound (2,000 eggs per kilogram) of body weight. But she will not be around to guard or guide her eggs, which will be about ¼ inch (6.35 millimeters) in size and bright orange in color.

The young brown trout hatches about half a year later, in February and March in Virginia, with its yolk sac. It lives off the sac while still in the redd. It then moves to hiding places around and under rocks, from which it preys on plankton and small insects. It will mature in about 1 to 2 years in fertile streams and 2 to 3 or even 4 years in infertile waters. It will survive another 1 to 9 years, with a known maximum of 20 years.

The brown trout’s prey: The brown trout is an opportunistic feeder. The brown trout young prey on such insects as caddisflies, mayflies and stoneflies in both the larval and adult stages. They also will eat crustaceans such as shrimp. The adult diet will expand to include the following:

· Baby birds falling from nests in overhanging tree branches;

· Fish, such as catfish, minnow, rainbow trout, sculpin, shad, sucker, and whitefish as well as other brown trout, with a case found by biologists Richard E. Jenkins and Noel M. Burkhead of “…a 600-mm TL brown trout that had suffocated by engulfing a 330-mm brown; the head of the latter extended into the stomach, and the anterior body filled the gill cavity of its captor” (p. 581);

· Frogs;

· Meadow mice or voles out for a swim;

· Mollusks;

· Salamanders;

· Streambed invertebrates such as crayfish and hellgrammites;

· Surface insects in the larval, pupal, nymph and adult stages.

The brown trout’s predators: Fish and people are examples of predators of the brown trout. In terms of fish, the walleye (Sander vitreus) can be a successful predator of the brown trout young. In terms of people, anglers and fishers really have to work to catch the brown trout. Biologists Jenkins and Burkhead warn:

“The wild brown trout is the fox of streams, wily and old-growing in its countenance of selectivity. Perhaps programmed into its behavioral repertoire are many centuries of selection from the old contest, angler vs. trout. […] The trout preys on skill, self-confidence, and patience, sending many an angler home weary and dull-eyed.” (p. 583)

The brown trout’s uses: Fishing and food are the main uses of the brown trout. In terms of fishing, the brown trout is difficult to catch. But it will be helpful to keep in mind the following guidelines as to the how, when and where of the catch:

Times:

Daytime, late afternoon and early evening during summer;

Late afternoon and early evening from fall through spring;

Places:

Cover of submerged rocks and undercut banks in the shallow waters and shorelines of cool creeks, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers;

Shallow gravel flats during spawning;

Methods:

Artificial, dead or live baitfish;

Casting and movement with current into which the resting brown trout faces;

Lures such as jigs, plugs, spinners, and spoons.

It is best to keep the brown trout as cold as possible between the catch and the preparation to be served. One workable option is a basket allowing for easy air circulation and filled with such moistened vegetation as ferns. Another option is an ice chest.

In terms of food, the brown trout can be filleted or served whole in baked, barbecued, fried, grilled, poached, smoked and steamed dishes.

The brown trout’s future: Invasive pests and pollution are the main challenges to the existence of the brown trout in North America. In terms of invasive pests, didymo (Didymosphenia geminata), also called rock snot, is an algae which takes over and degrades water bodies. Its thick mat-like spread makes adequate water circulation impossible on the bottom where brown trout eggs need flow and oxygen to develop and hatch. Along with higher water temperatures from the heat and light pollution of deforestation around streams, didymo therefore realizes what biologists Jenkins and Burkhead see as a rarity regarding the brown trout:

“The overall effect of many alien fish species has been negative. Some native species have been displaced or eliminated and natural habitats have been altered. The brown trout, considered the most valuable exotic fish introduced to North America, is a prime exception.” (p. 583)

Historically, the brown trout gives anglers and fishers a run for their wits. Now it is having the run of its life from didymo, which attacks it at its most vulnerable: egg development and hatchability. The future of the brown trout therefore will depend upon the success of current containment strategies and scientific research breakthroughs to control didymo.

My special thanks to talented photographers and artists/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the Internet; as well as to Stessily for original artwork included below.

My special thanks to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture for the professionalism which is evinced in the high-caliber data and images which they make available in print and on the internet.

My special thanks also to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Texas State University-San Marcos, and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for the high caliber of their online resources.

Behnke, Robert J. “Brown Trout Winter 1986.” Pp. 45-50. In: Scott & Nix, Inc. (Preparers). The Best of Robert J. Behnke from Trout Magazine. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2007. http://books.google.com/books?id=SpNwYrhbWVgC&lpg=PP16&ots=m93beI5MDT&dq=about%20trout%20robert%20behnke&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false (Last accessed November 14, 2011)

"Brown Trout, Salmo trutta." EFISH: The Virtual Aquarium of The Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences of Virginia Tech. http://cnre.vt.edu/efish/families/brntrout.html (Last accessed November 14, 2011)

"Brown Trout Salmo trutta." Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) Gallery of Pennsylvania Fishes Chapter 15: Trout & Salmon, Family Salmonidae. http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/fishhtms/chap15trout.htm (Last accessed November 14, 2011)

Hart, David. Flyfisher’s Guide to Virginia Including West Virginia’s Best Fly Fishing Waters. Belgrade, MT: Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc., 2006.

Hassan-Williams, Carla, and Timothy H. Bonner. "Salmo trutta brown trout." Texas State University-San Marcos Department of Biology: Texas Freshwater Fishes. http://www.bio.txstate.edu/~tbonner/txfishes/salmo%20trutta.htm (Last accessed November 14, 2011)

Jenkins, Robert E. and Noel M. Burkhead. Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. Bethesda, MD: American Fisheries Society, 1994.

Linne, Sir Charles. A General System of Nature, Through the Three Grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals, Systematically Divided into their Several Classes, Orders, Genera, Species, and Varieties, with their Habitations, Manners, Economy, Structure, and Peculiarities. In Seven Volumes. Translated by William Turton, M.D. Volume I: Animal Kingdom: Mammalia, Birds, Amphibia, Fishes. London: Lackington, Allen, and Co., 1806.

Rohde, Fred C., Rudolf G. Arndt, David G. Lindquist, and James F. Parnell. Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press, 1994.

Copyright Monday, November 14, 2011 by Derdriu