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Cover Use by Stream‐Resident Trout in Winter: A Field Experiment
Author(s) -
Cunjak Richard A.,
Power Geoffrey
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1987)7<539:cubsti>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - riffle , salvelinus , trout , fontinalis , salmo , brown trout , streams , fishery , environmental science , habitat , cover (algebra) , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , biology , mechanical engineering , computer network , computer science , engineering
Abstract An experiment was conducted in a small ice‐free stream in southern Ontario to test the volitional responses of wild, stream‐dwelling brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta to artificial cover during winter. Underwater observations indicated that both species preferred holding positions beneath submerged cover structures rather than under above‐water structures or uncovered control forms. Trout used cover in riffle and pool habitats with similar frequency, probably due to the accumulation of organic debris on riffle structures that produced low‐velocity pockets where fish often positioned themselves. Addition of cover to streams with stable flows is likely to enhance overwinter survival of trout.