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Post‐stocking Performance of Three Strains of Rainbow Trout in a Reservoir
Author(s) -
Babey George J.,
Berry Charles R.
Publication year - 1989
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 - 10.1577/1548-8675(1989)009<0309:pspots>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - stocking , fishing , rainbow trout , infestation , biology , fishery , zoology , hectare , strain (injury) , hatchery , veterinary medicine , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , horticulture , anatomy , medicine , agriculture
Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss of three strains‐Ten Sleep (TS), Shepherd of the Hills (SH), and Sand Creek (SC)‐were stocked as fingerlings in East Canyon Reservoir (277 hectares), Morgan County, Utah, in April and May 1981 and 1982. Growth, sport catch, and intensity of infestation with the anchorworm Lernaea cyprinacea were compared during the fishing seasons of 1982 and 1983. The harvest of TS strain fish was 5.7 times greater than that of the two other strains in 1982, and 1.9 and 5.2 times greater than that of SC and SH, respectively, in 1983. Length added by the TS strain 20 months after stocking in 1981 (mean, 242 mm) was significantly greater than that added by other strains (SC, 211 mm; SH, 214 mm); growth after stocking was similar among strains in 1982. Higher whole‐body fat and protein in the TS strain than in the other strains in 1981 might have contributed to increased survival and growth. The SC strain was more susceptible than the other strains to anchorworm infestation in both years. The mean capture depth of the SC strain in vertical gill nets was 6.7 m in August 1982 but was 8.3 m for TS and 8.9 m for SH. In other months, there were no significant differences among strains in vertical distribution in gill nets or in frequency of occurrence in catches of anglers fishing from boats or from shore. Use of only the TS strain for stocking this reservoir might improve the fishery at no additional cost.