Differences in seasonal distribution of wild and stocked juvenile lake trout by depth and temperature in Lake Champlain

Abstract

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) reared in hatcheries are exposed to an environment and feeding regime that is different from wild lake trout, and are stocked at substantially larger sizes with higher lipid reserves. In addition to differences in diet and growth, this early experience may alter habitat use compared to the wild cohort. We used seasonal data on the depth and temperature distribution of wild and stocked juvenile lake trout to test for differences in habitat use and inform sampling strategies to evaluate annual recruitment. Bottom trawling was conducted from 2015 to 2019 in the central basin of Lake Champlain every two to four weeks during the ice-free season. Differences in distribution of wild and stocked lake trout were most pronounced during thermal stratification, when wild juveniles were more abundant than stocked juveniles at shallower depths and warmer temperatures and stocked juveniles were more abundant at deeper depths and colder temperatures. Temperature preferences may be a consequence of different early rearing environments; wild lake trout are acclimated to lake temperatures and forage, whereas stocked fish entered the lake with high lipid content and little foraging experience. Unbiased assessment of the proportion of wild lake trout and growth and survival of the entire juvenile lake trout population using bottom trawl sampling should either take place in the pre- and post-stratification seasons when wild and stocked fish are at the same depths, or include the full range of depths and temperatures that wild and stocked fish occupy during the stratified period.