Sea-trout populations in small coastal streams

Abstract

In recent years there has been increasing interest in the conservation and management of small streams. They are essential to the health of the wider aquatic ecosystem and of fish populations throughout river catchments. Because of their size, small streams are particularly at risk from the predicted changes in temperature and flow regimes resulting from climate change. This paper deals with small coastal streams, which to date have received little if any attention from researchers, local authorities or fisheries management bodies. It seeks to summarise the information currently available on small coastal streams, to outline the potential importance of such streams from both an ecological and biodiversity perspective and suggest research topics that could help to conserve these sensitive biotopes and underpin the requirement to assess and categorise their role as producers of juvenile seatrout (Salmo trutta L.). It is argued that recruitment from such streams may be of critical importance to the abundance of sea-trout in the neighbouring coastal margins.