Survival, Population Density, Growth, and Movement of the Wild Brown Trout in Crystal Creek

Abstract

Abstract A portion of the data accumulated in a 4-year study of the trout of Crystal Creek, New York State, is reported. An annual population inventory of the same 13 sample sections of the stream each September for 4 years provided information on survival, density of fish, growth, movement, and other factors. The percentage survival of the young brown trout of the year (age-group 0) in later years was found to be as follows: Second year (age-group I), 24.1; third year (age-group II), 11.0; fourth year (age-group III), 5.49; fifth year (age-group IV), 1.25; sixth year (age-group V), 0.48. The trout were subject to angling, which accounted for about 15 per cent of the yearly losses of the legal-sized fish. A considerable mortality of the larger-sized trout, for which the cause could not be determined, was observed each year during July. Hatchery fingerlings planted in September survived to the following September at rates varying from 0.25 per cent to 6.3 per cent (the latter figure is the more reliable). ...