Facts about the Brook Trout

By Cayley Dunn 5/15/11 y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y Scientific name: Salvelinus fontinalis, (sometimes called the eastern brook trout) Brook Trouts are chars, a kind of trout with very fine scales and light-colored spots Lives in streams ,creeks, lakes ,and ponds olor = green &brown Brook trouts have a rounded snout and a large mouth and the lower part of their mouth is pointed. They have a square tail The fish appears a darker shade on the top, its stomach is reddish or orange colored. In adult males, it is redder than other fish Length: 10-12 inches The weight of a brook trout can be anything between 10 oz. to 7 lb. The recorded maximum weight of a brook trout is 14.5 lb. The average lifespan of a brook trout is 4-7 years. Where they live: Eastern Canada and Great Lakes region south to Georgia. Introduced in western U.S These fish mostly live in clear freshwater streams, lakes, springs and rivers. Eastern brook trout facts say that the presence of this fish is an indication that the water is clear. Another interesting fact about brook trout is that these fish are never found in areas where development is seen. They are found mostly in mountainous areas because they prefer clean environment and cannot survive in polluted conditions. The brook trout is a popular game fish with anglers, particularly fly fishermen. Raised for food for humans Brook trouts feed on mostly insects that are found in water. But they also tend to eat other aquatic creatures like baby aquatic snakes, small fish, mollusk, fry, spiders, crustaceans, tadpoles, etc. Human beings are the major predators of brook trouts as these fish are fished for food. Other larger fish also eat the brook trouts. Brook trout can reproduce once they are a year old. They spawnbetween September and December. Brook trout can sometimes mate /mix or hybridize with other kinds of fishto form newer species like the tiger trout (hybrid between brown trout and brook trout) and splake (hybrid between lake trout and brook trout). One of the fun facts about brook trout is that at a single time, a female brook trout lays thousands of eggs. The eggs are usually laid in cold water streams. The eggs of a brook trout are incubated throughout winter. They hatch in the spring season.

y y y