The brook trout is a freshwater fish that belongs to the salmon family. With a scientific name of Salvelinus fontinalis, the brook trout is also called speckled trout. It is the official fish of West Virginia and New york. It is also the only native trout to the Chesapeake Bay watershed's small lakes, rivers, and freshwater streams. Its preferred habitats are cold, oxygenated waters that are clear and highly pure.
The brook trout is vulnerable to low oxygen levels, pollution, and pH changes brought on by external factors like acid rain. It may retire to greater depths in the daytime, although it is affected by scorching summer.
The brook trout is deep-bodied. Depending on the location, the brook trout has different colors. It has dark, wavy, distorted worm-like lines on its fins and white leading margins, including the tail, and a reddish or orange tint on the stomach. The distinct color on the body of the brook trout is a special characteristic that sets them apart from other trout family members.
Along the flanks is a characteristic scattering of red dots encircled by blue haloes. During reproduction, the red or orange stomach turns brighter, especially for males. It has a scaleless skull, a broad mouth, and a rounded snout.
The normal size of this species is 9 to 10 inches long. However, some of the biggest brook trout can reach a maximum length of 12 inches. Generally, the size varies widely depending on certain factors like water temperature, competition from other fish, or food supplies. The brook trout can live for up to seven years, though only some survive to age four in the wild waters.
The reproduction season of the brook trout takes place in the autumn, usually between October to November. The female brook trout builds a nest with her tail in a clean, sandy part of the stream bank. The shallow nest, the female, creates is sometimes called a redd. After securing the nest, the female brook trout then deposits eggs inside. The female covers the fertilized eggs with a heap of sand after the male fertilizes them. The eggs hatch for about 95 to 100 days in the early spring after incubating the winter. Brook trout have a two to three-year maturation period.
Furthermore, the brook trout is a predatory species with a varied diet. It can consume various invertebrates that fall into its habitat. These insects are stoneflies, larval and pupal tadpoles. They can also consume small fish and small water snakes they find around.
The general population of the brook trout does not have so many threats. However, factors such as flood, drought, or overfishing significantly impact the brook trout population. Additionally, the populations of this species may also be threatened by overfishing and other predatory fish. It is normally caught by fishermen using wax worms, grasshoppers, or fish eggs as bait using spin casting or still fishing. Anglers can also use strip baits of minnows and fly larvae as bait.
The brook trout are at risk because non-native fish that have been placed in ponds and streams for fishermen are frequently more aggressive and predatory than native fish. Non-native fish such as northern water snakes, bigger fish, birds, or snapping turtles are some of the predators of brook trout.
