Publication Abstract

The influence of pre-stocking feeding levels on the catchability of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss in a small fishery

M.G. Pawson and C.E. Purdom

The effects of different pre-stocking feeding levels on the subsequent catchability of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), were investigated in a 12-ha put-and-take fishery. Two sibling batches of Winthrop strain were fed high or low rations of a pelleted diet to produce similar sized, but recently fast- and slow-growing fish. Each batch was given a distinctive dye mark. Anglers' catch records showed that although the "slow-growing" fish were significantly the more easy to catch during the first week after stocking, over the remaining 5 months of the fishing season there was little difference in catchability between batches. This suggests that previous observations of sustained between-strain differences were not the result of selection of fast- and slow-growing per se, but were probably genetically determined.

Reference:

M.G. Pawson and C.E. Purdom, 1991. The influence of pre-stocking feeding levels on the catchability of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss in a small fishery. Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, 22: 105-111.