Competitive interactions between native and exotic salmonids: a combined field and laboratory demonstration

Abstract –  We studied the impact of two exotic salmonid species (brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis and rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss ) on native brown trout ( Salmo trutta fario ) habitat, growth and survival. Habitat selection and vertical distribution between young-of-the-year of the three species were examined in a stream aquarium under different sympatric and allopatric combinations. In addition, similar species combinations were introduced in a Pyrenean mountain stream (southwest France) in order to extend laboratory results to growth and apparent survival. Both laboratory and field results indicated that rainbow trout significantly affected native brown trout habitat selection and apparent survival. On the contrary, brown trout habitat, growth and apparent survival were hardly affected by brook trout. These results support the idea that rainbow trout negatively influence native brown trout, and that competition could influence the outcome of fish biological invasions in freshwater ecosystems.     

Sanguinicola fontinalis sp nov. (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae): a blood parasite of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), and longnose dace, Rhinichthys cataractae (Valenciennes)

Abstract. Sanguinicola fontinalis sp. nov., from the branchial, renal and cardiac blood vessels of brook trout. Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), and longnose dace, Rhinichthys cataractae (Valenciennes), is described. The new species most closely resembles, hut differs from, Sanguinicola davisi of steelhead and rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson. The adult differs from all known North American species in having 29–33 lateral tufts of blunt spines. The snail host is Leptoxis (Mudalia) carinata (Bruquière, 1792). Lodged and migrating miracidia caused considerable gill damage in the brook trout, resulting in high mortality when the fish were moved. To remove the hazard, the most severely affected brook trout were destroyed and the ponds drained and disinfected. Adult worms from Pennsylvania brook trout and West Virginia longnose dace were studied, as well as infected snails.     

Virulence of Flavobacterium branchiophilum in experimentally infected salmonids

Abstract. The ability of selected strains of Flavobacterium branchiophilum to attach to and colonize the gills of five species of teleosts (four salmonid and one cyprinid) and cause mortality was investigated. In virulence studies with F. branchiophilum strain LAB4a, cumulative mortality was dose-dependent in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), and ranged from 0 to 75%. However, regardless of dose, the relative amount of gill-associated F. branchiophilum antigen increased 1 h after challenge. The gill-associated F. branchiophilum antigen in fish which survived (moribund fish) increased by four to six times compared to that detected on the gills 1 h after challenge. The gill-associated antigen on moribund fish was not significantly different from that on the gills of dead fish. Flavobacterium branchiophilum strain LAB4a also attached to the gills of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell), rainbow trout, chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), and common shiners, Luxilus cornutus (Mitchell), following a 1-h bath exposure, and caused mortality in all species. The virulence of eight strains of F. branchiophilum for rainbow trout was examined. Both virulent and avirulent strains adhered to the gills following bath exposure (fimbriae were observed on all strains), but only virulent strains had the capacity to further colonize the gills and cause mortality.     

Comparisons of growth and condition of fluvial and resident brook trout within partially migratory populations

Abstract  In partially migratory salmonid populations, growth and condition of migratory fish may be different than that of residents. To ascertain if a similar phenomenon exists in fluvial brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell), populations, the growth and condition of fluvial and resident brook trout was measured in four Appalachian stream networks. Sites were sampled during summer, cohorts separated via scale analysis and differences in length and condition were investigated. Age-1 and -2 fluvial fish were significantly longer ( P  <   0.001) than residents of the same cohort. Additionally, age-2 fluvial fish had significantly greater condition ( P  <   0.005) than resident fish of the same cohort. This suggests that the use of spatially segregated resources can result in growth and condition advantages. However, potentially greater rates of mortality as suggested by low abundance in main stem sites may limit the fitness advantages of this energetically profitable, but ultimately risky, behaviour.     

Brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), and cryptobiosis: a potential salmonid reservoir host for Cryptobia salmositica Katz, 1951

Abstract. Laboratory-raised Cryptobia -susceptible brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), and rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), were vaccinated intraperitoneally with a live Cryptobia salmositica vaccine (250000 parasites per fish), and 4 weeks later were challenged with the pathogen (250000 parasites per fish). Unvaccinated and infected brook charr had high parasitaemias but no clinical signs of disease, while unvaccinated and infected rainbow trout had anaemia and general oedema. Vaccinated and challenged fish had very low parasitaemias compared to unvaccinated and infected brook charr and rainbow trout. Complement fixing antibodies were detected in vaccinated and challenged fish 2 weeks after challenge. Unvaccinated and infected brook charr had consistently higher litres of complement fixing antibody than unvaccinated and infected rainbow trout. Parasitaemias were lower in all fish in which titres of complement fixing antibody were high. In a second experiment, brook charr inoculated intraperitoneally or intramuscularly with 100000 C. salmositica per fish had high parasitaemias but no anaemia or other clinical signs. The results show that susceptible brook charr do not suffer from cryptobiosis and may serve as reservoir hosts for C. salmositica in areas where the disease is prevalent. Vaccination to reduce the parasitaemia when fish become infected may be a control strategy in these areas.     

Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, microhabitat selection and diet under low summer stream flows

Abstract  This study investigated the effects of low summer discharge on habitat, prey use and prey availability for age 1 brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), in two small streams in Massachusetts, USA. Stream discharge declined substantially from June to August, with corresponding decreases in microhabitat depth and velocity; but fish habitat preferences were consistent throughout the summer, with fish selecting deep, low current velocity locations. Invertebrate drift rate, drift density and trout stomach fullness were significantly greater in June than August samples. Diets were dominated by aquatic-derived prey (chironomid larvae and adult blackflies) in June, but terrestrial invertebrates were the most frequent diet items in August. Consistent occupancy of low-velocity, deep microhabitats with low invertebrate flux rates indicated that, despite variation in habitat and prey conditions, trout adopted a habitat-use strategy of minimising risks and energy costs rather than maximising forage gain. This observation is consistent with, and provides a potential explanation for, the low summer growth rates of brook trout observed in small streams.     

Spatial and temporal variation in brook trout and brown trout proportional stock densities in Wisconsin streams

Abstract  Proper interpretation of measures used to describe fish populations requires knowledge of the measure's inherent spatial and temporal variation. Proportional stock density (PSD), the ratio of 'quality-length' fish to 'stock-length' fish multiplied by 100, is commonly used as a measure of population size structure; PSD values range from 0 to 100. Spatial and temporal variation in brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), and brown trout Salmo trutta L., PSD scores in Wisconsin are described and tested to determine if variation differed by stream order and ecoregion. Neither stream order nor ecoregion significantly affected variation of PSD scores. The mean standard deviation of PSD scores over time at a site was 12.49 for brook trout populations and 12.95 for brown trout populations. The mean standard deviation of PSD scores between sites in the same stream was 15.07 for brook trout populations and 12.50 for brown trout populations. Sampling frequency required to characterise a PSD score of a single population of trout in Wisconsin streams with a degree of precision equal to the amount of observed temporal variation is approximately 14 sites for brook trout and 20 sites for brown trout.     

Effects of non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) on threatened juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in an Idaho stream

Macneale KH, Sanderson BL, Courbois J-YP, Kiffney PM. Effects of non-native brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) on threatened juvenile Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) in an Idaho stream.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 139–152. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S
Abstract –  Non-native fishes have been implicated in the decline of native species, yet the mechanisms responsible are rarely apparent. To examine how non-native brook trout may affect threatened juvenile Chinook salmon, we compared feeding behaviours and aggressive encounters between these sympatric fish in Summit Creek, Idaho. Snorkelers observed 278 focal fish and examined diets from 27 fish in late summer 2003. Differences in feeding behaviours and diets suggest that there was minimal current competition for prey, although individual Chinook feeding activity declined as their encounter rate with other fish increased. While difference in size between fish generally determined the outcome of encounters (larger fish 'winning'), it was surprising that in some interspecific encounters aggressive Chinook displaced slightly larger brook trout (≤20 mm longer). We suggest that in late summer, frequent intraspecific interactions may be more important than interspecific interactions in potentially limiting Chinook growth in Summit Creek and perhaps in other oligotrophic streams where they co-occur.     

Growth and salinity tolerance in hybrids within Salmo sp. and Salvelinus sp.

Attempts were made to complete all possible interspecific hybrid crosses between Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Survival was appreciable only in (giving female first) lake × brook, salmon × char, brook × char and char × brook hybrids. Growth rates over a weight increment of 3–30 g averaged 2.14% wet weight/day for all species and hybrids (14.5–17.0°C — excess rations). The highest growth rate, 2.74%, was obtained with the brook (female) × char (male) hybrid and the lowest, 1.63%, in lake trout. Salmon (female) × char (male) hybrids grew faster than salmon; brook trout (female) × char (male) hybrids grew faster than brook trout. Salmo species grew no faster than Salvelinus species but became silvery and had greater salinity tolerance at a smaller size and earlier age. Intergeneric hybrids between female Salmo spp. and male Salvelinus spp. more closely resembled the female parent in processes related to smoltification (silvering and salinity tolerance).     

Loma salmonae (Putz, Hoffman and Dunbar, 1965) in the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, and L. fontinalis sp. nov. (Microsporida) in the brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill)

Abstract. Loma salmonae (Putz, Hoffman and Dunbar, 1965), Morrison & Sprague, 1981, in the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, was studied with the electron microscope. It is morphologically very similar to L. morhua Morrison and Sprague, 1981, in the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., having only minor differences. Loma sp. Morrison and Sprague, 1981, in the brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), is more like L. salmonae than the other species of Loma , but was deemed to be distinct. It was named L. fontinalis sp. nov.     

The susceptibility of salmonid fish to an atypical strain of Aeromonas salmonicida that infects goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.), in Australia

Abstract. An enzootic, Australian, atypical strain of Aeromonas salmonicida isolated from diseased goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.), was inoculated into Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., brown trout, S. trutta L., rainbow trout, S. gairdneri Richardson, and brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), fingerlings by intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) and by bath challenge, the latter with and without prior abrasion of skin. The 10-day LD₅₀ (i.p.) was estimated to be 7·4 × 10^-3 colony forming units (cfu) for Atlantic salmon, 3·0 × 10^-2 cfu for brown trout, 3·7 × 10² cfu for brook trout and 6·4 × 10³ cfu for rainbow trout. Brown, rainbow and brook trout succumbed to bath challenges with between 10⁵–10⁶ cfu/ml, developing ulcers of the skin and septicaemia. The organism was trasmitted from inoculated fish to five of 195 within-tank control fish via water and established a carrier state in one of 14 Atlantic salmon. It was concluded that the organism poses a significant threat to the salmonid farming industry and wild salmonid fisheries in Australia.     

Are native brook charr and introduced rainbow trout differentially adapted to upstream and downstream reaches?

Abstract— Due to species introductions, brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) occur together in many North American streams and typically exhibit a pattern of distribution in which brook charr numerically dominate headwaters and rainbow trout dominate downstream reaches. It has been suggested that 1) the two species compete or 2) the two species do not compete because they are differentially adapted to environmental conditions found in upstream and downstream zones. We assessed whether there were differences in growth and macrohabitat (pool, run and riffle) selection of brook charr and rainbow trout in upper, middle and lower stream zones of a small Pennsylvania stream. Brook charr and rainbow trout placed in replicate paired enclosures set in upstream and downstream reaches showed no significant differences in growth and survival rates upstream, but brook charr had significantly greater growth rates than rainbow trout downstream. Enclosed fish and free-ranging fish both had negative growth rates during the summer. Enclosed fish lost significantly less weight than free-ranging fish. Instantaneous growth rates of free-ranging adult brook charr and rainbow trout from May to August were negative for both species in all stream zones. Underwater observations of adult brook charr and rainbow trout showed both species occurred significantly more often in pool macrohabitats than expected on the basis of macrohabitat availability, except for rainbow trout in the upstream zone. The proportion of pool macrohabitat was not significantly different among stream zones. Brook charr do not appear to be better adapted to upstream environments in Powdermill Run based on growth, survival and macrohabitat selection during summer. Negative biotic interactions acting along with differential environmental adaptations may explain the pattern of distribution of brook charr and rainbow trout in streams, but long-term transplant experiments with additional life stages will be necessary to examine this hypothesis.     

A bacterium with similarities to the redmouth bacterium and Serratia liquefaciens (Grimes and Hennerty) causing mortalities in hatchery reared salmonids in Australia

Abstract. Blood spots in the eye and haemorrhages in the musculature of the caudal peduncle were the main indication of disease in Australian hatchery reared brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill) and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. Mortalities of 0·1-0·5% per day occurred for 3–4 weeks in fish stocked in circular ponds in the months of February and March when temperatures were falling from 23–11·C. The bacterium belonging to the Family Enterobacteriaceae had similarities with Yersinia ruckeri (the RM bacterium) and Serratia liquefaciens . As a temporary designation SBS was used. It is recommended that its taxonomic position remain sub judice for the present. Inoculation experiments on brook trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon indicated that signs appeared 2–7 days after inoculation and that rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri Richardson were resistant to the disease.     

The life cycle of Henneguya nuesslini Schuberg & Schroder, 1905 (Myxozoa) involves a triactinomyxon-type actinospore

The life cycle of the histozoic myxozoan parasite Henneguya nuesslini was investigated in two salmonid host species. Naive brown trout, Salmo trutta, and brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, were experimentally infected in two trials by triactinomyxon type actinospores from naturally infected Tubifex tubifex. In exposed common carp, Cyprinus carpio, no myxospore production was detected. The parasite formed cysts with mature myxospores in the connective tissue of the fish 102 days post-exposure. The morphology of both actinosporean and myxosporean stages was described by light microscopy and a 1417-bp fragment of the 18S rDNA gene was sequenced. Sequence analysis confirmed the absolute congruence of the two developmental stages and assisted in determining species identity. Host range, tissue specificity and myxospore measurements provided sufficiently distinctive features to confirm species validity and were thus crucial for identification. The triactinomyxon spores had 16 secondary germ cells, unique dimensions, a very opaque sporoplasm matrix and three conspicuously protruding, pyriform polar capsules. This is the first record of a Henneguya sp. life cycle with a triactinomyxon-type actinospore, which suggests a close relationship with the Myxobolus group and a polyphyletic origin of the genus Henneguya.     

A Survey of Trout Fin Erosion, Water Quality, and Rearing Conditions at State Fish Hatcheries in Utah

A total of 600 hatchery trout were examined for signs of fin erosion including rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss , cutthroat trout O. clarki , brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta . A scoring system was used to evaluate erosion on all fins from 20 fish samples. Water quality and hatchery rearing variables were also determined for corresponding raceways or ponds. For rainbow trout groups ( N = 24), stepwise multiple linear regression was used to interpret the relationship between fin erosion and the other variables. These fish groups averaged between 92 and 243 mm in total length and no significant correlation was observed between length and a fin erosion index ( r = 0.045). The best-fit regression model (adjusted R² = 0.689) suggested that fin erosion was correlated with lower alkalinities, unnatural bottom substrates (concrete or steel), higher unionized ammonia levels, and higher fish densities. Despite significant variation between hatcheries, fin condition was significantly better in rainbow trout than in cutthroat trout in three of four hatcheries containing both species and the same substrate. Fin erosion in rainbow trout occurred primarily on dorsal fins, followed in order of decreasing severity, by pectoral, caudal, anal, and ventral fins.     

Association of brook trout and Oncorhynchus spp. with large wood jams in a Lake Superior tributary in a northern old‐growth watershed

Wood in streams functions as fish habitat, but relationships between fish abundance (or size) and large wood in streams are not consistent. One possible reason for variable relationships between fish and wood in streams is that the association of fish with wood habitat may depend on ecological context such as large‐scale geomorphology. We studied the relationship between salmonid assemblages and large wood jams (LWJ) in four settings that differed geomorphically at the scale of the stream corridor along a tributary to Lake Superior in old‐growth conifer–hardwood forest in northern Michigan. The focal fish species of this study were brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), which were wild in the stream. Relocation efforts for coaster brook trout (an adfluvial life history variant of brook trout) were ongoing in the study stream. We measured fish abundance and length in pairs of pools of similar size and substrate, but varying in the presence of LWJ; this allowed us to evaluate associations of fish simply with the presence of LWJ rather than with other channel or flow‐shaping functions of LWJ. The length of Oncorhynchus spp. and young introduced brook trout was not strongly correlated with LWJ presence; however, the presence of LWJ in pools was positively correlated with larger wild brook trout. We also found that the correspondence of LWJ with the abundance of salmonids appears to be moderated by the presence of alternative habitat in this relatively natural, old‐growth forest stream.     

The occurrence of proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in cultured and wild fish: further investigations

Abstract. In an investigation of the occurrence of proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in freshwater fish other than rainbow trout, 18 species of wild fish and seven species of fish raised in cultivation wore sampled from waters where the disease occurred annually in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Richardson). Results revealed that certain wild stocks of brown trout. Salmo trutta L., grayling, Thymallus thymallus L., and pike, Esox lucius L., were infected with PKD, as were cultivated Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., parr, brown trout and char, Salvelinus alpinus (L.). Microscopical examination revealed the presence of the PKX cell in these species and also intraluminal protozoa possibly related to the PKX cell, which were not found in the rainbow trout. Other species of freshwater fish had myxosporidan infections but, unlike PKD infection, there was little host/parasite tissue response. The PKX cell as a myxosporidan stage is discussed and the presence of the disease in wild fish is reported.     

Movements of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., parr and brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), in lakes, and their impact on single-census population estimation

Three small Newfoundland lakes were fished to estimate the population sizes of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., parr and brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), and to study within-lake movements of the species. The whole shoreline of the lakes was seined, the catches in different sections were recorded separately and the fish were given different marks. Estimates for the lakes derived from different subareas were constantly lower than the estimate derived by using the data from the whole shoreline. If estimates of the different sub-areas were extrapolated according to their proportion of the shoreline, they were positively biased, and showed higher variance. Significant correlations between the movement rates and the accuracy of sub-area population estimates and recapture rates were found. Validation of the assumption of random mixing of marked and unmarked fish, when a spatially stratified sampling is carried out, is emphasized.     

Stable isotope evaluation of population‐ and individual‐level diet variability in a large,oligotrophic lake with non‐native lake trout

Non‐native piscivores can alter food web dynamics; therefore, evaluating interspecific relationships is vital for conservation and management of ecosystems with introduced fishes. Priest Lake, Idaho, supports a number of introduced species, including lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, brook trout S. fontinalis and opossum shrimp Mysis diluviana. In this study, we used stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) to describe the food web structure of Priest Lake and to test hypotheses about apparent patterns in lake trout growth. We found that isotopic niches of species using pelagic‐origin carbon did not overlap with those using more littoral‐origin carbon. Species using more littoral‐origin carbon, such as brook trout and westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, exhibited a high degree of isotopic niche overlap and high intrapopulation variability in resource use. Although we hypothesised that lake trout would experience an ontogenetic diet shift, no such patterns were apparent in isotopic signatures. Lake trout growth rates were not associated with patterns in δ¹⁵N, indicating that variation in adult body composition may not be related to adult diet. Understanding trophic relationships at both the individual and species levels provides a more complete understanding of food webs altered by non‐native species.     

A Comparison of the Performance of American Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchell) and Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson) Reared in Fish Farm Ponds and Freshwater Floating Net Cages

Following an upsurge in the interest to anglers of American brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) an investigation was carried out in 1978 and 1979 into their growth and survival when reared in fish farm earth ponds and freshwater floating cages. Their performance was compared with similarly reared batches of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). This work shows that American brook trout require more care and attention than rainbow trout when reared artificially and that their survival to 1 year old is lower, although growth rate in the first year compares favourably.