Factors influencing the yield of brown trout, Salmo trutta m. lacustris L., in northern Finnish lakes

Abstract Lake-to-lake variation in brown trout, Salmo trutta m. lacustris L., yield from stocking was examined in 34 lakes in northern Finland. The trout were mainly stocked as 2–3-year-old fish. Catch statistics were compiled with information on water quality, water level fluctuations, fishing effort and lake geomorphology. Absolute brown trout yields (kgha^-1) increased with increasing stocking rate, but there was an indication of non-linearity at higher stocking densities. Relative yields (kg per thousand trout released) were highest at low stocking rates. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine the best predictive model for lake-to-lake variability in brown trout yields. Seventeen measured regressands were used initially, and then replaced with scores obtained in a principal component analysis of highly correlated water quality variables and species-specific fish yields. Three major determinants of brown trout yields in these lakes were found in both analyses: fish community, stocking rate and fishing effort. Brown trout yields from stocking were higher in lakes with proportionally high yields of vendace or vendace and whitefish and proportionally low yields of pike.