EASTERN BROOK TROUT 



Salvelinus jontinalis (Mitchill) 



Keith A. Havey 



Regional Fishery Biologist 



The brook trout is a native of Maine with an original distribution 

 northward into Labrador, southward along the Appalachian Mountains 

 into Georgia, and westward to some of the northern headwaters of the 

 Mississippi River. Beauty of the species and its attractiveness to anglers 

 have prompted man to distribute it over much of the world. 



Brook trout are truly coldwater fish. In Maine they are never 

 abundant in habitats that do not provide some water where temperatures 

 are less than 60-65 F. In shallow ponds this coldwater area may be 

 provided by one or more bottom springs or at the mouth of a permanent, 

 cold spring tributary. In streams it is often furnished by small spring 

 feeders. 



Of all the coldwater fishes, brook trout may well be the least 

 tolerant of competing fishes. It appears to thrive best in waters no other 

 fishes inhabit. This fact has been utilized in stocking the reclaimed 

 ponds that have met v/ith so much success in Maine and in many other 

 states in recent years. 



In coastal areas of its range, brook trout sometimes frequent salt 

 or brackish water. Fish exhibiting this trait are known to anglers as 

 "salters" or "sea-run trout." 



Brook trout are a relatively short-lived fish. Age studies over a 

 wide area of North America, including Maine, have demonstrated that 

 brook trout more than three or four years of age are relatively rare. 

 Individuals as old as seven years are occasionally taken but two- and 

 three-year-old fish make up the bulk of angler's catches. 



Growth varies depending on habitat. A four-year-old trout in- 

 habiting a perpetually cold spring brook may be no more than six inches 

 in length and weigh only an ounce or so. A trout of the same age in- 

 habiting a relatively rich lake habitat may be 15 to 20 inches in length 

 and weigh as much as four pounds. The following table lists lengths of 

 Maine brook trout at different ages. The figures are primarily from 

 brook trout caotured in lakes. 



Total length 

 (inches) 



Brook trout are normally mature at an age of two years, but size 

 at maturity depends upon growth rate. In cold mountain brooks, trout 

 may spawn at three to four inches. In other more productive habitats 

 they may be 12 to 14 inches in length before maturing. 



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