SUNAPEE TROUT 



Salvelinus aiireolus Bean 



Sunapee trout and blueback trout are very closely related. Dis- 

 tinguishing characters are diilicult to find, and at least one competent 

 ichthyologist believes that they are the same fish and that both should 

 be included as populations of the Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus. At the 

 present time the Sunapee, or golden trout, is found only in Floods Pond 

 in Otis. Years ago these fish were known from Jordan Pond on Mount 

 Desert Island and from Green Lake, and may also have been present in 

 Harriman and Branch Lakes. 



The Sunapee trout is much like the lake trout (togue) in behavior. 

 They move into shallow gravelly areas along the shore or over bars to 

 spawn. No nest is prepared and spawning fish move about in groups. 

 There is no parental care of eggs or young. 



New Hampshire has been culturing and studying the Sunapee for 

 several years and reports hybrids between the Sunapee and lake trout. 

 During the spawning period both fishes are taken from the same areas. 

 Discovery of these New Hampshire hybrids makes our Floods Pond 

 population the only positively pure one. 



Floods Pond is a 654 acre lake with a maximum depth of 1 33 feet. 

 Salmon and brook trout are also present in the lake. In the interests 

 of preserving our only population of Sunapee trout no stocking of other 

 fishes is recommended. Good catches of Sunapee trout are taken by 

 fishermen who know the pond and are willing to fish deep. 



The following ages and lengths were recorded from 24 specimens: 



Age 



2 3 4 5 6 



Total length 6.0 9.8 12.7 16.4 19.5 



(inches) 



49 



