Environmental factors and life histories of isolated river stocks of brown trout (Salmo trutta m. fario) in Søre Osa river system, Norway

Synopsis

The brown trout in the Søre Osa river system are isolated from the lake above by a dam. They are generally of a small size, but their condition coefficient is high. They reach sexual maturity at an early age and have a short life span. The substratum in the Søre Osa mainly consists of large stones covered with a dense mossy vegetation that creates good fish cover. A high biomass of zoobenthos gives an adequate food supply throughout the year. The trout spawn mainly in tributaries, where the water level is unpredictable, some years being too low to permit successful spawning for the migrating individuals in the stock. The life history of these fish depends on the amount of food available in the habitat and on reproduction in unstable environments where density-independent mortality factors appear important. Many young migrate to the main stream during their first year. In the tributaries, there is an excess of resident males and it is hypothesized that a population structure with small resident males and large migratory males is maintained by partial inbreeding and kin selection. In the main stream the trout are larger and they have higher growth rates in the upper part than farther downstream. This is probably so because the food particles that are flushed down from the lake above provide a better supply of zoobenthic food.