 |
| The average size of a Brown Trout is 40 cm and it weighs
less than 1 kg. Their maximum size is 90 cm and weighing 14 kg in
Australia and they are 140 cm and weigh 20 kg in Europe. Brown Trout
may live for up to 12 years. |
Brown Trout were introduced to Australia in 1864. They are native to
Europe and to western Asia. In the Basin they are found mainly in cooler
waters, in mountain streams above 600 m from northern New South Wales
to Victoria, and in lakes and dams in lower areas. They are found in
coastal estuaries,
but not the Coorong. They are also found in Tasmania and Western Australia.
|
 |
IN THE PAST
Brown Trout were introduced in 1864 and they spread by migration and
them being stocked in
to streams lakes and dams. |
TODAY
Brown Trout remain abundant. They breed in the wild and they are
regularly stocked to maintain populations. |
|
 |
 |
 |
| MOUNTAINS |
LAKES AND DAMS |
Brown Trout are found in mountain streams, lakes and dams
in lower areas where the summer water temperature is less than
25°C.
|
 |
 |
 |
| SHALLOWS & BARS |
RIFFLES & RAPIDS |
| Brown Trout prefer cool, well-oxygenated water that has
a moderate to swift flow. They need gravel bars with good water movement
in order to spawn. |
MATING
Male Brown Trout mature at
2-3 years and females when they are 3 years old. The female makes a series
of holes in the stream bed. The male joins the female above the small
hole and eggs and sperm are released. The eggs settle in the little holes
and are covered with gravel by the female. |
SPAWNING
Brown Trout migrate upstream to spawn in August-October (winter
and early spring). They spawn only when the depth and flow of the water
over gravel bars or patches are enough. |
EGGS
Brown Trout eggs are large being 4-5 mm in diameter. 500-3000
eggs are released in each little hole (or 'redd'), and they take 6-20
weeks to develop, depending on the water temperature. Eggs die if the
oxygen supply is not enough. |
JUVENILES
Juvenile Brown
Trout are outgoing and adventurous, but soon like being on their own
and they look after their little territory in first two years. They move
to deeper water after about one year. |
| Brown Trout eat a wide variety of aquatic crustaceans, molluscs,
insects, and small fish (including native fish), as well as land insects
that fall from overhanging vegetation. |
 |
| Brown Trout move upstream into small tributaries and
feeder streams to spawn. This is triggered by a rise in the water level.
Brown Trout always return to the general location that they came from
after spawning. Juvenile Brown Trout have home areas of about 370 metres
of a river while older fish have smaller home areas of about 60 metres. |
|
 |
 |
IN THE PAST
Brown Trout were introduced in 1864 for recreational fishing.
There has never been a commercial industry
based on wild Brown Trout. |
TODAY
Brown Trout are currently not commercially fished. |
 |
IN THE PAST
Brown Trout has been a popular species for fishers since it was introduced
into Australia. |
TODAY
Brown Trout are one of the most popular recreational fish throughout
south-eastern Australia. |
 |
LEGAL SIZES
Sometimes there are limits on the size of Brown Trout that can
be caught.
| ACT: |
At least 25 cm in length |
| NSW: |
At least 25 cm in length |
| Qld.: |
Not found |
| SA: |
At least 28 cm in length |
| Vic.: |
At least 30 cm in length |
|
CATCH LIMITS
Sometimes there are limits on the number of Brown Trout that can
be caught.
| ACT: |
A limit of 5 fish |
| NSW: |
A limit of 2-10 fish, depending on fishing location |
| Qld.: |
Not found |
| SA: |
None |
| Vic.: |
A limit of 5-10 fish, depending on fishing location |
|
CLOSED SEASONS
Sometimes Brown Trout can only be caught at certain times of the
year.
| ACT: |
The season is closed after the long weekend in
June to before the October long weekend. |
| NSW: |
The season is the same for the ACT, but some rivers are closed
all year. |
| Vic.: |
The closed season depends on location. |
|
BAIT
Brown Trout are caught using lures and
flies. In New South Wales the prohibited baits include live fish, frogs
and trout or salmon roe (or products containing them). Fishing gear restrictions
apply in New South Wales and Victoria. |
 |
| WATER FLOW |
| Reduced water flow can cause the river to silt up,
smothering and killing of Brown Trout eggs. |
 |
| FISH MOVEMENT |
| Dams and weirs create barriers to Brown Trout spawning migrations in
the rivers. |
 |
| FISHING |
| Because of the popularity of Brown Trout as a species that fishers like,
there is the potential for Brown Trout to be overfished. |
REMEDIES?
There are government and private Brown Trout hatcheries in
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia
that breed Brown Trout juveniles for stocking streams, lakes and dams. Young
fish are produced by large-scale aquaculture techniques,
but adults are kept mainly as breeding stock. Brown Trout also breed in
the wild. |
MANAGEMENT PLANS
Brown Trout, like their introduced relative Rainbow Trout, have become
a very popular introduced fish and a significant part of the recreational
fishing industry in the Basin. Most fishers want to continue to catch and
eat this species. However, fish ecologists now
recognise that this fish (and other members of its family) may out-compete
the native species
for their habitat and
food.
Additionally, the release of cold water from dams has made conditions
in some areas more suitable for trout than for other native species
of fish. Ecologists think it will be difficult for some native species
to recover to
their former numbers while there are Brown Trout in the waterways
of the Basin.
One management action that may assist native species involves a more
careful selection of areas where Brown Trout are stocked. By selecting
certain areas where existing stocks can be fished out and then closing
them to further stocking, native species of fish may begin to recover.
Another helpful management action involves altering dams so that they
release warmer water from the surface, rather than cold, poorly-oxygenated
water from the middle or bottom of the dam. |
|
