Diel Movement of Brown Trout in a Southern Appalachian River

Abstract

Radio telemetry was used to monitor the diel movement of 22 brown trout Salmo trutta (268–446 mm in total length, TL) in the Chattooga River watershed. Forty‐seven diel tracks, locating individuals once per hour for 24 consecutive hours, were collected for four consecutive seasons. High variability in movement both within and among individual brown trout resulted in similar seasonal means in total distance moved, diel range, and displacement. The majority of fish moved a total distance of less than 80 m within a diel range of less than 80 m and had a displacement of less than 10 m. Brown trout were more likely to occur in pool habitat independent of season or period of the day. Hourly movement patterns differed among seasons. During the winter and fall, trout moved only around sunrise; during the spring, they moved around sunrise, sunset, and intermittently throughout the night. Large brown trout (>375 mm, TL) were found to move greater total distances and establish wider diel ranges than small brown trout. Overall, most brown trout exhibited restricted diel movement within a single riffle–pool or run–pool sequence.

Combining Radio and PIT-Telemetry to Study the Large and Fine-Scale Movements of Stocked and Wild Brown Trout (Salmo trutta L.) in a Northeastern Stream, Portugal

“…However, caution should therefore be taken in the interpretation of this result since only two fish were considered in the exploratory experiment. Nevertheless, the limited movement exhibited by native fish was also identified in several studies (Knouft & Jutila, 2002;Maia, 2003), although, as referred by Bunnel et al (1998), it may be function of the size of the habitat that provides adequate feeding and resting zones. These authors mentioned that brown trout movement varied among individuals of a same population, but most fish moved within a single continuous riffle/run-pool sequence in a diel cycle.…”

“…H.R. mentioned in the literature corresponded to resident trout and, because these fishes have a consistent fidelity to their home range or territory (Bunnel et al, 1998), it would be expected that non-resident fish, like stocked trout used in this study, had a superior mobility justifying greater dispersal, distance moved and home range, either in seasonal and diel scale analyses. Probably the dry climate during 2005 and the low discharge observed linked to high water temperatures recorded during the initial post-stocking period have restricted the movement of stocked fish.…”

“…Stocked trout were shown to be more active during the day periods than during the night period in the Baceiro stream and can be related to the feeding habits acquired in the fishfarms. Brown trout is a visual feeder and the foraging efficiency decreases as light intensity declines (Fraser & Metcalfe, 1997;Klemetsen, 2003), but nocturnal (Clapp et al, 1990) and crepuscular (Bunnel et al, 1998) feeding patterns were also reported. However, the tendency of stocked trout in the Baceiro stream must be confirmed in complete (24 h) diel cycles.…”

Influence of Incision Location on Transmitter Loss, Healing, Incision Lengths, Suture Retention, and Growth of Juvenile Chinook Salmon

“…The effects of temperature on wound healing and transmitter expulsion should be considered because healing rates are temperature mediated (Anderson and Roberts 1975) and temperature may influence transmitter expulsion (Knights and Lasee 1996;Bunnell et al 1998;Bunnell and Isely 1999). Because fish are poikilotherms, their physiology, immune function, and rates of healing are influenced by environmental temperature (Anderson and Roberts 1975;Le Morvan et al 1998).…”

Habitat De La Truite Commune (Salmo Trutta L.) Pendant La Période Juvénile en Ruisseau : Préférences, Mouvements, Variations Journalières Et Saisonnières.

“…A ce titre, elle peut être considérée comme une unité fonctionnelle d'habitat pour le juvénile. On notera que BUNNELL et al (1998) ont également montré l'existence de déplacements nycthéméraux entre radier et profond chez l'adulte, grâce à des techniques de radio-pistage. D'une manière générale, nos résultats soulignent l'importance de l'hétérogénéité de l'habitat dans les petits cours d'eau à truites.…”