Establishing and maintaining the trout fishery at Rutland Water

Abstract

Rutland Water was stocked with trout in 1975 after removing the existing fish populations . Growth and survival of rainbow and brown trout are compared with the reservoir's filling regime, and re-colonisation by other fish species is described . The use of angler success as an indicator of fish stock density and its management is discussed .

Eutrophication of Freshwaters

“…At Rutland Water, a new eutrophic pumped storage impoundment in the English Midlands (Harper and Bullock, 1982), establishment of the fishery in 1976 cost £600,000 (Langford, 1979). Annual running costs are primarily those of maintaining a hatchery to supply 80,000 yearling trout (Moore, 1982) together with boat maintenance and bailiffing costs. Anglers travelled an average of 100 km for each day's sport in 1980 (Moore, 1982) on top of the costs of the fishing permit (approximately £200 for a season ticket at this time) and boat hire costs.…”

“…Annual running costs are primarily those of maintaining a hatchery to supply 80,000 yearling trout (Moore, 1982) together with boat maintenance and bailiffing costs. Anglers travelled an average of 100 km for each day's sport in 1980 (Moore, 1982) on top of the costs of the fishing permit (approximately £200 for a season ticket at this time) and boat hire costs. In 1989, during a particularly hot summer spell, the reservoir had to be closed to all recreational users after dense populations of cyanobacteria, notably Microcystis aeruginosa, produced toxins the ingestion of which killed several domestic dogs and grazing animals at the reservoir margins (Anon., 1990).…”

The feeding of trout during the filling phase of Rutland Water

“…Although there were subsequent stockings of larger fish, the mean size of the population showed a steady increase as these fish, initially 0+ and 1+, matured ( Fig . 1) (Moore 1982) .…”

“…gairdneri R .) in 1975, seine-net samples have been regularly taken to monitor growth and for stomach analysis (Moore 1982) . Seventy trout stomachs from these samples were analysed prior to the opening of the reservoir for sport fishing in early May 1977 .…”

Zooplankton and their relationships with water quality and fisheries

“…Munro & Bailey 1980) ; in addition changes in the size of the dominant filter feeding cladocerans from larger to smaller forms in both natural lakes and reservoirs have been attributed to the effects of size-selective predation by fish (Brooks & Dodson 1965 ;Duncan 1975 ;Hall et al 1975) . In Rutland Water, fingerling trout were stocked to a high density in early 1975 (Moore 1982), and a high proportion of their diet in this first year consisted of zooplankton (Harper 1982) . Their feeding would have been maximal during July and August so it is likely that size selective predation during this time 1 3 7 resulted in the competitive exclusion of D .…”