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Brown Trout
Scientific Name:
Salmo tutta
Type:
Fish
Habitat:
A variety of cold water ecosystems, including rivers and larger water bodies
Range:
Native to Eurasia and North Africa, brown trout were introduced globally and now populate all continents besides Antarctica
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NON-NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
A species with an expansive global range, brown trout are often olive to brown in color with lighter colored underbellies. These fish are covered in black spots surrounded by light rings along their sides and back. Brown trout may grow anywhere from 12 to 40 inches long, and range from about 10 ounces to over 25 pounds in weight.
Fast Facts:
Brown trout currently live in 34 different U.S. states, including Nevada.
Brown trout have a diverse diet dependent on size. Smaller brown trout eat insects, while large brown trout feed on other fish, mammals, and frogs.
In harsh conditions, brown trout will move to saltier waters to survive, and can lay eggs in waters with a salt content up to five parts per thousand (ppt), also written as 5‰.
In the Truckee Meadows, brown trout can be found in the Truckee River.
Sources:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Brown trout, 2021, https://www.fws.gov/southeast/wildlife/fishes/brown-trout/
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Use a Ruler to Weigh Your Fish, 2020, https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9222.html
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fishing for Brown Trout (non-native), https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Brown-Trout#35703374-distribution
National Park Service, Brown Trout, 2015, https://www.nps.gov/shen/learn/nature/brown-trout.htm
IUCN Red List, Brown Trout, 2021, https://www.iucnredlist.org/fr/species/19861/9050312
Wiley Online Library, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., brown trout Salmo trutta L. and Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.): a review of aspects of their life histories, 2003, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1034/j.1600-0633.2003.00010.x
Washoe County, State of the Truckee River, 2017, https://www.washoecounty.us/csd/all_boards_committees/nv_wildlife_commissioners/2017/files/2017-08-03%20Wildlife%20item%2008%20-%20Regional%20Update_AugustCab.pdf
Image: Philthy54, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Browntrout050.jpg, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Victoria Wrubel (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)