Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Scientific name: Salvelinus namaycush Walbaum, 1792

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

The Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is a freshwater fish of the family Salmonidae.

Biology

Found in shallow and deep waters of northern lakes and streams and is restricted to relatively deep lakes in the southern part of its range. Rarely in brackish water. A solitary wanderer, the extent of their movements apparently limited by the size of the lake and individual. Although lake trout generally feed on a variety of organisms such as freshwater sponges, crustaceans, insects, fishes (with a preference for ciscoes), and small mammals, some populations feed on plankton throughout their lives. Such plankton-feeding lake trout grow more slowly, mature earlier and at smaller size, die sooner and attain smaller maximum size than do their fish-eating counterparts. Lake trout are highly susceptible to pollution, especially from insecticides. Utilized as a food fish, its fle

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Salvelinus namaycush
Family
Salmonidae (Salmonids)
Order
Salmoniformes (Salmons)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
150
Common length
50.0
Depth range
18–53 m (59–174 ft)
Environment
Freshwater; benthopelagic; non-migratory; depth range 18 - 53 m, usually 18 - 53 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
North America: Widely distributed from northern Canada and Alaska south to New England in USA and Great Lakes basin in Canada-USA. Introduced widely to many areas outside its native range. Splakes (hybrid between Salvelinus namaycush and Salvelinus fontinalis) have also been successfully introduced to many areas of North America. The three observed phenotypes existing in Lake Superior (lean, siscowet and humper or paperbelly) are under some genetic control and not merely expressions of environmental adaptation.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.05-0.12; tm=5-20; tmax=50; Fec=5,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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