Spawning site selection and redd gravel characteristics of sea trout Salmo trutta in the lowland streams of Lithuania

To date, no characterization of spawning habitats on scientific basis was made for the eastern Baltic salmonid populations. The aim of the present study was to characterize spawning habitat preferences and redd gravel structure of sea trout in lowland streams of western Lithuania. The redd position at the habitat-unit scale, microhabitat hydrological characteristics and the redd gravel structure have been analyzed. The spawning site selection by sea trout was related to the in-stream characteristics, but not to the riparian features. Redds were positioned mainly in the transitional pool-riffle zones, associated with close proximity to potential cover for spawners. At the microhabitat scale, sites with relatively consistent hydrological parameters (mode of water depth 0.25–0.40 m, flow velocity 0.4–0.7 m s−1 and Froude number 0.2–0.4) were selected from a wide range of available sites. Egg incubation conditions, in terms of the redd gravel structure in the spring, were of intermediate quality, while varied widely within particular reaches. According to the results of the present study, it is apparent that sea trout have particular preferences for spawning sites, which should be considered in emerging river-restoration projects.

[1]  M. Gruzdeva,et al.  Reproduction ecology of masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou in the Kol basin (Western Kamchatka) , 2009, Journal of Ichthyology.

[2]  Jaakko Erkinaro,et al.  Spawning habitat of Atlantic salmon and brown trout: general criteria and intragravel factors , 2008 .

[3]  Michael Power,et al.  Brown trout spawning habitat selection preferences and redd characteristics in the Credit River, Ontario , 2006 .

[4]  H. Capra,et al.  Downstream displacement of post‐emergent brown trout: effects of development stage and water velocity , 2005 .

[5]  M. Esteve,et al.  Observations of Spawning Behaviour in Salmoninae: Salmo, Oncorhynchus and Salvelinus , 2005, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries.

[6]  J. Rubin,et al.  Characteristics and rehabilitation of the spawning habitats of the sea trout, Salmo trutta, in Gotland (Sweden) , 2004 .

[7]  Paul S. Kemp,et al.  Habitat requirements of Atlantic salmon and brown trout in rivers and streams , 2003 .

[8]  C. Soulsby,et al.  Hydraulic and sedimentary controls on the availability and use of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) spawning habitat in the River Dee system, north-east Scotland , 2002 .

[9]  C. Soulsby,et al.  Fine sediment influence on salmonid spawning habitat in a lowland agricultural stream: a preliminary assessment. , 2001, The Science of the total environment.

[10]  V. Vredenburg,et al.  Effects of stream channel morphology on golden trout spawning habitat and recruitment , 1998 .

[11]  T. E. Andrew,et al.  The effects of siltation on Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., embryos in the River Bush , 1998 .

[12]  Michael Power,et al.  Quantitative Ecology and the Brown Trout , 1994 .

[13]  G. Mathias Kondolf,et al.  The sizes of salmonid spawning gravels , 1993 .

[14]  R. L. Hunt,et al.  Influences of forest and rangeland management on salmonid fishes and their habitats , 1992 .

[15]  T. Beard,et al.  Influence of Spawning and Other Stream Habitat Features on Spatial Variability of Wild Brown Trout , 1991 .

[16]  T. Wesche,et al.  Redd Site Selection by Brown Trout in Douglas Creek, Wyoming , 1990 .

[17]  Hugh R. MacCrimmon,et al.  Redd-site selection by brook trout and brown trout in southwestern Ontario streams , 1983 .

[18]  C. S. Shirvell,et al.  Microhabitats Chosen by Brown Trout for Feeding and Spawning in Rivers , 1983 .

[19]  A. Clarke,et al.  Observations on the structure of brown trout, Salmo trutta Linnaeus, redds , 1981 .

[20]  A. Clarke,et al.  A preliminary investigation into the vulnerability of young trout (Salmo trutta L.) and Atlantic salmon (S. salar L.) to downstream displacement by high water velocities , 1981 .

[21]  J. S. Campbell.  Spawning characteristics of brown trout and sea trout Salmo trutta L. in Kirk Burn, River Tweed, Scotland , 1977 .

[22]  F. Everest,et al.  A New Method for Reporting and Interpreting Textural Composition of Spawning Gravel , 2004 .

[23]  S. Abt,et al.  Sampling surface and subsurface particle-size distributions in wadable gravel- and cobble-bed streams for analyses in sediment transport, hydraulics, and streambed monitoring , 2001 .

[24]  I. Fleming.  Pattern and variability in the breeding system of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), with comparisons to other salmonids , 1998 .

[25]  T. C. Bjornn.  Habitat requirements of salmonids in streams , 1991 .

[26]  D. T. Crisp,et al.  Observations on siting, dimensions and structure of salmonid redds , 1989 .

[27]  D. W. Chapman,et al.  Critical Review of Variables Used to Define Effects of Fines in Redds of Large Salmonids , 1988 .

[28]  R. Raleigh,et al.  Habitat Suitability Index models and Instream Flow Suitability curves: brown trout , 1984 .