Evaluation of Four Rainbow Trout – Warm Water Species in Southeastern Ohio

Abstract

Four southeastern Ohio lakes that receive annual trout stockings were studied to determine: (1) the extent of available trout habitat in summer, (2) presence or extent of overlap in habitat and diet between trout and native warmwater fishes, (3) harvest of stocked trout, (4) recreational benefits attributable to trout stockings, and (5) the geographic areas that benefited from this management program. The lakes had little or no trout habitat during midsummer. Trout and warmwater species occupied the same habitats, even after thermal stratification, but did not appear to eat the same prey. Very few carryover trout (stocked in previous years) were caught. Average annual percent return of stocked trout was 83; 98% of the estimated harvest occurred within 7 wk after stocking. Trout did not grow significantly until after wk 7. The primary beneficiaries of the stocking program were anglers living within 32 km of the lakes. There appeared to be no economically feasible way to prolong the period of trout harvest nor to improve the trout fisheries.