Spawning Trout in Eastern Connemara

Concentrations totalling 299 trout from nine spawning sites in eastern Connemara in 1981 were examined to elucidate the spawning biology of these stocks. Sea trout made up the majority. Brown liveried fish predominated among migratory males (75%) but were few among females (2.5%). Males were of younger sea and river age than females and the ratio of females to males was lowest among the younger age categories. Scars and marks were evenly distributed between the sexes and 51% of females showed signs of being spent. Spawning Connemara sea trout were similar to spawning Cummeragh, Co. Kerry, sea trout in a number of, respects as for example their length at age but the spawning behaviour of fish in the two places differed considerably: the density of spawning fish was greater in the Cummeragh than in Connemara where immature trout occurred in the vicinity of the redds. The ratio of females to males was lower in Connemara than in the Cummeragh and males appeared to be more heavily marked in Connemara. The relevance of these observations to some known genetic characteristics of the stocks is briefly discussed.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10793/175

Citation

Fahy, E. & Nixon, J. J., "Spawning Trout in Eastern Connemara", Irish Fisheries Bulletin, Department of Fisheries and Forestry 1982