Sea Trout from the Currane Fishery in 1973 and 1974

Abstract

Collections of 1,163 sets of scales from rod-caught sea trout Salma trutta L., made in 1973 and 1974, are described and the results compared with data from previous collections. The mean weight of 821 g was higher than usual in Irish fisheries and smolts were large, ranging from 22.8 to 24.5 cm at two years. Previous indications of a long lived-stock were confirmed by the identification of 37 age categories. The amount of B type growth was considerably less than that observed in samples from rivers with longer estuaries. Marine growth was relatively poor so that the length attained at the end of each sea winter was similar to that of sea trout in other Irish populations. The large size of specimens in the Waterville fishery may therefore be ascribed to longevity rather than to rapid growth at sea. Circuli on parr scales were more numerous than on scales from an east coast sample. Changes observed since the 1944 sampling included an increase in the proportion of older fish indicating that the drift net fishery has not had an adverse effect on the stocks.