Brook Trout Is The Official State Fish Of Vermont. Vermont designated brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) as the official state cold-water fish in 1978. The Vermont State Fish brook trout is a smaller and thinner member of the salmon family that is primarily confined to freshwater. It is a highly prized sport fish and considered one of the most flavorful of all edible fishes. The coloration of the brook trout is a beautiful greenish-brown with a marbled pattern all over, red and blue dots along its flank, and a reddish belly. State Fish Of Vermont Brook trout that live in the ocean or in large lakes are much bigger than their stream-dwelling cousins and are more blue or green on the back with silver cheeks, flanks, and belly. Coloration deepens during spawning, and breeding males also develop a hooked lower jaw.
PHYSICAL DETAILS
Length: Up to 34 in (86 cm); average of 12 in (30 cm)
Weight: Up to 14.5 lbs (6.6 kg); average of 1 lb (450 g)
LIFESPAN
Up to 5 years
HABITAT
Brook trout live in clear and cold spring-fed streams, lakes, and ponds.
Range: Native to eastern North America from the Hudson Bay and Labrador Peninsula in the north, west to Minnesota and southeast to eastern Iowa and Georgia. In the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains, State Fish Of Vermont brook trout are increasingly confined to higher elevations.
DIET
Vermont State Fish Brook trout feed on larvae, insects (midges, mosquitoes, grasshoppers), worms, small fish, fish roe, and occasionally field mice and small snakes.
REPRODUCTION
Fertilization: External
Spawning frequency: Late Summer or Autumn
Mating behavior: Distinct and group pairing
Egg-laying: The female digs multiple depressions (redds) in the gravel of a small stream, where she lays 100–5,000 eggs for one or more males to fertilize with his milt. The female then buries the eggs in a small gravel mound, and they hatch in approximately 100 days. Adults do not guard the nest.
Interesting Facts About Brook Trout
- The depression the female makes in the ground for her nest is called a “redd.”
- A brook trout’s average lifespan is about 5 years, but there have been reports of this fish reaching 15 years.
- The world record brook trout was caught in Ontario on July 1915. It measured 31 inches and weighed 14 ½ pounds.
- The trout that migrate back and forth from fresh to saltwater is known as “salters.”