Mink predation on brown trout in a Black Hills stream
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Abstract
In the early 2000’s, declines in the brown trout (Salmo trutta) fishery in Rapid Creek, South Dakota, caused concern for anglers and fisheries managers. We conducted a radio telemetry study in 2010 and 2011 to identify predation mortality associated with mink, using hatchery-reared (2010) or wild (2011) brown trout. Estimated predation rates by mink (Mustela vison) on radio-tagged brown trout were 30% for hatchery fish and 32% for wild fish. Size frequency analysis revealed that the size distribution of brown trout lost to predation was similar to that of other, radio-tagged brown trout. In both years, a higher proportion of predation mortality (83–92%) occurred during spring, consistent with seasonal fish consumption by mink. Predation by mink appeared to be a significant source of brown trout mortality in our study.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Mink predation on brown trout in a Black Hills stream |
| Series title | The Prairie Naturalist |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2016 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | The Prairie Naturalist |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Leetown |
| Description | 7 p. |
| First page | 4 |
| Last page | 10 |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| Other Geospatial | Rapid Creek |