Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Description

The body of this native Saskatchewan trout is typically trout-like but somewhat round with great body depth. It is one of the largest fresh water fish found in the province. Body color is grayish green with white spots covering its sides and back. Scales are small, the tail is deeply forked, the eyes are small on larger fish and the mouth is large with the snout protruding slightly over the bottom jaw. Teeth are found on the jaws, tongue and roof of the mouth. Females are larger than males and the average size of this species is around 2.3 to 4.5 kg and from 0.6 to 0.75 m.

Diet

Lake trout are carnivorous, feeding on lake whitefish, yellow perch and lake herring. During the first few weeks of growth, young fish feed on invertebrates and sculpin.

Reproduction

Adult lake trout live in deep, cold water during the summer. In the spring and fall, they will move to shallow rock piles or reefs where the water is cool. Once warming begins, they move back into the depths. They spawn in the fall, starting as early as late September to the middle of October. Lake trout spawn at night in a water depth that can vary from 0.5 m to 13.3 m. The adults begin by rubbing their belly on the rocks to clean them. The female is sexually mature at the age of six or seven years; the male at four or five years. The female then releases about 750 eggs for each 454 grams of body weight. Each egg is 5 to 6 mm in diameter and is left unattended on the rocks. The young trout emerge in about seventy-five to one hundred and thirty days, depending on the water temperature.

Value and Habitat

Lake trout are still one of the most prized sport and commercial fishing species. The best trout fishing is found in the northern lakes in Saskatchewan. One of the largest lake trout ever caught was in Lake Athabasca. It weighed 46 kg and was caught by commercial fishermen. Lake trout can be found in some of the northern lakes of Saskatchewan including Reindeer, La Ronge, Wollaston, Athabasca and Cree Lakes.