Diel Food Selection by Two Sizes of Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) in an Experimental Stream

Abstract

The food selected by small (~ 3 g) and large (~ 45 g) hatchery rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), studied over a 28-h period, showed that the fish fed selectively, but often on different prey organisms. Feeding activity was highest during daylight hours but was only loosely associated with increases in invertebrate drift density. The majority of large trout exploited adult chironomids on the surface, whereas small trout fed primarily on midwater drift. At night when drift densities were low the limited feeding that took place apparently shifted to bottom foraging. Prey size was the most important factor affecting vulnerability to predation at all hours. Both large and small fish rarely consumed invertebrates < 2 mm long. Selection of larger individuals among certain prey taxa occurred, and in two important groups (Trichoptera and Chironomidae) large trout ate significantly larger prey than did small trout. By being size selective, the trout lost the opportunity to exploit smaller organisms, particularly Collembola, which constituted the bulk of the total drift. Key words: diel habits, drift, predation, rainbow trout, size selection