|
Lake trout
are a coldwater species found throughout Canada. Because this species
does not tolerate warm water, lake trout from southerly populations are
forced to retreat to the deep cold waters of the lake's hypolimnion during
the summer months. Luckily for lake trout, many lakes contain species
of pelagic prey fish like cisco that are found in deep waters, so lake
trout can find food throughout the year. In lakes that do not contain
any species of pelagic prey fish, lake trout are separated from the inshore
fish by a thermal barrier, and are forced to subsist on zooplankton and
invertebrates during the summer months. These invertebrate feeding lake
trout grow more slowly and reproduce earlier than lake trout that are
piscivorous year-round.
|
|