Diet of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) following an alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) introduction in Otsego Lake, NY

• Main Author: Joe Collins
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cottus cognatus
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.558.3994; http://www.oneonta.edu/academics/biofld/PUBS/ANNUAL/2004/Diet of lake trout following alewife.pdf

Since the introduction of alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in 1986 (Foster 1989), ecological changes related to the trophic interactions in the zooplankton communities in Otsego lake have occurred (Harman et al. 2002). To determine the effect of these changes on the diet of lake trout, angler surveys were conducted for the collection of stomachs for analysis. This study was compared those of 2002 and 2003 (High 2004) and to a study conducted by the Department of Environmental Conservation before alewives were introduced into Otsego lake (Stanford 1984). Before alewife introduction, slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus) were the primary forage whereas alewives are currently the primary forage. Midges were the only invertebrate consumed by lake trout; they were collected from all size classes of lake trout examined.