| Summary: | From the mid 1960s competition for Atlantic salmon intensified with the expansion of high seas fisheries in the marine sub-Arctic and drift-netting closer to home. Inshore commercial fishermen and freshwater anglers saw progressively more of the salmon stock being landed outside its river of origin which prompted some to seek an alternative game species. Sea trout, which have traditionally been a by-catch of the commercial salmon fishery and which game fishermen valued, were considered and various clubs and individuals (fishery owners and managers) addressed queries to the Department responsible for fisheries on the possibility of developing a sea trout run to supplement a declining salmon population. The majority of queries examined by this writer concerned the introduction of sea trout to parts of river systems outside their normal range. A review of sea trout distribution (Fahy, 1977) described their migratory limit inland and contained adequate information to assess the suitability of the majority of fresh water bodies for the fish. The Caragh (Glencar) catchment was more intriguing. There are now in existence many investigations on the inter-relationships of salmonid species in fresh water and on their interactions with their environment but there are few specific references to the suitability of catchments for particular species. This investigation examines a case in point.
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