1. Brown trout are not native to North America. They were introduced in the second half of the 19th Century from Germany and the UK.

2. Rainbow and brown trout do not interbreed in the wild although ‘brownbows’ have been produced on fish farms.

3. Large trout can eat large prey. For example, large New Zealand brown trout feed periodically feed on swimming mice, baby birds falling from overhanging nests, and other terrestrial animals such as voles.

4. Trout scales have growth rings, as new hard tissue is added around the edges as they grow. They can be read just like growth rings in a tree.







5. Sea trout undergo amazing physiological changes as they move between fresh and sea water. Special cells in the gills either take in or excrete salts and the fish’s kidney adapts either to produce loads of or a little urine dependent on the type of water around the fish.

6. Trout are one of the most genetically diverse vertebrates known. Brown trout (including sea trout) belong to a single, polytypic, species. They are, however, so variable and adaptable that attempts have been made to assign them to at least 50 separate species.

7. Research in America has shown that brown trout are harder to catch than rainbow, brook or cutthroat trout. (Behnke ‘About Trout’ 1989).

8. Trout don’t have scales for the first month of their life.

9. Salmon and trout can interbreed and do produce hybrids.

10. Rainbow trout have been commercially farmed since 1870. The largest producer of farmed trout is Chile.

A very special thanks to: Leonard, Shaun. “Trout Facts.” The Wild Trout Trust, 2017, www.wildtrout.org/content/trout-facts.