The Movements of Ferox Trout, Salmo trutta, in a Scottish Highland Freshwater Loch

Ferox trout (Salmo trutta) are the top fish predators in many Scottish lochs feeding on smaller trout and Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) – their main prey species. Although once considered a separate species, ferox trout are brown trout which have switched to a mainly piscivorous diet. The diet switch not only boosts growth (the current UK rod caught record weight is 14.4kg), but also adds to longevity (the oldest confirmed UK ferox was 23 years old). The main aim of the study described was to investigate the movements of ferox trout in their natural habitat using acoustic, radio and data storage tags.