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Email the author (Login required) Anadromous brown trout farming: a new alternative for the diversification of the national salmon farming
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol43-issue1-fulltext-1
Abstract
In order to provide information which will contribute to the development of anadromous brown trout (Salmo trutta trutta) farming in Chile, also called seatrout, this study reviews the following aspects: i) the genetic characteristics and the evolutionary origins of the naturalized populations of brown trout distributed in our country, ii) their reproductive performance under conditions of captivity, and iii) the efficiency of smoltification process, growth rate and sexual maturation in freshwater and seawater for the anadromous brown trout. These latter parameters are particularly relevant for an appropriate evaluation of their performance under intensive culture conditions. The analysis of these issues indicates that naturalized populations of brown trout in Chile have a high degree of genetic variation, along with a probable single origin (Atlantic phylogenetic lineage, northern Europe); they also exhibit optimal reproductive performance, exceeding that observed in other farmed salmonids. Moreover, the smoltification process of the anadromous brown trout is equivalent to that of fully anadromous salmonids, such as Atlantic salmon and coho salmon. With the exception of early maturation, which is higher than in the Atlantic salmon, especially in males, this variety also shows a favorable growth and survival rate in seawater. All these data indicate that the anadromous brown trout is an interesting alternative, with potential to be included in national salmon farming activities.
