Lake Trout Consumption and Recent Changes in the Fish Assemblage in Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

Volume

122

Publication Date

1993

Keywords

lake trout, consumption, assemblage

First Page

1058

Last Page

1069

Abstract

Bioenergetics modeling was used to quantify the consumption dynamics of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Utah–Wyoming. Analysis of diet and population estimates of different size-classes of lake trout indicated that kokanees Oncorhynchus nerka made up the greatest proportion of prey biomass. Examination of growth rates of forage fish and predator–prey size ratios indicated that Utah chub Gila atraria were more vulnerable than kokanees to lake trout predation. Utah chub grow slower than kokanees and thus were susceptible to piscivores over a longer age span. We conclude that kokanees will make up an even larger proportion of the pelagic fish assemblage of Flaming Gorge Reservoir in future years.

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