TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL EASTERN FISH HEALTH WORKSHOP ROYAL PAVILLION RESORT, ATLANTIC BEACH, NC MARCH 18 - 20, 1997 Performance of Two Brook Trout Strains Used in Vermont Fishery Programs Thomas E. Jones1 and Rocco C. Cipriano2 1Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Agency of Natural Resources, 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05671; 2USGS/Biological Resources Division, National Fish Health Research Laboratory, 1700 Leetown Road, Kearneysville, WV 25430. In the early 1970's, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department began to use the OWHI strain of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) for recreational fisheries. This strain was obtained for performance characteristics that were hoped to enhance post-stocking survival. In some hatcheries, however, OWHI brook trout were difficult to rear and were susceptible to disease, particularly furunculosis. Consequently, Vermont began to evaluate the Rome strain of brook trout developed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for enhanced resistance to furunculosis. The work discussed herein compares hatchery and environmental performance of both strains. Sixty fingerling fish from each strain were sampled at the Ed Weed State Hatchery (Grand Isle, VT), in August 1996. Both strains were maintained in adjacent raceways on a common water supply derived from Lake Champlain. When fish of the OWHI strain were examined, Aeromonas salmonicida was cultured from 59 mucus and 56 kidney samples. By contrast, the pathogen was only isolated from two mucus and two kidney samples of the Rome strain. In field studies, the Rome strain also provided better creel returns within short term put-and-take fisheries in two Vermont trout ponds. Growth through the first season in the natural environment was similar and there was no difference in angler harvest for second year returns between strains. Results indicate that the furunculosis-resistant Rome brook trout provide an effective resource for short-term recreational fisheries in Vermont trout ponds. Return to 22nd Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop Return to Leetown Science Center Home Page