Brookie Trout
Brook trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) were introduced Patagonia from USA and they are generally found in cool fresh water of the rivers, small streams, creeks, lakes and spring ponds in the North-west area of Patagonia.
The Brook Trout is very beautiful and voracious, and it changes its color according to the food it eats. It is of dark green to brown basic colouration with a distinctive marbled pattern (called vermiculations) of lighter shades across the back and flanks and extending at least to the dorsal fin, and often to the tail. There is a distinctive sprinkling of red dots, surrounded by blue haloes, along the flank. The belly and lower fins are reddish in colour, the latter with white leading edges. Often the belly, particularly of the males, becomes very red or orange when the fish are spawning. Brook trout prefers cool, clear waters of high purity and a narrow ph range in lakes, rivers, and streams, being sensitive to poor oxygenation, pollution, and changes in pH caused by environmental effects. Its diverse diet includes crustaceans, frogs and other amphibians, insects, mollucs, smaller fish, and even small mammals such as mices. The brook trout is a short-lived species, rarely surviving beyond four or five years in the wild.
Since it prefers colder waters rich in oxygen, its distribution is restricted with respect to the other types of trout, being better represented to the west of the province of Neuquén in mountainous environments. As regards size, it is the smallest of the Salmonidae in Neuquén, and only occasionally surpasses 4 kg. in lake environments.
Salmo
Native of Lake Sebago, it was introduced at the beginning of the century, about 1906, in numerous river and lakes. Today it is only found in some of them. It is silver color, with blue head and back, black spots on the flanks and dark dorsal fins with blue stripes.
It is easily taken for a brown trout, but it has a smaller mouth, since its maxillary does not usually surpass the back rim of the eye.
Atlantic salmon, known scientifically as Salmo salar, is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the Atlantic and the Pacific and were introduced in North-western Patagonia starting in 1904.
Most Atlantic salmon follow an anadromous fish migration pattern, in that they undergo their greatest feeding and growth in salt water, but adults return to spawn in native freshwater streams where the eggs hatch and juveniles grow through several distinct stages. The average size of Atlantic salmon is 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) long and 8-12 pounds (3.6-5.4 kg) after two years at sea. Although uncommon, adults can grow to be as large as 30 pounds (13.6 kg). Atlantic salmon do not require salt water, however, exist numerous examples of fully freshwater ("landlocked") such as in Patagonia, after the construction of large dam.
After hatching, young salmon begin a feeding response within a couple days. After the yolk sac is absorbed by the body, they begin to hunt. Juveniles start with tiny invertebrates, but as they mature they may occasionally eat small fishes. During this time they hunt both in the substrate, and also those in the current. Some have been known to also eat salmon eggs. The most commonly eaten foods include caddisflies, blackflies, mayflies, and stoneflies.
While they may occasionally be aggressive towards each other, the social hierarchy is still unclear. Adult Atlantic salmon are considered much more aggressive than other salmon and are more likely to attack other fish than others.
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