Wildlife

Lake trout are widely distributed throughout North America, but are primarily found in Alaska and Canada. Within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, lake trout are generally found in many of the deep lowland and mountain lakes in the lower Kuskokwim Bay watersheds.

Lake trout, which are actually more closely related to the char (arctic char, Dolly Varden) than the trout group, have a elongated, moderately compressed body shape. Overall color can vary from light green to black depending on the population and the time of the year. The belly is typically white, and the spots are whitish along both sides, never pink. Lake trout have a deeply forked tail and a large mouth that extends beyond the eye. They are the largest member of the chars, and have been known to attain weights of up to 100 lbs and live for up to 40 years in some lakes in Canada.

Adult lake trout are piscivorous. A lake trout's diet may vary depending on the availability of prey fish or its genetic background. In some populations of lake trout where fish are not an important component of the diet, zooplankton, insects, and clams may be the primary food items. Juvenile lake trout feed on small prey items such as zooplankton and insects, and eventually graduate into a piscivorus diet as they mature.

Lake trout are fall spawners. The males are the first to move to the spawning beds and begin to prepare the spawning area by cleaning the rocky substrate in anticipation of the females' arrival a few days later. The females are courted by the males, who entice the female to spawn by butting her sides and swimming beneath her. The spawning act takes place at night and may include several individuals in spawning aggregates. Eggs fall to the bottom of the lake, where they lodge in the rocks. Fertilized eggs hatch after several weeks and newly emerged fry move into deeper water after about a month.

For more information:

Morrow, James E. 1980. The freshwater fishes of Alaska. Alaska Northwest Publishing Company. Anchorage Alaska.

Or, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's wildlife notebook pages.

Last updated: July 24, 2008