Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is a freshwater species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 3–61 m.
Scientific name: Salvelinus namaycush · Water: Freshwater
Size: up to 150 cm
The lake trout is a benthopelagic salmonid whose adults occur in the shallow and deep waters of northern lakes and streams, and it is restricted to relatively deep lakes in the southern part of its range; it is rarely found in brackish water. A solitary wanderer, the extent of its movements is apparently limited by the size of the lake and the individual. It generally feeds on a variety of organisms such as freshwater sponges, crustaceans, insects, fishes, with a preference for ciscoes, and small mammals, although some populations feed on plankton throughout their lives, and such plankton-feeding fish grow more slowly, mature earlier and at a smaller size, die sooner and attain a smaller maximum size than their fish-eating counterparts. It is recorded from 3 to 61 m. Its range is North America, in the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific basins from northern Canada and Alaska south to New England, the Great Lakes and northern Montana, and it has been introduced widely outside its native range. Maximum length is about 150 cm total length, commonly about 50 cm, and it can live 50 years, maturing at about 51.6 cm. It is a commercial species, a commercial aquaculture species and a gamefish, with a very high price category. Fishing vulnerability is high at 65 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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