Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Appalachian Mountains often inhabit low production streams that limit growth. Therefore, we examined seasonal changes in body composition of age-1 and older brook trout to identify critical periods of growth or depletion that may lead to mortality and determined if brook trout in headwater streams reached critical levels of resource depletion over winter. Six streams in the central Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia containing naturally reproducing brook trout were sampled from June 2003 to March 2004 to assess changes in brook trout populations and physiological status. Dry, protein, and fat weights were highest in early summer (June) and decreased through the November/ December sampling period. To better understand trout compositional changes over winter, we starved 40 brook trout in experimental tanks simulating winter conditions and estimated body composition using bioelectrical impedance analysis. We found low rates of fat and protein loss during simulated winter conditions. This, coupled with field estimates of fat and protein levels in wild fish, suggests that brook trout do not likely starve during winter or other times of the year.

In the central Appalachian Mountains, Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis are a popular target of anglers, but given the remoteness of many of these systems traditional creel methods of evaluating angling effects are impractical. We used a combination of angler and fish survey sampling methods to determine the sizes and numbers of fish harvested. Fish harvest information was reported by anglers, trout size structures were determined by electrofishing, and angler effort was identified via surveys and remote camera sampling in six streams in West Virginia. On average, anglers retained 3.7 AE 0.2 fish (mean AE SE) ≥ 170 mm TL per trip. Between March 13 and May 29, we estimated that anglers harvested from 0.1 to 2.3 AE 0.3 fish per 100 m in the six streams. Applying these harvest rate estimates to Brook Trout > 170 mm TL, densities in 25 headwater streams in West Virginia yielded a mean of 14.5 angler-days to deplete harvestable-sized fish in these streams. Anglers appeared knowledgeable of local fish populations and focused greater effort on streams with larger populations of harvestable-sized fish. While Brook Trout populations in low-productivity streams may be particularly sensitive to harvest, anglers appear to use them less often. However, in low-productivity streams where fewer harvestable-size fish occur, anglers may still have noticeable effects on mortality through postrelease stress on abundant smaller-sized fish. This study identifies the localized effects that a small subsection of anglers may have on remote populations of sensitive fish and should be carefully considered as a way to understand more widespread effects on popular sport fishes that exist in remote areas.