Fish
Lake Trout
Salvelinus namaycushAlso known as Mackinaw, Touladi, Togue, Lake Char
Lake trout are apex aquatic predators adapted to the deep, frigid, oxygen-rich waters of northern boreal lakes. Unlike most other chars, they rarely migrate into rivers to spawn, instead depositing eggs over clean cobble reefs where cold upwellings oxygenate the gravel. Their slow metabolism, late sexual maturity, and exceptional longevity make populations vulnerable to overharvest and habitat disruption.
ColdwaterPredatoryDeepwater
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyCisco, Rainbow Smelt, Deepwater Mysid Shrimp
Predators
- Sea Lamprey
- Northern Pike
- Osprey
ThreatsOverfishing, invasive species predation, warming water temperatures, and pollution
HabitatsDeep, cold, oligotrophic freshwater lakes and occasionally brackish estuaries
Life span25–40 years
Classification
- OrderSalmoniformes
- FamilySalmonidae
- GenusSalvelinus
- SpeciesSalvelinus namaycush
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Handling: Wet hands thoroughly before handling to protect their delicate protective slime layer.
- Angling Depth: Retrieve from deep water slowly to minimize barotrauma before practicing catch-and-release.
- Season: Look for them moving into shallow rocky shoals during late autumn spawning periods.
Prey (c) BrianGwiz, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Parasite (c) Fernando Losada Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) James St. John, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Anders Gravbrøt Finstad, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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