Rörelseaktivitet hos regnbågar (Oncorhynchus mykiss) med olika antal eumelaninfläckar, utsatta för stressande sportfiske

Sammanfattning: Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are introduced in large parts of the world and are commonly farmed for consumption as well as a valued sport fish. Many species of salmonids show large intraspecific variation in pigmentation, which has been shown to correlate with stress response and several other behavioral traits. In this study, the behavior and stress response of rainbow trout linked to pigmentation is investigated, depending on previous sport fishing experience. Through data from a previous study on rainbow trout in semi-natural ponds, locomotor activity was measured as a proxy of stress, under three different sport fishing treatments. From previous photos, the pigment spots of each rainbow trout are counted to test the correlation with locomotor activity. In addition, it is tested whether different previous experience of sport fishing means a higher stress response when re-exposed to fishing. No significant relationship between pigment spots and locomotor activity could be obtained for the three treatment groups. However, significant differences in locomotor activity due to angling experience between treatment groups upon re-exposure to fishing were found, with fish that were inexperienced in angling having higher locomotor activity compared to previously caught fish. Sport fishing and catch-and-release had the effect of reducing locomotor activity in rainbow trout, which can be interpreted as fishing could both stress them and trigger the fish's feeding response, depending on previous experience. Fishing is believed to create a passivation due to the negative association of being caught, while fish not previously caught were activated by sport fishing. The study's missing correlation between pigment spots and stress has been both confirmed and denied in other studies and may depend on the origin and the degree of domestication, which means that the correlation within other species of salmonids or fish with different origins would be relevant to investigate.