Food competition between trout and dace in the North Pine River, Manitoba

Abstract

Interspecific competition for food between eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis, Mitchill) and two species of dace (Rhinichthys cataractae, Valenciennes) and (Rhinichthys atratulus, Hermann) was investigated in North Pine River, Manitoba. Yearling and larger brook trout did not compete for food with the dace as their diets differed; however, fingerling brook trout and dace competed because their diets were similar. Fingerling trout, in a section of the stream containing a greater number of dace, grew slower than those fingerling trout that were in the non-competitive section of the stream.