Virginia State Fish

Brook Trout

(Salvelinus fontinalis)

Adopted in 1993.

The Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis , was designated as the official fish of the Commonwealth in 1993. Salvelinus fontinalis or Speckled Trout, Aurora Trout, Brookie, Square-Tail, Speckled Char, Sea Trout, Common Brook Trout, Mud Trout, Breac. The brook trout is of the salmon family. It survives only in clear, cold water and populates the mountain rivers and streams of Virginia.

The Brook Trout takes first place for the most popular state fish with eight states claiming it for their Official State Fish; Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. Taken as a whole, trout dominate the Official State Fish category with 18 states calling some type of trout their Official State Fish.

Description of the Virginia State Fish

The average length is 10-12 inches but Brook Trout can be caught measuring up to 21 inches and weighing 4-6 pounds. The largest Brook trout on record was 14.5 pounds and caught in 1916 in the Nipigon River in Ontario. Breeding males develop a hook at the front of the lower jaw. Typical coloring is olive-green to dark brown on the back with silvery sides and pale spotting. All colors intensify at spawning time.

Common Names:

Eastern Brook Trout, Brookie, Speckled Trout, Native Trout, Squaretail

Description:

Brook trout have a dark olive body with a brownish to greenish back and light worm-like markings. The sides are pale with several small blue-bordered red spots. The lower fins have dark and light edges.

Typical Adult:

Length: Up to 18 inches (sometimes up to 34 inches)
Weight: Up to 3 pounds (may reach 14 pounds)
Life span: Up to 15 years

Distribution:

The brook trout is native to northern North America and is widely distributed throughout the maritime provinces. It occurs in clear, cool, well-oxygenated streams and lakes.

Habitat:

Brook trout live in clear and cold streams, lakes, and ponds, often with access to sea, but are mostly found in the headwaters of spring-fed streams. The preferred water temperature is 53-56 °F.

Feeding Behavior:

Brook trout feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects and other invertebrates. Often they will feed on other fish and vertebrates such as salamanders, tadpoles, small snakes, and mammals that get too close or fall into the water.

Reproductive Behavior (Spawning):

When: Brook trout spawn in the fall between mid-October to early December.

Preferred Water Temperature:

40-49 °F

How:

The female digs the redd where she lays 100-5000 eggs depending on her size. They hatch 50-100 days later. The life expectancy is an average of five years. The brook trout is carnivorous and feed upon a wide range of organisms. They have been known to eat their own eggs at spawning time and even their own young.

Statute

§ 7.1-40.7. Official fish.

The Brook Trout is hereby designated as the official fish of the Commonwealth.

(1993, c. 301.) Commonwealth

Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Brook Trout