Some Aspects of Food and Growth of Fish Species in Babine Lake

Food preferences and growth rates of various fish species in Babine Lake were analyzed. Kokanee fed primarily on plankton and insects, with no fish recorded in the diet. Insects were generally the most significant component of the diet of rainbow trout, although fish could account for over 40% of the volume of stomach contents of rainbows over 25cm fork length. For these large rainbows, the proportion of insects consumed declined from July through October. Fish formed the major component of the diet of lake trout. Plankton and insects were the main foods of redside shiners. Analysis of instantaneous growth rates indicated that they were greater than 0.20 for rainbow trout until age 9 and for lake trout until age 7. There was no evidence to indicate that increased production of sockeye salmon fry by means of artificial spawning channels increased the relative contribution of sockeye fry to the diet of piscivorous fishes.