The distances travelled by downstream‐moving trout fry, Salmo trutta, in a Lake District stream

SUMMARY. 1. Field experiments were performed in the day and night at six modal water velocities (range 10–52cm s−1), using: (i) newly‐ emerged fry without neutral buoyancy; (ii) older fry in poor condition (weight well below that expected for resident fry); (iii) older fry in good condition (weight similar to that of resident fry); (iv) dead fry.2. An exponential model described the return rate of fry to the stream bottom; the mean distance travelled downstream varied considerably between the four fry categories, but always increased linearly with increasing water velocity.3. Results were similar for dead fry and newly‐emerged fry released at night; 50% of the fry returned to the bottom in 10–11 s and nearly all returned in c. 70s, the maximum distance travelled ranging from c. 7 m at 10 cm s−1 to c. 37m at 52cm s−1, Newly‐emerged fry released in the day returned slightly faster (54s for 99% return to bottom).4. Older fry in poor condition returned to the bottom slightly faster in the day than at night, but took about 2 min and travelled about twice the distance covered by dead fry. Older fry in good condition returned to the bottom at the fastest rate (3–6s for 50% and c. 30s for the rest), and travelled only about half (at night) or a third (in day) of the distance covered by dead fry.5. The implications of this investigation are discussed and it is concluded that, apart from water velocity, the age and condition of the fry were the two most important factors affecting their downstream movement.