Marble trout named Swiss Fish of the Year

The marble trout, a freshwater fish, is found in Lake Maggiore and a few rivers in the Bregaglia and Poschiavo valleys in canton Ticino in southern Switzerland. Www.jonas-steiner.com

The marble trout, aka Salmo marmoratus, has been named the Fish of the Year 2024 by the Swiss Fishing Federation (FSP). This freshwater fish from south of the Alps is fighting for its survival.

Perfectly camouflaged, the marble trout has dominated the waters of southern Switzerland for thousands of years, the Swiss Fishing Federation (FSP) said in a statement on Tuesday. But today it is only found in Lake Maggiore and a few rivers in the Bregaglia and Poschiavo valleys in canton Ticino.

Many marble trout are no longer genetically pure but have mixed with trout from the Atlantic.

The marble trout, which can grow to over a metre in length, is a voracious fish. Young individuals eat insects and crustaceans. But once its characteristic mouth is large enough, the trout devours everything it can, even small fish.

The federation deplores the fact that such an adaptable species is a victim of modern society. It has paid the price for mistaken restocking practices over the past decades, according to David Bittner of the FSP. Trout from the Rhine River basin were introduced into the waters where marbled trout live.

Other problems include obstacles to fish migration. The marble trout swims several kilometres up rivers to spawn. “If fish migration is interrupted by obstacles, reproduction is severely limited,” says Bittner.

+ Biodiversity petition signed by more than 40,000 people

The Fishing Federation of canton Ticino, in collaboration with the FSP, is committed to the rescue and conservation of fish, both breeding and management.

For inspiration, the federation is closely examining the “Doubs Vivant” project aimed at saving fish in the Doubs River in northwest Switzerland. The South Tyrol Fishing Federation’s MarmoGen project should serve as a model, says the FSP.

+ Key Swiss sanctuary reveals challenges, opportunities in biodiversity protection

The river Ticino is a relatively isolated region but has a particular diversity of fish, according to the FSP. The Adriatic trout, another unique species, can still be found here, alongside the marble trout and Switzerland’s other trout species, the Atlantic trout, the zebra trout and the Danube trout.

The Ticino is also home to other rarities, such as the southern pike and the Adriatic grayling. In all, over 20 species are found on the southern side of the Swiss Alps. Some are rarities specific to Ticino, such as the Agone shad, the Cagnetta blenny and the Pigo, Triotto and Alborella carp.

+ How Switzerland is battling invasive species

To save the marble trout and fish biodiversity, which is under pressure throughout the country, the FSP calls for the last ecologically intact watercourses to be systematically protected. Other rivers must also be revitalised by enhancing their habitats, ensuring that fish can migrate freely with adequate residual flows and upstream and downstream structures, and all hydroelectric facilities must be subject to a stricter hydropeaking regime and mineral loading, it demands.

Water pollution from agriculture, industry and built-up areas must also be reduced, says the federation. In addition, the authorities must prevent the spread of invasive species.

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