Chemosensory cues attract lake trout Salvelinus namaycush and an egg predator to the spawning substratum

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to determine whether chemosensory cues emanating from lake trout Salvelinus namaycush spawning substratum attract breeding S. namaycush . Substrata from either a spawning site or a control site were randomly placed in trap nets around an isolated spawning shoal; those containing spawning substratum caught significantly more S. namaycush , as well as a greater proportion in breeding condition. White sucker Catostomus commersoni were a major predator of S. namaycush eggs and were also captured in greater numbers in nets with spawning substratum.

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