Scottish scientists have caught a huge barbed trout in Loch Ness and placed acoustic tracking marks on it, reports BBC News.
Local fisheries officials and environmentalists from the University of Glasgow have caught a few spiny trout and placed tracking beacons on them to learn more about the species. Among the marked fish, a particularly large specimen was found 84 centimeters long and weighing seven kilograms. The project team gave her the nickname Brutus and dubbed her “the Loch Ness monster.” According to researchers, the fish is about 12 years old.
Dr. Matt Newton of the University of Glasgow noted that their project aims to study the spiny trout lifestyle, about which very little is known. Experts hope to understand how often and where these fish move, what habitat they prefer and what species they interact with. Newton explained that this information is vital for developing strategies for the management and protection of spiny trout.
Spiny trout live in the largest lakes in Scotland and are able to descend to a depth of 30 meters in search of prey. This fish is considered almost elusive: it can only be seen when they swim into rivers to spawn. They mainly hunt Arctic char, a freshwater fish that has populated the lakes since the last ice age.
Unlike other trout, which feed on insects, spiny trout eat only other fish. Representatives of this species live on average up to 20 years. The oldest fish discovered by scientists was 23 years old.