This fish is the native trout of Europe, found in streams from the basin of the Mediterranean to the Black Sea and north to Arctic Norway and Siberia. The brown trout was widely introduced to North America beginning in 1883 and has become a popular fish because of its reputation for resisting environmental change. The body of the brown trout is usually 4 1/2 to 5 times as long as it is deep. Its fins are all softrayed, the dorsal fin having 10 to 13 rays and the anal fin having 9 or 10 rays. Typically golden brown in color, this trout has large brown or black spots on its sides, back and dorsal fin. The spots are generally encircled by faint halos of a lighter shade than the body. Another distinguishing feature of the brown trout is its vomerine teeth which are well developed in the form of a double zig-zag row on the vomer. A brown trout's preferred temperature range is 54.3-63.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and it feeds on both aquatic and terrestrial insects as well as mollusks, crayfish and other fish. There are four recognized subspecies of brown trout: Black Sea trout, Caspian trout, North African trout, and Aral trout.
