The Abundance of Large Piscivorous Ferox Trout (Salmo trutta) in Loch Rannoch, Scotland

BackgroundFerox Trout are large, long-lived piscivorous Brown Trout (Salmo trutta). Due to their exceptionally large size, Ferox Trout are highly sought after by anglers while their life-history strategy, which includes delayed maturation, multiphasic growth and extended longevity, is of interest to ecological and evolutionary modelers. However, despite their recreational and theoretical importance, little is known about the typical abundance of Ferox Trout.\n\nMethodsTo rectify this situation a 16 year angling-based mark-recapture study was conducted on Loch Rannoch, which at 19 km2 is one of the largest lakes in the United Kingdom.\n\nResultsA hierarchical Bayesian Jolly-Seber analysis of