Key Takeaways
| Fact | Description |
| Scientific Name | Salmo marmoratus |
| Family | Salmonidae |
| Distinctive Features | Marbled color pattern |
| Habitat | Freshwater rivers and drainages of the Adriatic basin |
| Size | Usually between 30 and 70 cm long (11,8-27,6 in) |
| Diet | Piscivorous, eats other fish and small animals that live on the bottom of the water, known as benthic invertebrates. |
| Lifespan | About 8 years |
Introduction
Marble Trout, also known as Salmo marmoratus, is a type of fish that lives in fresh water and is part of the Salmonidae family. This fish is really special because of its unique marbled color pattern and its high growth capacity. You can only find it in a few specific drainages and rivers of the Adriatic basin.
Physical Characteristics
Marble Trout has a body that’s long and round, kind of like a cylinder, and slightly compressed laterally. It has a big head too. The coolest thing about this fish is its marbled pattern. Some Marble Trout have red spots that merge with the rest of the pigment, always only along the lateral line. They’re usually between 30 and 70 cm long (11,8-27,6 in).
Habitat and Distribution
Marble Trout inhabits the following regions:
- Left tributaries of the upper northwestern reaches of the Po River in Italy.
- Italian northeastern sub-Alpine region’s direct Adriatic watersheds.
- Shared Slovenia and Italy drainage of the Soča with Natisone.
- Shared Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia drainage of the Neretva River.
- Shared Montenegro and Albania drainage of the Morača with Zeta River.
- Unfortunately, the species is most likely extirpated in Albania.
Diet and Behavior
Marble Trout is piscivorous and feeds on benthic invertebrates. It likes to live in rivers where the water gets up to about 15 degrees Celsius (or 59 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer. But this fish is facing some challenges. Some of these include hybridisation with other types of trout that were brought in for people to catch, water extraction, and pollution.
Reproduction
Marble Trout are ready to breed when they’re about 3 years old if they’re males, and 4 years old if they’re females. They usually have their babies, or spawn, in November and December. The breeding process starts when both male and female fish spawn and fertilize eggs. After the eggs are laid, the Marble Trout will protect them until they hatch, which usually takes about two weeks.
Lifespan
It has an average lifespan of about 8 years.
Conservation Efforts
Marble Trout have been the focus of many conservation efforts. The places where this fish can live are getting smaller and smaller because of changes to their habitat. These changes are caused by things like the building of dams and the introduction of brown trout, which can mix with the Marble Trout and create hybrid fish. The Tour du Valat set up a plan to help save them and keep their upstream habitats, which are still mostly untouched by people. They found eight populations of Marble Trout at the head of the basin that were pure Marble Trout, not hybrids. These groups were naturally separated from the hybrid trout downstream by waterfalls that the hybrid trout couldn’t get past.
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