Benthic Invertebrate Fauna and Feeding Relationships of Brown Trout, Salmo trutta Linnaeus, and River Blackfish, Gadopsis marmoratus Richardson, in the Aberfeldy River, Victoria

Abstract

The benthic invertebrate fauna and the stomachs of brown trout and river blackfish in a section of the Aberfeldy River, Victoria, were sampled regularly from October 1971 to November 1972. The ranges of food organisms utilized by the two species were very similar as were the proportions of the different food categories. Kendall rank correlation coefficients indicated that the diets of the two fishes were similar on all but the July sampling date. Due to apparent differences in habitat prefer- ences this similarity in diets may be regarded as giving rise to indirect competition.