ARKHANGELSK, August 3. /TASS/. Ichthyologists for the first time assessed the population of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in reservoirs of the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island of the Solovetsky Islands Archipelago (Solovki), the Laverov Federal Research Center for Integrated Arctic Studies (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Urals Branch, Arkhangelsk) told TASS. Most likely, humans have introduced this type of fish to the Solovetsky lakes, since initially the local ichthyofauna was quite poor.
"Solovki lakes historically have been reservoirs with rather low fish productivity. At the same time, the archipelago's ichthyofauna species composition is wide," the center said. "Some fish species were introduced during the pre-revolution times and during the Soviet times. While working on the archipelago, ichthyologists finally clarified that the brown trout (Salmo trutta) has settled on the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island."
The scientists conducted a genetic analysis, and prepared a scientific article for the Reports of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Life Sciences magazine. The center's Director, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivan Bolotov noted that those were the Solovetsky Monastery monks who had planted trout into the archipelago's waters.
