Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are members of the salmonid family which have been introduced worldwide. Because of their popularity as a species, knowledge of their habitat
utilization could be essential in managing their populations. Net energy intake (NEI) models
have been successful in predicting optimal holding velocity in young-of-year rainbow trout and
other salmonids but have fallen short of doing the same in others Using the Grossman et al.
(2002) model, we found that rainbow trout were holding in water that was 1cm/s slower than the
prediction of the optimal microhabitat, and that water velocity had a negative effect on prey
capture, little to no effect on reactive distance, and a positive effect on holding velocity. We also
found that dominance had a significant effect on the prey capture success of subordinate fish but
not on their dominant counterpart.
