Brown trout are originally native across a large portion of Europe and western Asia. In the 1800s, Europeans began farming brown trout for food and to support recreational fishing. The availability of brown trout eggs and fry led to the introduction of brown trout in colonial areas around the world, so that the Europeans living there would have some familiar recreation and food source to enjoy. It was during this time period and onwards that brown trout were introduced to the United States, as well as Australia, New Zealand, India, Patagonia, and parts of Africa.
The first American brown trout were introduced to Michigan and New York in 1883 through two fish hatcheries. They came mainly from a German strain of eggs, and old timers will sometime refer to brown trout as “German trout” in the US. They were thought to be particularly valuable because they grow faster and can withstand higher water temperatures than rainbow or brook trout, and therefore made sense for aquacultural purposes.
amberjack journal
