Lots of eggs

Spring is the time for rainbow trout to lay eggs. They prefer to do this in running water. The female makes a hole in the sand and lays hundreds of eggs in it. Almost immediately, the male swims over them and releases his sperm. This is how the eggs are fertilised. Then the female covers the eggs with sand and gravel.

Salty or sweet?

All rainbow trout hatch in fresh water. Many remain in cold rivers and lakes for the rest of their lives. Some rainbow trout swim to the sea in their first year and live in salt water. After a few years, they swim back to the river where they were born. There they lay their own eggs. Then they return to the sea.