Temperature preferences of Athabasca Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) across a gradient of thermal landscapes.

Streamside thermal physiology experiments were conducted on Athabasca Rainbow Trout in July and August 2022 near Hinton, Alberta, Canada. Fish were collected from three streams using electrofishing and transferred to instream flow through holding bags. The following morning, fish were transferred into the shuttlebox system to begin the experiment during which the preferred temperature (Tpref) and avoidance temperature (Tavoid) were measured. After the experiment had concluded, a fin clip, length, and weight measurements were recorded, and the fish were released back into their respective streams once they had fully recovered.