Age and growth rates of a translocated chub <i>Squalius cephalus</i> chalk-stream population with comparison to indigenous riverine populations in England

Introduced fishes into lowland rivers can result in invasive populations establishing and then dispersing, where knowledge of their life history traits contributes to understandings invasion ecology. Here, the age growth rates a translocated chub Squalius cephalus population were assessed River Frome, chalk-stream Southern England, was introduced approximately 15 years ago. The results relation 35 riverine indigenous England. Across these populations, individual present lengths over 550 mm aged at least 19 old. In samples collected from however, no fish 300 4+years. Growth rate analyses both annual length increment produced between 1 2 (juvenile rate) last annulus (adult revealed that relatively high Frome population, being among fastest all sampled populations. It is suggested fast response new environment, facilitating establishment colonisation through, for example, enabling reproduction young ages.