It's Official: Trout is Tops!

In voting results announced today, the brown trout pipped the stickleback to become the UK’s National Fish.

We at the Wild Trout Trust know that our native trout is a special fish: it’s the most amazingly varied species, recovers from much of the abuse that humanity throws at it, lives in many of our rivers (even in some surprising places) and where it thrives, we know that the river or lake that is its home is doing OK.

And if the river is doing OK, so is the land that drains into that river or lake.

So, thriving trout populations tell us that the countryside that we all cherish is doing well and that’s what the Wild Trout Trust is working to see: trout thriving wherever they should be.

Photo: Paul Procter

More about the vote:

Over 7000 votes were cast in the first National Fish Vote. The brown trout received the most votes (21%), followed by the stickleback (16%) and the tench (13%).

The result was announced on BBC Springwatch – to see the announcement, click here and view at just under 46 minutes in to the programme.

Thank you to all our supporters and lovers of brown trout for voting and making the brown trout the winner.

Thanks also to Jack Perks for running the vote and raising the profile of fish as an important, but under-valued aspect of British wildlife.