In the first week of August, sampling began in four of the 13 sites identified for the characterization of habitats and populations of Mediterranean trout (Salmo cettii) along some of the wildest and most evocative river valleys of the north-western and eastern slopes of the Majella. in the park.
Starting from the Orfento Valley, along a stretch of 100 m of the homonymous river – the one that from the Caramanico Terme Bridge (PE) climbs towards the S. Cataldo bridge – a total of 57 specimens of trout of varying length were collected (7 > 35 cm) weighing between 7 and 300 g. We then moved on to the Alento river, in the Municipality of Serramonacesca (PE), where 41 individuals of brown trout ranging in size from 8 to 32 cm and weighing from 6 to 318 g were temporarily captured.
The third site under investigation was the Foro river, in the Municipality of Pretoro (CH), which also surprised the technical staff of the Park: in fact, after an initial stretch of dry land located in the lower part of the river, going up the stretch included in the inside the boundaries of the Park, the watercourse reaches a good flow again, which has given us a good presence of trout: 59 individuals of variable length (8> 28 cm) weighing from 7 to 207 g. Furthermore, in this stretch, an individual from Barbo was captured, a habitual inhabitant of the medium and low altitude stretches of our rivers.
On the last day, the works moved to the lower part of the Avello River Valley, in the Municipality of Pennapiedimonte (CH), in a stretch adjacent to the town. Here, the sampling activity allowed the collection of 12 individuals of varying lengths from 10 to 22 cm with a weight between 7 and 108 g.