The emergence period of sea trout fry in a Lake District stream correlates with the North Atlantic Oscillation

The date of fry emergence over 30 years in a sea trout nursery stream, predicted by an individual‐based model, correlated significantly ( r =0·660, P <0·001) with an index of the North Atlantic Oscillation. Water temperature is the main driving variable in the model and stream temperature also correlated significantly ( r =0·662, P <0·001) with the index, providing a probable causal link. Therefore, the inter‐annual variations in emergence may not be unique to this one stream, but may be typical of other trout streams with similar climatic conditions.