La fauna íctica del Principat d'Andorra

(ENG) At present, human activity has increased the potential for the presence of different fish species as they have been specially introduced and in most cases for the practice of fishing. These can be caught either directly, as species suitable to be caught, or indirectly as live bait. With this situation as a background, the present fish population found in the Andorran waterways and lakes includes the definite presence of five species, with sporadic references to other species which do not appear to maintain a stable population but tend to be introduced irregularly in specific areas where some species last temporarily and end up disappearing as they cannot complete their basic biological functions. The species with permanent populations in the Principality include the common trout (Salmo trutta fario), the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) intensively repopulated for the practice of fishing, as was the river salmon (Salvelinus fontinalis) towards the end of the 80s. These two species have been introduced officially by the specialists in the Environment Department (DMA) of the Andorran Government together with the Andorran Federation for Hunting and Fishing (FACIP), due to the fact that they adapt better to certain factors of the environment and that their breeding in captivity is easier than that of the common trout. Both species originate from North America and have been widely introduced in the European continent.