Brunnshyttebäcken, Naturreservat

The Brunnshyttebäcken nature reserve is protected as a nature reserve for the sake of the trout. Here and in the adjacent lakes there is a local strain of trout, the so-called Brunnshytte trout. It is also home to the river pearl mussel, which lives in close interaction with the trout. At Brunnshyttan there are remains of iron production from earlier times. Remember that the reserve may not be entered during the period September 15 - November 15.

Local trout stock

The Brunnshytte trout has long lived undisturbed in the local lakes, namely Malen, Lundsfjärden and Grecken. The trout spawns and spends its first two years here in the stream, before moving out into the lake system where it grows. Their main food is vendace, a small schooling fish species. The fact that the trout grow well in these lakes is evident from their size. During test fishing, the County Administrative Board has caught trout weighing nine kilos. The Brunnshytte trout is not only unusually large, but is also considered to be particularly resistant to acidification. To preserve the trout, the County Administrative Board carries out annual measures, such as inventory, water quality control and fishing supervision.

Rare mussel dependent on the trout

Closely related to the trout is the endangered river pearl mussel. It is known for its ability to form pearls as 'chafing guards' around grains of sand or a parasite on the inside of the shell. A small population of small, young pearl mussels was discovered relatively recently in Brunnshyttebäcken. The mussel is dependent on the trout for its reproduction. Millimeter-sized larvae from the mussel attach themselves as parasites to the gills of the trout and live there for 9-11 months. The tiny larva has then developed into a small, tiny mussel and lets go to bury itself at the bottom of the stream. After 15-20 years, the mussel is sexually mature and can reproduce. The oldest river pearl mussel found in Sweden was 280 years old.

Brunnshyttan

At the inlet of the Brunnshytte stream there are ruins of one of the area's many smelters and mills. The smelter was established in 1401 and produced iron until its closure in 1777. The ore that was converted to iron in the smelter was taken from Finnberget.

Accessibility

Brunnshyttebäcken belongs to level 1 in the county administrative board's leveling of the county's nature reserves, which means that the reserve has a wilderness character and lacks outdoor recreation facilities.