Rainbow trout11/4/2022 Though, the rainbow trout’s coloration often varies depending on age and habitat. It is speckled with black spots on its bluish-green back, with a silver belly and a pink stripe on the sides of its body. The rainbow trout is a large, torpedo shaped fish that usually reaches a weight of 8 pounds and a length of 20 to 30 inches in the wild. The second form is commonly known as steelhead and these rainbow trout leave freshwater as juveniles and migrate long distances in the ocean where they grow to maturity before migrating back to their original home waters. The most common rainbow trout in Alaska is the stream-resident form that lives its life entirely in freshwater with maybe short periods of time spent in estuarine or near-shore marine waters. In Alaska, there are two commonly recognized forms of the rainbow trout and these sub-groupings or “forms” are based primarily on where they spend their time feeding and maturing. Rainbow is the most widely known trout in the world and is highly sought after by anglers because of their strong fighting abilities. It is native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. Such action can only be better for all who are concerned about nature.Rainbow trout, which belongs to the Salmo family of fish, is closely related to salmon and Arctic char – two other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Many natural resources departments throughout the country are turning away from stocking hatchery bred fish and devoting more money and effort into improving stream habitat, so that wild trout may prosper. It is quite common to have a wild trout that is not native. A wild trout is a product of natural reproduction. Many, however, have a great preference for “wild” trout, which are entirely different from “native” trout. While it is true that rainbow trout have an unfair advantage over native species of trout, few advocate that we do away with rainbows. Rainbows are bred for traits like the time of year that they spawn, their growth rate and their tolerance for temperature and disease. Fish culturists can manipulate genes through breeding programs so that there are presently more than 75 strains of rainbow trout. Their impact on native fish seems to be greatest in places that never had trout (Australia and New Zealand, for instance).įor every person born in the United States every year, federal and state hatcheries raise and stock 20 rainbows into public waters. Research has shown that they can displace native trout, and their sheer numbers can alter the aquatic invertebrate community, to the detriment of other fish species. They are included in the top 100 of the world’s worst invasive species. Rainbow trout have been spread throughout the world. This is important because excessive logging turned many cool forested streams into hot tubs, no longer capable of sustaining native trout. Rainbow trout can withstand higher temperatures than other species of trout. Rainbow trout were also introduced in streams that contained other, native, species of trout. They were introduced in lakes and streams that were devoid of fish or that contained only “rough” fish, disdained by sporting anglers. At about the same time, the United States Fish Commission was established and stocking rainbow trout that soon became the rage throughout the country. Rainbow trout how to#Fish culturists learned how to artificially breed rainbows and they were first introduced in a California stream in 1872. Rainbow trout are native only to the Pacific Rim, from Mexico to Russia. It was not until I read An Entirely Synthetic Fish, by Anders Halverson, that I determined that rainbow trout might be characterized as an invasive species. I have spent many enchanting hours drifting a dry fly over a rainbow trout, both locally and in more exotic locales. We have previously described some nasty flora and fauna in this column, but this article deals with one of our better liked species, the rainbow trout.
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