Forest and Stream. 



Supplement No. 3- — -Salmon and Trout. 



SALMON AND TROUT OF NORTH AMERICA. 



THE fishes of the salmon family, which are of especial 

 interest to the angler, include the salmon and the 

 trout, numbering in all twenty-six forma whose relation- 

 ships are shown very briefly in the accompanying 

 synopsis or key. 



It should he* stated that some of the trout are not re- 

 cognized as full species by recent .writers. The siscowet 

 is usually regarded as a variety of the Great Lake trout. 

 The Loch Lev en is hard to distinguish from the brown, 

 even by expert fishculturists, and all ichthyologists will 

 probably admit the difficulty of separating* them. 



Bouvier's trout, the Lake Tahoe trout, the Utah trout 

 and the Kansas trout are referred to as varieties of the 

 red-throated (purpuratus), perhaps without perfect jus- 

 tice. 



The species of charr (Salvelinus) present as great diffi- 

 culties as the black-spotted forms, and we can not say 

 with confidence that even the New England species are 

 fully understood. One object in bringing the present 

 series of illustrations together is to show to anglers and 

 other field naturalists the present state of our know- 



said by Prof. Cope to resemble the red-throated trout. 

 S&lmo ptirpumPlts. The northern limit of Salmo in 

 Alaska seems to be the Bristol Bay region, 



The Atlantic salmon is found northward to Greenland. 

 Its landlocked form, usually diminished in size and 

 changed in coloration, occurs naturally in many lakes 

 and streams of New England and Canada, as well as in 

 the Scandinavian Peninsula. The most easterly native 

 species of the black-spotted trout is that found in the 

 Kansas River {Salmo stomias). The eastward distribu- 

 tion seems to have been arrested by the low plains of the 

 middle region of our continent, which are not favorable 

 to salmon life. 



The lake trout is one of the largest and most widely 

 distributed of its family, It seems to be peculiar to 

 North America, ranging across the whole width of the 

 continent from the Arctic regions south to Idaho and 

 New York. The siscowet is a smaller and fatter species 

 witli thicker skin and much larger spots than the typical 

 lake trout. Its distribution is quite limited. 



The charr, commonly called trout, number nine species, 

 one of which has been introduced. These trout are per- 

 haps more difficult to separate than any others of the 



DD. Introduced species; brown, with large spots of black 

 or brown ou body and sides of head; sometimes red 

 spotted. 



F. Upper jaw bone strong and broad; teeth in middle of 



roof of mouth in a double series, persistent. 



Brown Trout. 



FF. Upper jaw bone narrow and feeble; teeth in middle of 

 roof of mouth in a .single series, persistent; dark 

 spots on sides margined with pale blue in life. 



Loch Lcven Tro ut. 



<!C. Scales about 170 Bio Grande Trout, 



BB. Teeth on root of tongue. 



G. Black spots generally distributed (absent in sea-run 



examples). 



H. Scales 170 or fewer; head short. .Bed-throated Trout. 

 RH. Scales 184 or fewer; head long and conical. . Tahoe Trout 

 GG. Black spots few or none on anterior half of body; 



scales about 200. 



I. Head long, keeled Utah Trout, 



II. Head shorter, not keeled Kansas Trout. 



SALMON TROTTT OB LAKE TROUT. 



Bone in middle of roof of mouth with a raised crest, 

 the crest as well as the head of the bone toothed; 

 pyloric coeca very abundant. 



gar 



Pig. 1. Humpback Salmon. 



Fig. 2. Blukback Salmon (Hook-jawed Male). 



-7 



Fig. 3. Bog Salmon. 



Fig. 4. Silver Salmon. 



Fig. 5. Quinnat Salmon. 



Fig. 6. Atlantic Salmon. 



ledge, with the hope that they will endeavor to aid in 

 every way possible to arrive at a better understanding 

 of these interesting forms. Many of the illustrations 

 here used are copied by permission of the U. S. Commis- 

 sioner of Fish and Fisheries^ rom advance sheets of the 

 Bulletin of the U. S, Fish Commission. The Commis- 

 sioner, Col. Marshall McDonald, is using every available 

 means to help students iri their efforts to master the 

 problems presented by this important family of fishes. 

 The three great difficulties to be overcome at present are 

 (1) lack of materia] from certain localities; (2) great 

 individual variation in many of the species, and (3) a lack 

 of differentiation into forms which may be clearly dis- 

 tinguished by characters generally accepted as having 

 specific value. 



The Pacific salmon {Oncorhynchus) differ from Salmo 

 chiefly in the greater number of rays in the anal fin; five 

 species are known, all of which are black spotted in fresh 

 water, becoming silvery at sea. They run up the streams 

 of our west coast from Alaska to California, and are 

 found, also, in Asia. The humpback extends north to 

 the Colville River and south to Oregon. Another species 

 not yet identified is found in the vicinity of Point Bar- 

 row. The blueback ranges from the Yukon to the Co- 

 lumbia. The dog salmon from Putnam River, or Kuwuk, 

 to California. The silver salmon has the same northern 

 limit as the blueback,'but extends south to San Francisco. 

 The quinnat, king or chouicha is found in the Yukon 

 and south to the Ventura River, California. 



The black spotted species of Salmo are found further 

 to the southward in North America than anywhere else 

 in the world; one is known from streams of the Sierra 

 Madre in the southern part of Chihuahua, Mexico, at an 

 elevation of between 8,000 and 9,000ft. This species is 



A. 

 AA. 



B. 

 BB. 



C. 



D. 

 DD. 

 CC. 



Salmonidaa; they extend from the Arctic regions'above 

 80° north latitude, to northern Georgia and California, in 

 some portions thriving at elevations exceeding 5,000ft. 

 Four of the species are completely landlocked, the rest 

 are to a greater or less extent anadromous whenever they 

 have access to salt water. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 1 

 PACIFIC SALMON. 



Scales small, more than 200 Humpback Salmon. 



Scales medium or large. 



Gill rakers 30 to 40 Blucbacli Salmon, 



Gill rakers 20 to 25. 

 Anal rays 13 or 14. 



Scales about 150, pyloric cceca 140 to 185. .Dog Salmon. 

 Scales about 137, pyloric cceca 45 to 80. .Silver Salmon, 

 Anal rays 16 Quinnat Salmon, 



SALMON AND TROUT. 

 Sea Salmon, anadromous (Subgenus S(dmo). 

 Root of tongue toothless; teeth in middle of roof of 

 mouth in a very small patch; scales large; caudal 

 forked except in the adult; gill rakers short, 19 in 



number A tlan tie Salmon, 



River Salmon (Subgenus Fario). 



Teeth in middle of roof of mouth well developed, in 

 one or two series; scales large or small; species all 

 black spotted in fresh waters. 

 Root of tongue toothless. 

 Scales fewer than 140. 



Native species; silvery, with small black spots; breed- 

 ing males with a crimson band along the side. 

 Anal rays 10; height of back fin equals U length of 

 head, which equals depth of body in young. 



<a , . , , Gairdner's Tr&ut. 

 Anal rays 12; height of back fin equals % length of 

 head, which is much less than depth of body in 

 young Rainbow Trout, 



E. 

 EE. 



A. Distance between the eyes about % length of head' 

 body covered with thin skin; profusely spotted with 



small pale spots Lake Trout, 



AA. Distance between the eyes about }{ length of head; 

 body covered with thick skin; sides with large pale 

 spots Siscowet. 



SPECIES OF CHARR. 



Root of tongue with teeth. 

 Fins not banded. 



Lower bone of gill-cover nearly as deep as long and 



not conspicuously striated. 

 Habitat western North America; migratory; gill rakers 



fewer than 20 Dolly Vardcn Trout, 



Habitat eastern North America; gill rakers more than 



Migratory: size large; spawning in large streams and 



then going to sea Sea Trout 



Landlocked; size small or medium. 

 Size very small; tail fin not tipped with white in 



young; back blue Blueback Trout 



Size medium or large; tail fin tipped with white in 

 young. 



European species; teeth on root of tongue in a narrow 



band; stomach slender Saiblina 



American species; teeth on root of tongue in a verv 

 broad band; clouded parr marks in young. 



T i. * -y, . . Sunapee Trout. 



Lower bone of gill-cover twice as long as deen with 

 coarse striations. ' 



Size very large; species red spotted Ross's Trout 



Size very small; species without red spots. 



Fins with dark bands BubSpoZd Trout 



Root of tongue toothless (usually); back mottled 



Stomach very stout; gill rakers few Brook Trout. 



Humpback Salmon {Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) Fig 

 •This is the smallest of the species, seldom exceeding 



A. 

 B. 

 C. 



D. 



DD. 



E. 



EE. 

 F. 



FF. 



G. 



GG. 



CC. 



F. 

 FF. 



BB. 

 AA. 

 H. 



1. 

 1.— 



