The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-15
STEEIHEAD OR
SALMON TROUT.
A Lean, Spent Fish, That ShOnld
Be Rejected by Gamers.
An Interesting Paper on the Family Traits
OF Salmon and Trout Found on the
Atlantic and Pacific Slopes.

lOlu OHlN6ISilAs lllE NlllCl says
In your issue of November S;h is letter
from "a Lover of Angling" which seems
to call from me a word as TO the steelhead
and other kinds of California trout.
"What are steelheads?" In the lower
Columbia, in the spring, there is found
along with the salmon large salmOn-lke
fish which is, OF used to be. and ought TO be
rejected by the Gamers, and TO which the
Astoria fishermen give the name of steel
head" This fish. as seen at Astoria,
usually weighs from ten to fifteen pounds
Its flesh is pale and its bones are hard. Its
general appearance is that of lean spent
fish, and it is commonly regarded as worth
les. Although genuine trout, it is usually
mistaken for a salmon, because it is larger
than most of the kinds of salmon, except
ting the king salmon or qujnnat.
1t IS supposed that these steelheads in the
Columbia do not ascend the river far, nor do
they go far out into the sea, and It Is not
unlikely that when the
SALMON GO UP IN THE SPRING
To make ready for spawning In the fall they
meet the Steelhcads on the return from their
own winter spawning.
For long time no young steelheads we're
received by the United States Fish Com
mission, and it was doubted whether there
ever were any. In other words it was a
question whether the steehead was really
distinct kind OF FISH, or whether It is simply
a brook trout or rainbow trout which had
descended t. tile sea. and taken on an in
creased growth and cUrrespondlngly differ
ent habits.
Young steelheads have Of late years been
taken in the streams near the sea. They
are sufficiently like their parents, and differ
in color and form from the genuine RAIN
bow trout (Salmo irideu>). II is nevertheless
true that while other kinds Of trout and the
five different kinds of Pacific Ocean salmon
are distinguished one from another by
POSITIVE ANATOMICAL CHARACTERS.
No such d ference has yet been found to
separate the rainbow trout from the steel
head. Their hn-TayS, bones, scales and
teeth are absolutely alike, and nothing eX-
cept form, size and celebration remain TO
Sci aTa'e them. If any one expresses his
belief hat the s,eelhead IS sea-Tun rain
bow OF brook trout, know no way TO con-
vince him Of his error. The chances are at
least equal that he is correct. The matter is
one which Dr.. Gilbert and l hope some time
10 clear up. As the typical rainbow trout
We may take the black-SpOtted trout found
in McClOud River and streams about Mount
Shasta. AS the typical steeihead l take
that found in the lower Columbia. The
little trout in the Coast Range have been
regarded as rainbow trout, but they may
prove TO be young steeGead.
As TO the scientific name OF the steel
heads your correspondent objects 10 the
name Saline garCneri, and asks
WHO Is GARDNER
And who Richardson. who gave the trout
the name Of gardiner?
In 1896 John Richardson of London fin
ished his explorations of Arctic America,
and published his splendid Fauna Bureali
Americana" in which is given descriptions
aud figures Of all the animals he found.
Dr.. Gardner, a physician, then living in
Astoria, probably IN the employ Of the fur
company, nTst discovered the steelhead and
tent it, with lot of other salmon and trout,
20 Richardson. Even if California and Ore
gon have forgotten Gardner, he is well en-
titled to whatever honor the name of the
steelhead gives him.
Why are the steelhesd trout and not
salmon? There arr five species Of salmon
in the Pacific Ocean. They are migratory
ifs Is, like the Atlantic salmon, but they
differ from the latter and from all the trout
in having
GREATER NUMBER OF RAYS
In the anal fin, fifteen to eighteen instead Of
tea 0r eleven, greater number of inter-
amal ecEes bones at the base Of the rays
of the anal, greater number of gill-rakers,
OF branchinstegal rays, and Of py loric glands
on tie stomach, In short the Pacific salmon
are built on a much more liberal plan, with
more OF all organs IN which the number can
be increased Tie salmon live in the sea-
March uD to the spawning time; the males
grow greatly distorted as spawning time
approaches, and tic great majority die alter
spawning. The trout take life more cas- lily,
and spend most OF their lives, OF all of it, in
fresh water.
The Atlantic salmon is not found in the
Pa life. 1t has tie anatomy of trout and
The narits of the Pacific salmon. Il, how
ever. d If IS from the trou: in shedding the
teeth on the roof OF the mouth. which all
THE TROUT NATURALLY KEEP.
What Is a salmon trout? In England
there IS large trout (SalmO trut.a)' which
lives In The river mouths as the steelhead
does here. Ii is a trout with spme salmon
characteristics. 1t is not found in America,
but the steeihead resembles it. The name
Salmon trout" Is used III America for big
trout and little salmon so indiScriminately
that when Man speaks Of salmon trout"
We never know what he means.
Are any IF these fish hybrids? l have
seen hybrid trout made by artificial fecunca-
ton. l have not seen yet hybrid fish of
any kind in Pacific waters. 1t is safe to say
that DO kind of fish which is common any-
where is ever ny Bird.
What kinds Of salmon are there The
Eve kinds Of Pacific Coast salmon are easily
recognized, although
EACH ONE GOES THROUGH
Many stages IF growth in the course of its
life, and In all the males are hook jawed in
the fail while the young fish and The females
rrmain symmetrical These kinds ara:
First - The king salmon or Quiunat, the
largest and most valuable and the only one
usually seen in California. Second-The
oue-back salmon or reddish, smaller and
prettIer and moro common in Alaska.
These two run chiefly. 10 spring, the other
three in the fall. Thrd-The silver salmon.
the smallest kind. Fourth - The dog
salmon. Fifth - The hump-ba back salmon.
Fishermen use these names carelessIy, often
calling all old males dog salmon" aud all
young lmon silver salmon
What kinds of trout exist in California?
In England the name trout is given only to
tie
LARGE-sCALED BLACK-sPoTTED
Fresh-water, or partly migratory species.
Trout thus defined do not exist in America
east of the Rocky fountains. the small
scaled red-spotted or white-sputted species
found in our Eastern streams being called in
Europe 'ciIarr" or "salbling." OF true trout
California has: Frst-The rainbow trout,
or California brook trout (Salmo irideus),
found from Oregon as far as San Luis Rsy
SeeODd-The steelhead (Salmo gairdnor J. in
eoastwise streams, and perhaps modified
rainbow front overgrown from its salty water
diet. Third-Re throat OF "cut-throat"
trout (Salno mykiss). This has a larger
mouth. much smaller scales, and a dee: er
dash of scarlet under the throat This ia
found from
THE NORTH SIDE OF SHASTA,
AS far as Kamtschltka. 1t is not common
In California,
The Tahoe trout is alsnd-locked form of
the same fish. 1t black-spotted on the
belly as we'll as on the back. IL is found in
Feather River and other trbutar rs of the
Sacramento, as well as in Lake Tahoe. [
do not know what other lakes or streams
contain it, but / presume that it will prove
TO be the prevailing trout of Lassen and
ModOc counties. 1t is named for its dis
coverer, Salmo mykiss henshawi. 1t is not
regarded as distinct 81 ecies, because it
varies by degrees into the mykiss, which IA
the common brook trout Of Oregon. IL is
BOT hybrid, simply race or tribe of the
other.
Has California CHAIRS alsoP One species.
the finest Of all the trout tribe in the State.
Is found in
TRIBUTARIES OF THE SACRAMENTO
And on north into Siberia This is tho
Dolly Warden trout" (Salvelinus malma(
small-scaled and red-spotted, a fish yerv
similar to the brook trout of New England
or the "salbling" or "Omb re cheyalier" Of
Europe.
Is there any easy way tn tell one kind of