The morning call., 1891-12-06
RELATING TO TROUT
AND TO SALMON.
Professor Jordan Explains the Difference
in the Fishes.
From the Standpoint of the Naturalist There
Is No Salmon on This Coast-Laws Pro-
tecting California Fish
written for The SUNDAY CALI

In THE CALL of November goth "a
Lover of Angling" raises some further ques-
tiOns in regard to salmon and trout, which
| will try TO answer.
Have we any salmon, properly so called,
on this Coast? Speaking from the stand
point of the naturalist we have not There
is but one species Of fish to which the name
salmon strictly belongs. That is the salmon
Of the North Atlantic, found alike in Amer
lea and Europe, and known in science by
the name Of Samo solar. Anatomically,
this salmon is an oceanic trout-a big trout
whose life is spent in the sea. The salmon
agrees with the trout in its bOny structure,
with the single exception that in the salmon
most of the teeth on the roof of the mouth
are shed MS the fish grows old; but tho trout,
young or old. keeps them.
The European salmon is the type Of the
genus Sllmo, and 10 Salmo also the trout
all belong: Salmo- trutta, the salmon trout
OF Europe; Salmo fario, the brown trout,
the trout OF Walton aud the 'iOrelle" of
the German fsI-culturists; Samo mykiss,
the "cut-throat trout; Salmo iridens, the
rainbow trout" and Salmo gardiner, the
steel-head, which fish is nightly like the
Eastern salmon in its form and habits.
The Pacific salmon are more of q salmon,
il We may say it, than the Atlantic salmon
are. That is they carry the salmon pecuiari-
ties further and are less like trout. They
ascend rivers further They 90 further into
the sea. They change more with the breed
ing season and. anatOmcally, they differ
from all the rest of the whole family of
salmon and trout by having an increased
number of anal rays, inter-hamals,
branchiostigals, gill rakers and pyloric
glands.
For these reasons the five Pacific salmon
are placed in distinct genus called OncO-
rhynchus. This name means hook-nose, but
in common language there is no word cor
responding to it, and unless we call these
fish salmon, we have no name for them.
The first discoyerer Of these five salmon,
Steller,
MADE THEM KNOWN
By their Russian names, and these unpro-
nounceable names have been taken into
science. The common or Quinnat or king
salmon is Oncorhynchus tschawytscha (pro-
nounced choweecba), the blgeback is 0nco-
rhynchus nerka, the silver salmon is On
cOrhynchus kisutch the dog salmon Onco-
rhynchus keta, and the little thumpback
salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscho.
From the standpoint of strict scientific
nomenclature there is no Salmon" in the
Pacific Ocean; fiOm the market standpoint
there is. All Of these five kinds are canned
as Salmon" All have the habits of the
Atlantic salmon. They have the same rich
orange-colored flesh, and at least one of
them is in all respects better salmon than
the best of the genus Saline.
The CHAIR of Lake Windermere and OF the
lakes Of Greenland and Northern Europe
belongs to third genus, called Salveiinus.
This group contains frcsh-water fish Of
finer organization that the salmon or trout,
with the bones and in-rays in small num-
bers like the trout,
WITH FINE SCALES
That are sunk in the skin, with the spots on
the body red or creamy white. not black,
and with peculiar structure of the bones
words. "a boat-shaped vomer." There is
one CHAIR IL Europe, Salyellnus npinus.
ID America at east five: Salvel;nus fonti-
nails, the Eastern brook front (''speckied
beauty'o; Salveiinus aQuassa, the blue back
trout of Rapgeley Lake; Salyeiinus namay-
cush, the Great Lake trout, a CHAIR which