Steelhead Salmon

TAXONOMY

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae

ECOLOGICAL DATA

Distribution: spawn in larger streams and rivers; localized and extensive Pacific Ocean feeding migrations.

Habitat: adults spend several years in north Pacific Ocean feeding; spawning migrations upstream in rivers and larger streams to freshwater spawning areas occurs year round, but mostly as winter (Nov-May) or summer (May-Oct) runs; high degree of homing to natal river; juveniles rear in freshwater for 2-3 yr (range 1-5) before migrating to sea as smolts at 175 mm (range 130-250 mm) from Apr to Jun; remain in estuarine or nearshore for a period before moving offshore.

Tidal elevation: adults and smolts use tidal waters of estuaries and nearshore.

Food: adults prey on squid, euphausiids, amphipods and fishes; young eat insects, copepods, amphipods and other crustaceans and young fishes (e.g. sand lance, eulachon, herring).

Predators: fishes, birds and marine mammals.

GROWTH RATE

Rapid growth in ocean, e.g smolts (150-200 mm) were 480 mm after 1 yr ocean residence, 710 after 2 yr and 810 after 3 yr; maximum recorded size is 1140 cm and 19.5 kg.

FISHERY

A very popular sport fish in B.C.; commercial and Native fisheries; 1986 commercial catch was 158 t valued at $0.3 million.

REFERENCES

Hart, J.L. 1973. Pacific fishes of Canada. Fish. Res. Board Can. Bull. 180: 128-131.

LeBrasseur, R.J. 1966. Stomach contents of salmon and steelhead trout in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 23: 85-100.

Maher, F.P., and P.A. Larkin. 1955. Life history of the steelhead trout of the Chilliwack River, British Columbia. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 84: 27-38.

Manzer, J.I. 1968. Food of Pacific salmon and steelhead trout in the northeast Pacific Ocean. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 25: 1085-1089.

Margolis, L. 1984. MS. Preliminary report on identification of continent of origin of ocean-caught steelhead trout, Salmo gairdneri, using naturally occurring parasite tags. Unpubl. Int. North Pac. Fish. Comm. Rep. 2822: 23 p.

Smith, S.B. 1960. A note on two stocks of steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) in Capilano River, British Columbia. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 17: 739-742.

Ward, B.R., and P.A. Slaney. 1988. Life history and smolt-to-adult survival of Keogh River steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) and the relation to smolt size. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 45: 1110-1122.

Withler, I.L. 1966. Variability in life history characteristics of steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) along the Pacific coast of North America. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 23: 365-393.