Ditchrat
10-25-2005, 08:53 PM
Hello all,
There has been alot of questions on telling the difference between domestic rainbows, winter run and summer run rainbows. I wish that I could clear up this question for all of you once and for all. The fact is that I can. The only problem is that you will not like the answer. So I will try and give you as much scientific information as I can, and maybe you can get a sence of satisfaction from them.
Oncorhynchus mykiss is the current scientific name for all of the above fish. Right now the consences is that rainbows are more closely related to Pacific Salmon then to trout like browns. This is not a proven fact but simple a manmade group based on similar morphalogically charicteristic. I.E phisological make up, not outward apperances. In the future this may change with the use of gentic mapping, how ever once again this is based on man made criteria.
So that being said, why do we call rainbow trout by other names. First there are regional names given by local people and are commonly acepted. Scientist do not recognize common names for fish, only the latin name. Some fish have sub-species. Sub species are fish that have been isolated to the extent that they have different charicteristic then other fish in the same species, but can still interbred and produce viable off spring. This idea is the key to charicterizing species. Many fish are so closely related that they can interbred but do not produce viable offspring. An example of this are coho X (read X= to the word "by") Chinnok co-noks which are sterile.
Rainbows can and do cross with cutthroats leding (rainbow X cutthroat = cutbows) many to believe they are sub-species not different species.
A rainbow or skam or chamber creek or others are consider strains, please note I saying strains not sub species. Strains are different in that they are geneticly identical, but have been isolated to the point where they are showing different physical traits, an example in humans is asian having black hair, africans having darker pigments, or scandinavians have light skin. All human have the genetic potential to exhibit any of these trait, however they are recessive, not dominant. This is the simple version of this, not the scientifcly acurate one. Anyone please add if you would like to explain, it is out of my expertise, and I would love a genetics lesson.
Back to trout, rainbows have been isolated from each other because they have evolved to return to there native streams, and thus do not interbreed. This inturn lets them develope charicteristics independent from each other. Timing of a spawning run is also a way fish isolate there gentic traits.
So what does this mean to us. First a skam can only be proven to be a skam by fin clips. Asumming it came from pure stock or the native water shed of Skams. Their spawning over laps other rainbows strains. They will and do spawn with domestics, chambers creek, skams and other strains.
Some people believe that they can recognize the charicteristic of individual strains. It is possible with alot of practice or training. The problem is that unless you are sure at what your looking at and basing your opinion on is what you think it is, then it your just taking a guess.
So to sum it all up, what makes a steelhead a steelhead? Well any rainbow that runs up a river to spawn from a large body of water could be called a steelhead.
Good luck
Just for fun here is part of the genetic code for rainbows
Base1 =TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Base2 =TTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGT TTTCCCCAAAAGGGG
Base3 =CAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTC AGTCAGTCAGTCAG
There has been alot of questions on telling the difference between domestic rainbows, winter run and summer run rainbows. I wish that I could clear up this question for all of you once and for all. The fact is that I can. The only problem is that you will not like the answer. So I will try and give you as much scientific information as I can, and maybe you can get a sence of satisfaction from them.
Oncorhynchus mykiss is the current scientific name for all of the above fish. Right now the consences is that rainbows are more closely related to Pacific Salmon then to trout like browns. This is not a proven fact but simple a manmade group based on similar morphalogically charicteristic. I.E phisological make up, not outward apperances. In the future this may change with the use of gentic mapping, how ever once again this is based on man made criteria.
So that being said, why do we call rainbow trout by other names. First there are regional names given by local people and are commonly acepted. Scientist do not recognize common names for fish, only the latin name. Some fish have sub-species. Sub species are fish that have been isolated to the extent that they have different charicteristic then other fish in the same species, but can still interbred and produce viable off spring. This idea is the key to charicterizing species. Many fish are so closely related that they can interbred but do not produce viable offspring. An example of this are coho X (read X= to the word "by") Chinnok co-noks which are sterile.
Rainbows can and do cross with cutthroats leding (rainbow X cutthroat = cutbows) many to believe they are sub-species not different species.
A rainbow or skam or chamber creek or others are consider strains, please note I saying strains not sub species. Strains are different in that they are geneticly identical, but have been isolated to the point where they are showing different physical traits, an example in humans is asian having black hair, africans having darker pigments, or scandinavians have light skin. All human have the genetic potential to exhibit any of these trait, however they are recessive, not dominant. This is the simple version of this, not the scientifcly acurate one. Anyone please add if you would like to explain, it is out of my expertise, and I would love a genetics lesson.
Back to trout, rainbows have been isolated from each other because they have evolved to return to there native streams, and thus do not interbreed. This inturn lets them develope charicteristics independent from each other. Timing of a spawning run is also a way fish isolate there gentic traits.
So what does this mean to us. First a skam can only be proven to be a skam by fin clips. Asumming it came from pure stock or the native water shed of Skams. Their spawning over laps other rainbows strains. They will and do spawn with domestics, chambers creek, skams and other strains.
Some people believe that they can recognize the charicteristic of individual strains. It is possible with alot of practice or training. The problem is that unless you are sure at what your looking at and basing your opinion on is what you think it is, then it your just taking a guess.
So to sum it all up, what makes a steelhead a steelhead? Well any rainbow that runs up a river to spawn from a large body of water could be called a steelhead.
Good luck
Just for fun here is part of the genetic code for rainbows
Base1 =TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Base2 =TTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGT TTTCCCCAAAAGGGG
Base3 =CAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTC AGTCAGTCAGTCAG