Is salmon a torut or a steelhead? I do know the answer but do you?

Since neither torut or steelhead are salmon a salmon is a salmon. Salmonid. Though some trout are anadromous such as the cutthroat trout and the bull trout ( or bull trout), so are sturgeon, shad and most species of lampery.

Neil, Steelhead for many years were considered a seagoing, anadromous rainbow trout. About 15 years ago, someone or some group reclassified the steelhead as a salmon. I can't remember who the group was, but they were generally accepted as being correct. I still think of them as a trout however - I'm just too old I guess.

Since steelhead have been reclassified as a pacific salmon, and steelhead are rainbow trout, that implies that rainbow trout are salmon.

Oh, my head hurts now...

Trout and salmon are layman's terms.

Steelhead, cutthroat, chinook, coho, chums, sockeyes, and pinks all belong to the same Genus, 'Oncorhynchus'.

Brookies, Dollies, Bull trout, lake trout and char belong to the Genus 'Salvelinus' .

Brown "trout" and Atlantic "salmon" belong to the Genus 'Salmo'.

So basically, asking whether they're a trout or salmon is a bogus question. They're Oncorhynchus Mykiss..........and that's the only accurate way to describe it.

In 1987 (I believe it was) it was determined that rainbow trout (including steelhead) as well as cutthroat, had more physical characteristics in common with the genus Oncorhynchus, which includes the Pacific salmons, than with other members of the genus Salmo in which they were formerly included (the genus Salmo includes the Atlantic salmon, S. salar, and the brown trout, S. trutta). The rainbow (formerly S. gairdneri, the change of the specific name from gairdneri to mykiss having to do with priority of identification) became O. mykiss, and the cutthroat (formerly S. clarki) became O. clarki. It is presumed that the two genera (Oncorhynchus and Salmo) began to evolve from a common ancestor over 3 to 5 million years ago.

Preston,

Close. The American Fisheries Society made the change in 1989, reclassifying rainbow and cutthroat as Oncorhynchus, with the Pacific salmon.

I'm with Silver Hilton. Having rainbow and cutthroat trout be salmon makes my head hurt as well.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Ok neil I am waiting for your answer. My heads hurting watching other people posting about there head hurting. I cant believe you put such a hurtfull post up here!

Here is my three favorite food groups.

chars
trouts
salmons

they are all fish, and i must try to catch them!!!

everyone

I am sorry that it was a hurtful question, that was not the purpose. I was just wondering what all of you thought. I believe that you are right either way. The change was made in 1988, but that is not the point. I have talked to many people, some of which were experts and they all have diffiring ideas on what salmon are. If you believe it is a salmon or a rainbow trout you are right. However, I have found a national geographic that said there were seven pacific salmon. It included chinook, coho, chum, pink, sockeye, steelhead, and I might be wrong on the spelling (as i am with most things) cherry. I have also found information on asian salmon also. Your guess is as good as anyones

You are correct on 'Cherry' salmon. They are from the Japanese Sea area. They look somewhat like a very colorful Chum. There is a huge effort by the Japanese to expand hatchery programs over there for these to provide a more local fishery to support their countries' desire for salmon. This may help our runs down the road by decreasing some of the Japanese fleet targeting salmon in areas of international waters where they can get at our runs. Believe it when I see it...

Just to add my $0.2 worth I look at it this way.....

Salmon migrate to saltwater and grow to maturity and then return to their freshwater birthplace to spawn...... Same for the Steelhead, but unlike the salmon, they return to do it again up to 3 times before dying.
This to me makes them a trout and not a salmon, since ALL true salmon die upon returning to freshwater and spawning.......

The folks that re-classified Steelhead just needed something to do to justify their 12 years of college I think.......

MC

So what's a Kokanee, MC?

Or how about the chinook in Lake Cushman? They never see the ocean.

Your definition doesn't work in those cases.........so why not just stick with the new definition?

I'm not sure if Atlantic Salmon are "true" salmon or not in your view MC, but they don't all die after spawning either.

Actually, Atlantic Salmon are the only true salmon but of course they are classified as Salmo as are trout.

Atlantic salmon are the only "true" salmon because that was what the Europeans named them hundreds of years ago. Lewis and Clark I believe where the ones, if not then it was a sea-going explore, that named the fish of our area salmon. I know that this dose not go with scientific names but it was just something I thought about now. But in all I believe in what Dan S. said.

Well,

"You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay.........."

Hey..............they're fish, and we chase em'. Let the school boys and girls decide what to call them. We'll decide what to catch them with...........you know, the HARD part.

Some "Cherry" salmon live after spawning also. I think they are masu salmon.

Ahh...... You thought you had me on that one didn't ya Dan??!! LOL

Those salmon you refer to CAN"T go to saltwater but still DIE after spawning.... (Uh, I am pretty sure they do...)

The trout in the lakes spawn again and again....

MC

Aren't Atlantic salmon really a char like a lake trout or artic char?
If so, then they are not really salmon either.....

He heh......

MC