I remember reading an article in Fly Fishing magazine last fall about the scientific classification of Steelies. I was surprised to read that many biologists are changing their way of thinking about em. You always here folks classify steelhead as belonging to the trout family. You even hear people call them “steelhead trout.” This article (I’ll have to try to find it when I get home) documented reasons why steelies should be more linked to salmon than trout. Some reasons were the method of spawning and preferred cuisine.
I’m no biologist (not yet anyway) and have no personal evidence one way or the other, but was curious if anyone else read and remembers that article or what your thoughts are out there.
This is what MSN Encarta has to say about it:
Most rainbow trout stay in streams their entire lives, but some migrate to lakes, and others migrate to sea one to three years after hatching. As adults, both seagoing rainbow trout, called steelhead, and their freshwater counterparts return to their streams of origin to lay eggs, or spawn.
The state of Washington’s DNR website says:
Steelhead
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Steelhead are the anadromous (migrating) version of rainbow trout. Rainbow trout are the “land locked” version, and remain in freshwater throughout their life. Steelhead migrate from the ocean into freshwater to spawn, and then can swim back out to the ocean again if they wish. Since steelhead are not semelparous (meaning they do not die after spawning) they are not an “official” Pacific Salmon. But, steelhead are often a favorite of local fishers for their large size and feisty attitude. Lake Washington currently has a steelhead recovery program underway to help increase the number of fish in the system. If you see a salmon, here’s some tips to use to determine whether or not it’s a steelhead trout…
These obviously do not support being closely linked to salmon. What do you think?