The Stream Doctor

Fishing Techniques & Entomology
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1

Q.
: Hi-I’ve some questions about salmonid biology; here’s a few..

  1. What’s the current thought regarding salmon/trout
    evolution (which came first),what are your thoughts?

  2. Oncorhynchus mykiss or Salmo gairdineri?

  3. I heard a rumor that “they” reclassified brown
    trout and Atlantic salmon as one. Is this true?

  4. Do you know anyone actively doing research in
    this field that I could contact?

Thanks for your time.

A.

  1. I don’t have any personal thoughts on
    this; it’s not my field. However, if you read
    Bob Behnke’s discussion of salmonid ancestory
    in the book TROUT*, you will find
    that the all species of the Pacific salmon and
    the cutthroat and rainbow trouts are in the same
    genus, Oncorhynchus, thus denoting
    a common ancestor that gave rise to all species
    in this genus. It follows, then, that the Pacific
    salmons, cutthroat trout, and rainbow trout probably
    evolved in parallel, thus making it a moot point as
    to which came first.

*Stolz, Judith and Judith Schnell (eds.). 1991. Trout. Stackpole Books. Harrisburg, PA.
ISBN 0-8117-1652-X.

  1. Oncorhynchus mykiss. This name
    has been formally accepted as the correct scientific
    name for the rainbow trout.

  2. Not true. The Atlantic salmon is Salmo salar
    and the brown trout is Salmo trutta.
    Both are in the same genus, but they are distinct species.

  3. The recognized world authority on this is Dr.
    Robert Behnke, at Colorado State University. Bob
    recently retired, but is still active. His address
    is Dept. of Fishery & Wildlife Biology, Colorado
    State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523

If you have a question, please feel free to contact me.
~ C. E. (Bert) Cushing, aka Streamdoctor
105 W. Cherokee Dr.
Estes Park, CO 80517
Phone: 970-577-1584
Email: streamdoctor@aol.com

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The ‘Stream Doctor’ is a retired professional stream ecologist and
author, now living in the West and spending way too much time
fly-fishing. You are invited to submit questions relating to
anything stream related directly to him for use in this Q & A Feature
at streamdoctor@aol.com.

Originally published January 24th, 2005 on Fly Anglers Online by Robert Younghanz.