Produced by Kim Tisdale
Fisheries Biologist
Nevada Department of Wildlife
2004

Scientific Family name is Salmonidae
Includes three subfamilies:
•Salmon, Trout, and Char
•Whitefish
•Grayling
Economically the most important family of cold water fishes in North America
•Sport Fisheries
•Commercial Fishing
•Hatcheries and Fish Farms

Pacific Salmon
• Pink or Humpback
• Chinook or King
• Coho or Silver
• Chum or Dog
• Sockeye or Red
Atlantic Salmon
• Atlantic Salmon

Anadromous
• Spends its life in the ocean but returns to fresh water to spawn
• Pacific Salmon die shortly after spawning
• Atlantic Salmon may live to spawn two or more times

Landlocked Sockeye Salmon are called Kokanee
Salmon.
Kokanee were originally stocked into Lake Tahoe in
1950. Every fall, thousands of kokanee ascend
Taylor Creek (Tahoe tributary) to spawn.

Photo courtesy of Mike
Sevon

All salmonids are characterized by the presence of an adipose fin
All salmonids require clean, cold water in which to live and have a low tolerance to habitat degradation.
Primarily freshwater fish, however, many species develop seagoing races.
 Can you name the anadromous form of the rainbow trout?
Steelhead

Photo courtesy of Mike Sevon
Characteristics:
Black spots on light background
Stream obligate spawners
Nevada’s True Trout:
Cutthroat
Rainbow
Brown

Characteristics:
Light spots on dark background
Prefer colder water than trout
Spawn in the fall
Can spawn in a lake environment
Nevada’s Chars:
Lake Trout
Brook Trout
Bull Trout

Cutthroat Trout
– Lahontan (Threatened species)
– Bonneville
– Yellowstone
• Bull Trout
– Threatened species
• Redband Trout
– Inland rainbow trout

• Once the predominant native trout in lakes and streams across the Great Basin
– Competition with non-native trout and habitat degradation can be attributed to the decline in the species
• Recovery activities by NDOW and other agencies are ongoing to reestablish these fish in their historic range
Official State Record Cutthroat Trout:
23 pounds 8 ounces (Pyramid Lake, 1977)
Unofficial Record: 41 pounds (Pyramid Lake, 1925)

Photo courtesy of John Rupp

• The most important trout in North America based on its contribution to sport fisheries
– Comprise over 90% of the hatchery production from Nevada’s four hatcheries
• Rainbow are native to waters along the Pacific coast
• All rainbow trout existing in Nevada are introduced with the exception of the Redband Trout which can be found in 12-mile Creek in the Northwest corner of Nevada
• State Record: 16 pounds 4 ounces (Lake Mohave,
1971)

Photo courtesy of Mike Sevon

• Imported from Europe in the late 1800s and stocked throughout the United States. They were first introduced into the Truckee River in 1895.
• Often described as the wariest and hardest to catch of all trout
• While they prefer colder water, brown trout can tolerate temperatures as warm as 75°F and can be found in slower moving water that would be unsuitable to other trout
• State Record: 27 pounds 5 ounces (Cave Lake,
1984)

Photo courtesy of Mike Sevon

• Native to the Eastern U.S.
• Stocked extensively throughout the U.S. approximately 100 years ago.
• Usually found inhabiting high mountain lakes and streams due to their preference for cold water
(rarely found where temps exceed 65°F.)
• Popular with anglers – considered the easiest trout to catch and the best tasting
• State Record: 5 pounds 10 ounces (Bull Run
Reservoir, 1980)

• Native range is the northern portion of North
America from Alaska to Labrador and includes the
Great Lakes
• Highly prized as a sport fish due to its large size
(World Record – 72 pounds 4 ounces)
• Generally only found in deep, cold lakes
• In Nevada, they’re found in Lake Tahoe where they have been reported at depths as deep as 1,400 feet
• State Record: 37 pounds 6 ounces (Lake Tahoe,
1974)

• Native to the Jarbidge River system north of Elko.
• The Jarbidge is a tributary to the Snake River in
Idaho, however, the populations are separated by
150 miles of unsuitable trout habitat and several impassable dams.
• Federally listed as Threatened
• State Record: 4 pounds 6 ounces (Jarbidge River
WF, 1985)
• World Record: 32 pounds 0 ounces (Lake Pend
Oreille, Idaho)

Spawning occurs in the spring for
Rainbow and
Cutthroat
All other Nevada salmonids are fall spawners
Female seeks out a suitable location for her nest and begins digging her redd
Video footage courtesy of Manu Esteve, University of Washington

Factors Influencing Nest Location
Water Temperature
Depth
Velocity
Substrate
Cover for maturing fish
Size of Spawners (Larger fish may choose larger streams with bigger substrate)
Trout and Char often spawn in the transition area between pools and riffles where water velocity is accelerating.

Males will fight for spawning rights to the female. The most dominant male will spawn.
The process of courtship and nest building will last for hours
Only when the female is ready will spawning commence.
Video footage courtesy of Manu Esteve, University of Washington

When the female is ready, she will signify the male by arching her back and quivering over the redd.
The male will join her and they both open their mouths and release their eggs and sperm.
The female immediately begins to bury the newly laid eggs.
Video footage courtesy of Manu Esteve, University of Washington

Females can lay between 200 to 8,000 eggs (depending on the size of the fish).
Eggs are extremely vulnerable to predators, suffocation and fungus spores.
Egg development depends entirely on water temperature
Rainbow trout eggs will hatch in about three weeks at a water temperature of
54°F.

Newly hatched trout have a yolk sac that nourishes the young fish until it is mature enough to feed itself.
Sac fry remain in the gravel until their yolk sack is absorbed.

Once it is “buttoned-up”, the fry will work their way through the gravel to the top of the stream bed.
These “swim-up” fry dart to the surface and gulp air to fill their air bladders.
From this point, they are free swimming fish and begin to feed.

To reach maturity a juvenile fish must:
•avoid predators,
•Find adequate food
•Survive summer heat and winter cold

Lahontan Cutthroat Trout – Pyramid Lake
Only about 2% of fertilized eggs survive to become mature adults.
Most salmonids reach sexual maturity at 3 to 5 years.
Some precocious fish (usually males) mature at 2 years.