Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. The fish is pink and silver. Salmon live in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes of the world.
Typically, salmon are anadromous they are born in fresh water, and migrate to the oceans, then return to fresh water to reroduce. However, there are rare species that can only survive in fresh water habitats. This is most likely due to the domestication of these certain species of Salmon. It is said that once the salmon have survived the rigours of the ocoeans and preditors they return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn.
Salmon is a popular food. Consuming salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish's high protien, high Omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, ranging 23–214 mg/100g depending on the species.
Brown Trout
Brown Trout are a number of species of freshwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. salmon belong to some of the same genera as trout but, unlike most trout, most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water.
The word trout is also used as part of the name of some non-salmonid fish such as Cynoscion nebulosus, the spotted seatrout or speckled trout.
The brown trout (Salmo trutta morhpa fario and S. trutta morpha lacustris) and the sea trout (S. trutta morpha trutta) are fish of the same species.
They are distinguished chiefly by the fact that the brown trout is largely a freshwater fish, while the sea trout shows anadromous reproduction, migrating to the oceans for much of its life and returning to freshwater only to spawn.
The brown trout is a medium sized fish, growing to 20 kg or more in some localities although in many smaller rivers a mature weight of 1 kg (2 lb) or less is more common.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout are well known for their ability to adapt to different conditions. It is a member of the Salmonidae family and native to the eastern pacific where its range stretches from Alaska to Mexico. They possess the well known salmonid form. Body shape and colour vary widely and reflect habitat, age, sex and degree of maturity. One of the most distinctive features is the reddish-pink band along each side at about the
middle which can vary from faint to radiant.
Rainbows are a bit nearsighted but can see quite well up to twenty feet. They are quite sensitive to bright sunlight. The eyes of a rainbow are well designed for seeing colour. They see colour in the red to blue wavelength about the same as humans. However, in the yellow to green wavelengths the trout see colour much better than we do. The reason for this is that yellow to green wavelengths travel better in water than in air.
The senses of taste and smell are very well developed in the rainbow trout. They also have a phenomenal hearing system which rainbow can detect the slightest movement of an aquatic insect or fly at quite a distance and even on the darkest nights.
The most commonly used trout in fisheries are Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout, however some do stock Golden, Brook and Lake trout.
Golden Trout
Golden Trout: (Oncorhynchis Mykiss Aguabonita)
Originating in the high altitudes of the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States the Golden Trout has been called the "fish from heaven" by the Americans.
The distinctive sandy gold colouring of the fish means it is particularly conspicuous to predators like herons and farming conditions are carefully designed to offer maximum protection.
Only two producers in the UK currently farm this unusual variety of trout for consumption.
Grayling
The Grayling (Thymallus thymallus) is a species of the salmon family (Salmonidae) and is found mainly in rivers. It is readily distinguished from other salmonids by the large dorsal fin and quite large scales. It is often silvery or grey in colour (hence the name), although mature fish, particularly the males around spawning time, can be darker.
The grayling is native to parts of England and perhaps Wales, and was first introduced to Scotland from the
Derbyshire Wye 150 years ago. It is now present in many rivers of the central and southern parts of Scotland
and can be the dominant fish species where the river current speeds are moderate and many pools are present.
Brook Trout
The brook trout is a popular game fish with anglers, particularly the fly fisherman. Today, many anglers practice catch and release tactics to preserve remaining brook trout populations,
Brook trout can sometimes hybridise with other species and both natural and artificial hybrids are known.
One such intergeneric hybrid, between the brook trout and the brown trout (genus salmo) is the tiger trout. Tiger trout occur very rarely naturally but are sometimes artificially propogated. Such crosses are almost always reproductively sterile.