Salmon of North America

There are less than twenty different species of salmon. The Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, depicted on the top, is iteroparity, a term describing a salmon able to survive through more than one breeding season. The Atlantic salmon goes to sea and returns to the stream of its birth, usually for two cycles. The other species, such as the silver salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, depicted on the bottom, are Pacific coast salmon. They go out to sea and return many years later to spawn only once. The remarkable ability in being able to find their back to the stream of their birth and to manage this feat against overwhelming odds is difficult to fully comprehend and appreciate. Through various tests, scientist have concluded salmon have an acute sense of smell and are able to smell their way back home. This homing behavior is known as olfactory memory.

Brook Trout - Michigan

Michigan consists of two peninsulas connected by the 8 kilometer long Mackinac Bridge. The state borders three of the Great Lakes: Huron, Michigan, and Superior. This provides Michigan with a 5,000 kilometer fresh water coastline, the longest fresh water coastline of any political subdivision in the world.

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Salvelinus fontinalis - There are three distinct ecological forms of the brook trout: the larger variety inhabits the bigger lakes of its native range, a sea variety migrates to the open sea for feeding purposes, and the smaller variety is commonly found in ponds and streams. Although the three types vary slightly in size, they each have the same dark greenish-brown color and marbled pattern. The flanks are covered by reddish dots set in pale blue circles. The underside of the male becomes bright red or orange during the spawning season.

Trout of North America

Trouts are closely related to salmons and the resemblance can be confusing. Generally, trouts remain in fresh water environments for their entire lives, but salmon, born in fresh water, migrate and live in saltwater environments for most of their adult lives before returning to fresh water during the final reproductive stage. The Lahontan cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi (top), is a member of the Salmonidae family and inhabits several rivers in the Great Basin Region of the United States: Carson, Humboldt, Quinn, Truckee, and Walker. Measuring almost 1 meter in length, it is the largest of the cutthroat subspecies and is listed as an endangered species. The lake trout, Salvelinus namaycus (bottom), is the largest of the chars and has a limited distribution range; they are native to the lake regions of Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern United States.