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Sea FAQ Are steelhead (rainbow trout) trout or salmon?
Are steelhead (rainbow trout) trout or salmon?
Until 1988, steelhead (the anadromous form
of rainbow trout) was classified in the genus Salmo
along with Atlantic salmon, brown trout, and several western
trout species. With additional osteology and biochemistry
data, biologists have now reclassified steelhead as members
of the genus Oncorhynchus. The reason for this is
that new information suggested that steelhead are more closely
related to Pacific salmon than to brown trout and Atlantic
salmon. As such, the American Fisheries Society - American
Society of Ichthyologists Committee on Names of Fishes voted
unanimously to accept Oncorhynchus as the proper generic name.
As such, the scientific name of steelhead was changed from
Salmo gairdneri to Oncorhynchus mykiss.
The generic names of the golden, Mexican golden,
Gila, and Apache trouts were also changed
to Oncorhynchus. Since all of these western trouts including
steelhead are biologically capable of repeat spawning and
do not die after spawning, it has been suggested this group
be called the Pacific trout.
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