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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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