Steelhead are iteroparous, although survival is approximately 10–20%. Like other sea-run (anadromous) trout and salmon, steelhead spawn in freshwater, smolts migrate to the ocean to forage for several years and adults return to their natal streams to spawn. Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and North America. gairdneri, also called redband steelhead). Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) or Columbia River redband trout ( O. ( March 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Īdult steelhead showing color upon returning to fresh water Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. Because steelhead spend two to three years in freshwater followed by two to three years in the ocean, they are typically larger than rainbow trout, which live all of their lives in fresh or sometimes brackish water.This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. They can weigh more than 50 pounds (22 kilograms), but a more typical weight is 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms). They can reach 45 inches in length, but are usually much smaller. Steelhead are generally more streamlined in shape and silvery or brassy in color as adults, earning them their name.Īdult rainbow trout and steelhead range in size. Their bodies are blue, green, or yellowish, shading to silvery white on the underside, with a horizontal pink-red stripe running from the gills to the tail and black spots along their backs. Rainbow trout derive their name from their beautiful, multi-hued coloration. Because of their different lifestyles, rainbow trout and steelhead are different in appearance, most noticeably in size and color. Steelhead are anadromous-meaning they spend part of their lives in the sea before going to rivers to breed-while rainbow trout spend their lives mostly or entirely in freshwater. Rainbow trout and steelhead are the same species, but they have different lifestyles. Rainbow trout and steelhead are ray-finned fishes in the salmon family, and they are one of the top sport fish in North America.
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