A native fish of the Pacific Coast, the rainbow trout was introduced into Island water systems many years ago. Presently the rainbow trout is found in a limited number of water systems in Prince Edward Island, with the Cardigan and Dunk Rivers being the most notable. Many other water systems throughout the province once supported this fish through a stocking program; however, with the discontinuation of the program, rainbow populations in these water systems disappeared.

The rainbow trout is an elongate, but stout bodied fish with the greatest body depth occurring at the origin of the dorsal fin. Scales cover the body surface and are conspicuous.

In colouration, the rainbow is metallic blue on its dorsal surface and silvery on its sides. Bands of deep pink to red also colour the sides. Black spots are present on the back of the fish, as well as on the dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins. The black spots on the caudal fin are positioned in radiating rows. Unlike the brook trout, there are no red spots on the body of the rainbow and no leading white edges on the pectoral, pelvic and anal fins.

On the Pacific Coast, sea-run rainbow trout may attain a length of up to 45 inches and a weight of up to 36 pounds. Sea-run rainbows on the Atlantic Coast are much smaller than those of the West Coast. Rainbows weighing as much as 7 and 8 pounds have been angled in Island waters.

Preferred habitat for the rainbow trout is a stream or river with swift, clear water and alternate pools and riffles. Water systems with high water temperatures which may be unfavorable for brook trout may prove favourable for rainbow trout, due to the higher temperature tolerance of the species.

On the Atlantic Coast rainbow trout behave essentially the same as they do on the Pacific Coast; that is, they may run to sea, but usually they will remain in fresh water. On the Pacific Coast rainbows will spend from one to two years in fresh water before going to sea; they will remain at sea until they reach maturity, at which time they return to fresh water for spawning.

Spawning occurs in the spring and may be dependent upon water conditions and temperature, and the genetics of the population. A shallow, gravel riffle area lacking silt is chosen as a spawning area. The greatest spawning activity usually occurs in the late afternoon and early evening. Females and males may spawn several times during the spring with the number of eggs deposited by a female being dependent upon her size. The incubation period for the fertilized eggs is dependent upon water temperatures; it may vary from 30 to 100 days. Egg development is slow in the colder waters of early spring, but as water temperatures rise development is much more rapid. After hatching, young rainbow trout remain buried in the gravel of the stream or river bed, feeding from their yolk sac. When this food supply is expired, the young fry move up through the gravel and remain close to the stream or river bottom. Here they feed on minute food particles. At the end of the first summer of growth, young rainbows are known as fingerlings; they measure 3 to 4 inches in length at this time.

www.flickr.com Souris & Area Branch PEI Wildlife Federation's Catch & Release on the Souris River photoset Catch and release sport-fishing is strongly advocated by the Souris branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation. Catching and releasing a Steelhead. A Steelhead is a Rainbow Trout who has traveled to salt water.

After the second summer of growth, rainbows may measure 6 to 9 inches in length.

The food habits of rainbow trout are dependent upon fish size, fish habitat and time of year. Aquatic insects, worms, snails, and other fish species are some food items consumed by rainbow trout.

Common names: salmon, ouananiche, black salmon, grilse, kelt The Atlantic salmon is native to coastal Eastern North America. In Prince Edward Island, Atlantic salmon are found in limited numbers and in a limited number of streams and rivers. The Morell, West, Dunk and Mill Rivers are large water systems in the province that are capable of providing the angler with a few salmon yearly. Other systems that salmon frequent are usually too small to afford easy legal angling (angling with artificial fly only).

Description

The Atlantic salmon is an elongate, but stout, moderately compressed bodied fish. Scales cover the body and are conspicuous, especially in adult fish. Young salmon (salmon parr) possess a deeply forked tail, while adult fish have somewhat of a square tail.

The colouration of Atlantic salmon varies with age. Salmon parr are characterized by dark bars or blotches (usually 11) along their sides, with a single row of red spots along the lateral line, alternating with these blotches, while black spots mark the back and gill covers. At the smolt stage, the parr colouring is lost, and these young salmon take on a silvery appearance, with black spots still evident on the back and gill covers. Adult salmon in salt water vary in colour on the back from shades of brown, green and deep blue, while being silvery on the sides and white on the belly. In adult fish, black spots often in the form of an "X" mark the head and body. At spawning, both male and female take on a bronze-purple colouration and may be marked with red spots as well. After spawning, salmon become very dark in colour.

Atlantic salmon rarely exceed 13.6 kilograms (30 pounds) in weight, with the majority of sea-run fish weighing between 1.36 and 9.07 kilograms (3 and 20 pounds). The average weight of commercially caught salmon is 4.54 kilograms (10 pounds). A salmon weighing 10.43 kilograms, 284 grams (23 pounds, 14 ounces) was angled from our Morell River in 1970. The majority of salmon angled in Island waters would not exceed 5.44 kilograms (12 pounds).

Biology

Atlantic salmon occur in both fresh and salt water during their life. Spawning and the growth of young salmon takes place in fresh water, while growth continues in salt water. Preferred fresh water habitat for salmon is a river or stream with clean, cool water and deep, shaded resting pools for adult fish and adequate riffle areas with gravel and rubble for spawning and areas for development of young salmon.

Atlantic salmon are anadromous, with mature fish entering fresh water to spawn. Movement into fresh water usually occurs in the fall months in our province and is dependent upon the level of discharge from our streams and rivers. In other provinces, Atlantic salmon may enter fresh water rivers in late spring or early summer and remain there until fall for spawning. Spawning commonly occurs in October and November. The majority of the fish coming into our water systems for spawning are spawning for the first time. These fish are referred to as "maiden fish". Maiden fish may be made up of fish that have spent one year at sea or two or more. One year fish are known as "grilse" while two or more year fish are known as salmon. Fish that have spawned are referred to as "kelts". Grilse grow from .91 to 2.72 kilograms (2 to 6 pounds) in weight, while maiden salmon weigh from 2.72 to 6.8 kilograms (6 to 15 pounds). Atlantic salmon are capable of spawning more than once. It has been estimated that approximately 10 to 15 per cent of kelts survive for respawning.

Spawning may occur near the head of tide in small streams or several hundred miles above head of tide on large water systems. The female digs a shallow trough or redd with vigorous action of her tail, usually at the head of a riffle or at the tail of a pool where the water is accelerating. While the female digs, the awaiting male spends his time courting her or driving away smaller or less vigorous males. After the redd is dug, eggs are deposited and then fertilized by the male. The eggs are then covered with gravel from above the redd by the female after the spawning act. A female is capable of producing from 500 to 900 eggs per pound of body weight; this production is dependent upon her size and age. Eggs are approximately .64 centimeters (1/4 inch) in diameter when spawned.

The eggs hatch in spring from late March to early April, with incubation time being dependent upon water temperatures. The incubation period is approximately 110 days at 39 F. The newly hatched young remain in their gravel redd for approximately six weeks where they feed upon their yolk sac. Young fry emerge from the gravel to begin to swim and feed after this period. As they grow, the young fry develop parr marks and, as a result, are referred to as parr. Salmon parr feed and grow in their freshwater habitat for two to three years. In spring these two to three year old parr migrate to salt water and take on a silvery appearance. They are referred to as smolt. Smolt may be from 5 to 9 inches in length. In the sea the young salmon develop rapidly and may return to their natal river after spending one, two or three winters at sea. With the returning of mature fish, the life cycle is complete. The majority of Atlantic salmon return to the stream or river in which they were spawned and reared.

In freshwater, young parr feed primarily on larval and mature aquatic insects, as well as on terrestrial insects. A few aquatic annelids and molluscs are also eaten by young parr. Smolt and larger salmon in the sea feed on small fishes such as herring, lance, alewives, smelt, capelin and others, as well as on crustaceans such as euphausiid shrimps and pelagic amphipods.