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[bcguy]

Okay, been lake fishing for years and now am trying my hand in the local rivers lately.
One topic of interest that catches my eye from time to time is whether steelhead are an ocean going trout or actually a salmon.
I even got into an argument with another guy who swears up and down that they actually a salmon, but I still believe trout.(just look at the colours)
Any thoughts? 

[bentrod]

Steelhead are trout are salmon.  Confusing, but true.  Rainbow trout are called trout until and if they go through smoltification and migrate to saltwater.  Steelhead and Rainbow trout both have the same scientific name (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and in the salmonidae family.  Typically, if a rainbow has access to saltwater, it will eventually migrate out.  No telling when and if this will happen.  Hope this helps. 

[mastercaster]

Steelhead are one of the eight Pacific salmonid (six of which are salmon). There are five that spawn in North American waters and the "masu" which onl;y spawns in Asian waters.  Steelhead, coastal cutthroat, and all salmon are anadromous which means they are born in fresh water but live their adult lives in salt water before coming back to spawn.  All salmon die after spawning whereas the two trout are capable of spawning again.  It is genetically determined that "these trout" are anadromous.  Resident trout will never venture out to the ocean even if its at their disposal.  Even though steelhead and cutthroat are two of the salmonid species they are not salmon.  They have a different number of rays in their anal fin than salmon and  as I said if they're lucky enough they can live to spawn again.  Salmon spawn in the fall, most steelies and cutties being that they are trout spawn in the spring.  All salmon are under federal jurisdiction and all trout, including steelhead are under provincial. Hope this helps out.

[bentrod]

A little different in the US.  Steelhead here are under the jurisdiction of US fish and wildlife.  You seem to contradict yourself.  In one sentence you say that they are "one of eight pacific salmon", then you say they are trout.  They are in the Salmonidae family and are considered a sub species of salmon.  With that said, it is an interesting conversation and hopefully educational to some. 

[mastercaster]

I didn't say there were eight types of salmon.  What I said is there are eight types of salmonid; of which six are salmon and two which are sea going trout (the stealhead and the cutthroat).   Salmonid are part of the salmonidae family.  But as I said all salmonid are not salmon. The main difference is that the majority of salmon spawn in the fall and will always die shortly after.  On the other hand, all steelhead (summer and winter) and cutthroat spawn in the spring and don't have to die. The big difference between the summer runs and the winter runs are that they come into the rivers as early as June in some rivers but usually in Aug. -Sept. without sexually mature reproductive organs.  They mature in the fresh water.  Winter steelies have mature repr. organs when they enter the rivers and color up much quicker.

[bcguy]

So Salmon and trout belong to the same family, but are different branches on the same tree, so salmon are salmon and trout are trout, but further up the tree, these species are referred to as salmonidae, seems reasonable, I know a few people who resemble & think like monkeys or is that apes, hahahaa.
One more thing, when Steelhead reenter fresh water, do they then regain the colours of a Rainbow trout, some look just like a really big Rainbow, while others resemble a silver bullet. Thanks for your patience. 

[dennyman]

I think part of the answer lies in an eariler reply by someone with regards to this.  But the longer the Steelhead stays in freshwater it will begin to lose its chrome like sheen, and develop colors like those on a rainbow trout.

[Pat AV]

Despite their official change in classification, they will always be a beloved trout in my books!

[mastercaster]

After speaking to my brother-in-law whose a biologist that works for fed. fisheries he informed me that because steelhead behave more like salmon they did reclassify them a few years back as a salmon that has the ability to mend after spawning.  He said they are still under the control of the provincial govt. but that they are often asked to help in their rehabilitation.

I also asked him whats the most times he's heard of a steelhead returning to spawn and he says four.  They can determine it through scale analyses.  He said there's a run of steelies in the Charlottes where one in three lives to spawn up to three times.

[frenchy]

Tell me how you define Salmon and I will tell you if Steelheads are salmons 

If you are speaking about phylogenetic relationships, steelheads are "just" a kind of sea run rainbow trouts, not salmons. I do not think that steelhead can even be considered as a species given that a steelhead from one river is more closely related to the resident rainbows from this river than to steelheads from other rivers.

If you are speaking about legislation, steelheads are sometimes considered as salmons.