Interesting topic!!! So to clarify any Salmoninae spp. within the great lakes system is potamodromous.

ORIGINAL: KJH807

ORIGINAL: dano


So by your reasoning, the salmon in Lake Ontario are not really salmon because by definition, salmon are an anadromous fish.
Do I have that right?

not all salmon are anadromous...
landlocked salmon won't go to salt, even if unobstructed...

the chinook and coho in the G.L. are not a native fish... they were orignialy introduced to destory alewifes in MI in the late 60s...

man has created a "landlocked chinook" in the G.L.
this is not an anadromous fish... rather a potamodromos fish

???

I can't believe I'm going to get into this.  But couldn't you also say

"man has created a "landlocked STEELHEAD" in the G.L.
this is not an anadromous fish... rather a potamodromos fish"
 
 
 
woo kares

ORIGINAL: spoonchucker

 
So, we have Potheads?

 
 
EXACTLY!!!
 
actually made me laugh out loud...

You say tomatoe, I say to-mat-o.....

ORIGINAL: anadromous

Are you Gurus puppets, do you idolize him or do you you really have your own identity...just curious why you guys seem to steal his gig. He is kind of funny when he does it but it seems some how pathetic when others steal his thunder...but then again,woo kares duUds.

ORIGINAL: Stillhead

woo kAres dUuds

tHarE jIst fIss

 
 
he iS My hErO DuUd
 
woo kAreS wHat yOu ThInK DuUd
 
tHare JiSt woRds
 
Jist DuM wOrds

"The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), also called the redband trout, is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America as well as much of the central, western, eastern, and especially the northern portions of the United States. The ocean going (anadromous) form (including those returning for spawning) are known as steelhead, or ocean trout (Australia).
 
The rainbow trout are unusual in that there are two forms which sometimes share the same habitat. The anadromous form called "steelhead" migrate to the ocean, though they must return to fresh water to reproduce.
The freshwater form is called "rainbow trout", based on the broad red band along their sides. Steelhead are exactly the same species as rainbow trout. However, the difference is anadromy. After going to sea, their color changes, including loss of the red band. They stay at sea for 1-4 years, and return to fresh water to spawn. Rainbows stay in fresh water their whole lives."
 
The above is from Wikipedia. 
 
No matter what you call them (rainbow or steelhead,) these are the SAME fish species.  Different races have adapted to different environments.  These strains or races look and behave differently.   To my way of thinking, they are all Rainbows.  To others, they could all be Steelhead.  There is no scientific distinction between them, they are all Oncorhynchus mykiss you can cross breed all the sub strains.  
 
People are all Homo sapiens.  The species by most accounts originated in Africa.  The first Homo sapiens were more than likely dark skinned, due to the need for extra pigmentation for protection from the sun.  As the species migrated from the African continent, different pigmentation and environmental adaptations occurred.    These adaptations in no way changed the species.   We may look different, but we, like all the strains of the Rainbow (Steelhead), are all the same. 

 
 

Just some links:

http://cattaraugusfishery2.tripod.com/fish/fishhistory.html
http://cattaraugusfishery2.tripod.com/fish/fish.html

http://www.steelheadquarters.com/the_quarry.htm
 
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/fisheries/research/erietribs2004/000index.htm

So essentially who knows what we are catching.  Maybe a promotion to practice catch and release, or destory the mutts of adventure capitalism!!! hahaha 

BUT...

it is what defines a steelhead... a life cycle that includes salt...


Rainbow trout and steelhead are the same species of fish; the two names reflect two distinct life history patterns. The name rainbow trout is used for the non-anadromous life history. Rainbow trout do not leave the stream to go to the ocean. They spend their entire life in the stream. The name steelhead refers to the anadromous life history described above.

Anadromous steelhead and resident rainbow trout did not arise from two distinct evolutionary lines. There is a close genetic and taxonomic relationship between these two forms. Anadromous forms of the trout can convert to resident populations when drought events or damming of rivers blocks their access to the ocean. Conversely, resident trout populations can become anadromous if ocean access becomes available. It is typical to have both life history patterns occurring in the same stream. In fact, resident and anadromous parents can produce offspring of both varieties. It has been speculated that there is a food availability related trigger which determines whether a particular fish emigrates to the ocean or remains in the stream. It may be that if there is abundant food in the stream and a fish is growing at a rapid rate, it will remain in the stream. If food is limited and growth is slow, the fish will have a tendency to emigrate.

This dual life history pattern of steelhead and rainbow trout makes the species more adaptable to changing environmental conditions. At the southern most limits of steelhead distribution this is particularly important due to unstable, variable climatic and hydrographic conditions.

Source: Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California, by Dennis McEwan and Terry Jackson, CA Department of Fish and Game
 
 
We have very large resident rainbows...
also... what about summer and winter runs??? this is a unique characteristic of steelhead... something lacking/impossible in the G.L....

i'm not saying i have any idea what we catch... i just know that they are not steelhead...
BUT... i am still waiting for someone to prove me wrong...
 
 

I don't think many people really care KJH.  Infact, hmmm maybe like 99.99%.  There might be some duud out there that it just having a nervous breakdown, I don't know.
 
At what point did the eggs from a REAL steelhead become a lake run.  Say .. I don't know, skams were brought here 30 some years ago.  So the eggs were transported, the smolts were raised, stocked, then headed for the lake.  At what did they become lake runs??  Once they hit the FRESH water lake?   What if I transported some salt water from the pacific and dumped it in Walnut while the smolts were heading out.  Them steelhead now or must the salt exist through their life in the lake?  How about just some table salt or does it need to be the real deal? 
 
Well anyway, they originated from steelhead so my incorrect a§§ will continue to call them such.
 
This is silly..

Somebody please SHOOT ME  go catch the **** things and have some fun!!!!!

a tablespoon of salt is an absurd comment...
 
Then don't read it.

ORIGINAL: SilverKype

a tablespoon of salt is an absurd comment...

Then don't read it.

very mature...




Migratory fish are classified according to the following scheme:

1. diadromous fish travel between salt and fresh water. (Greek: 'Dia' is between) There are three types of diadromous fish:
   
   • anadromous fish live in the sea mostly, breed in fresh water (Greek: 'Ana' is up; The noun is "anadromy")
     
   • catadromous fish live in fresh water, breed in the sea (Greek: 'Cata' is down)
     
   • amphidromous fish move between fresh and salt water during some part of life cycle, but not for breeding (Greek: 'Amphi' is both)
   
   
2. potamodromous fish migrate within fresh water only. (Greek: 'Potamos' is river)
   
3. oceanodromous fish migrate within salt water only. (Greek: 'Oceanos' is ocean)

i have fished for rainbows that migrate from lakes into feeder streams... no one even thinks to call them steelhead
what makes the G.L. any different???

the "true translation" to greek may be one thing...
but in the english language as used to describe fish migration...

anadromous fish are a type of diadromous fish

diadromous fish travel between salt and fresh water. (Greek: 'Dia' is between)
----- below are the 3 types that live in BETWEEN fresh and salt
 

anadromous fish live in the sea mostly, breed in fresh water (Greek: 'Ana' is up)
---- these fish move UP from the ocean to spawn in freshwater

catadromous fish live in fresh water, breed in the sea (Greek: 'Cata' is down)
---- these fish move DOWN from fresh to spawn in the sea

amphidromous fish move between fresh and salt water during some part of life cycle, but not for breeding (Greek: 'Amphi' is both)
---- these fish can live in BOTH... and water type is not related to spawning

ORIGINAL: KJH807

i have fished for rainbows that migrate from lakes into feeder streams... no one even thinks to call them steelhead
what makes the G.L. any different???

 
I would say the "G" part makes them different.  They are freshwater seas.