Golden trout
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| Oncorhynchus aguabonita (Jordan, 1892) |
The golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita), is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family (family Salmonidae) of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the trouts. These fish are commonly found at elevations of 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level. Some evolutionary biologists consider the golden trout to be a subspecies of the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.[1][2] It is easy to understand, given the similarity of the golden trout to the redband trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss ssp.
The golden trout has brilliant gold sides wih a red horizontal band and 10 dark oval marks called "parr marks" their fins have white edges. A typical adult will be up to 14 inches in length and averages 1 pound in streams, up to 11 pounds in weight in lakes, according to the world record fish caught by Charles S. Reed, on August 5, 1948, from Cook Lakes in the Wind River Range.[3] Preferred water temperature is between 58 and 62 Degrees Fahrenheit.[citation needed] The brilliant colors of the Golden Trout disappear if they are stocked at altitudes lower than 6,000 feet. Contrary to common belief that golden trout parr marks persist throughout their adult life, golden trout lose parr marks at 17 inches.
Golden trout inhabit high altitude lakes due to their inability to compete with the other trout species. Once brook trout are introduced into golden trout water the golden trout populace will decline rapidly. The introduction of rainbow and or cutthroat creates hybridization as they both spawn in the spring.
The golden trout was designated as the state fish of California in 1947. Populations have been in steady decline for decades. As a result, the California department of fish and game [1] signed an agreement with federal agencies in September 2004 to work on restoring back country habitat. Conservationists have also been attempting to introduce golden trout to other bodies of water, such as Mohave Lake in Nevada/Arizona.
[edit] Chuck Yeager and the New Mexico population
After then-Colonel Chuck Yeager introduced one of his commanding officers, General Irving "Twig" Branch to the Sierra Nevada species of golden trout, Branch ordered Yeager and Bud Anderson to introduce the species to the mountain streams of New Mexico, where they can be fished to this day.[4]
In his second autobiographical book, Press On, Yeager describes in depth his annual fishing trips to catch golden trout, a fish he considers to be one of the best game fish and best eating there is.
[edit] References
- ^ Oncorhynchus aguabonita (TSN 161987). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 24 January 2006.
- ^ "Oncorhynchus aguabonita". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
- ^ Wyoming Game and Fish Department (http://gf.state.wy.us/fish/fishing/stats/records/index.asp)
- ^ Yeager, Chuck and Janos, Leo. Yeager: An Autobiography. Pages 348-351 (paperback). New York: Bantam Books, 1986. ISBN 0-553-25674-2.
