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Page 12 Wisconsin Trout Summer 2021 Wisconsin salmonids: Past, present and future Rainbow trout, from Great Lakes steelhead to inland stockers and wild fisheries. A STEELHEAD FROM THE SIOUX RIVER FALL WILD STEELHEAD FROM THE BOIS BRULE A fall wild steelhead from the Bois Brule River that has been in the river long tions will complicate the analysis. trout from the West Coast and gold- enough to lose its silvery color. fish, common carp, rudd, tench and THE PAST: brown trout from Europe. Of these, only common carp, The origins of a global fish brown trout and rainbow trout be- Words and photos by John Lyons the sea as juveniles and then return species came widely established at the time. to those same rivers as much larger The rainbow trout was one of the Common carp were certainly more Rainbow trout are the most adults to spawn. first fishes cultured in the United tolerant, but caused major harm schizophrenic of the Wisconsin sal- Migratory rainbow trout are in- States. Propagation began in the rather than benefits to warmwater monids. On the one hand, when re- distinguishable from resident rain- San Francisco area in the 1870’s, habitats and fish species. Brown ferred to as steelhead, they are one bow trout as juveniles, but quite and in 1880 a federal fish hatchery trout, as discussed in the last issue of the most sought-after and re- different in appearance in their lake was established in the McCloud of Wisconsin Trout, improved trout vered gamefish in the state, pursued or ocean environment, when they River drainage near Mount Shasta fishing overall but at the expense of by aficionados who will brave the take on a silvery, steel-gray or in northern California. This hatch- native brook trout. Rainbow trout foulest weather and the most chrome sheen and are known as ery started with McCloud resident started slowly in Wisconsin, but treacherous fishing conditions in steelhead. Some consider steelhead and migratory fish (a form of red- eventually became a key species pursuit of their quarry. Steelhead a form of salmon, but they differ band trout) but then later brought supporting inland and Great Lake are justifiably famous for their from the other pacific salmon, with in migratory fish from other rivers trout fisheries. strength and speed and are un- which they often co-occur, in not al- in northern California and south- The exact origins of the first doubtedly one of the best-fighting ways dying after spawning and re- ern Oregon, eventually mixing and rainbow trout in Wisconsin, the fed- fish in Wisconsin. taining the capability of spawning cross-breeding all of these different eral hatchery in California or other Yet on the other hand, when re- again in a subsequent year. As populations. Compared to other federal or state hatcheries in Michi- ferred to as rainbow trout, they can adults, some resident rainbow trout trout and salmon species, rainbow gan or New York, are uncertain. But be a most domesticated creature, rarely exceed 12 inches, but some trout proved relatively easy to raise, by the 1890’s rainbow trout were be- raised in crowded raceways at fish migratory steelhead may reach and eggs from this hatchery were ing raised in Wisconsin government farms, stocked in artificial urban more than 12 pounds. shipped throughout the United and private hatcheries and being fishing ponds and made available Scientists have struggled with de- States and used to provide brood stocked throughout the state. The for kids to catch in plastic pools in fining the rainbow trout. Nine- fish for many other hatcheries that first introductions in Wisconsin exhibition halls hosting winter fish- teenth-century ichthyologists des- were established in the eastern were a mix of resident, migratory ing shows. Author Anders Halver- cribed nearly every distinctive popu- United States. From the United and cross-bred fish. Rainbow trout son titled this type of rainbow trout lation as a separate species, each States, rainbow trout were eventual- became popular for stocking be- “An entirely synthetic fish” in his with its own scientific and common ly exported to suitable waters cause they were relatively easy to 2010 book. But although they seem name. Early settlers, fish culturists throughout North America and ev- raise at high densities compared to to have little in common, these two and fisheries managers paid little ery other continent except Antarcti- either brown trout or brook trout entities are biologically the same mind to this classification and rou- ca. and could survive slightly higher wa- species. Let’s explore how these tinely moved, mixed and cross-bred ter temperatures in captivity and the very different versions of the rain- fish from different places, mongrel- wild. bow trout came to be found in Wis- izing and obscuring many formerly Another new fish for consin, where they occur today and unique biological entities. The read- Wisconsin what their future holds. iness with which many distinctive In the late 1800’s Wisconsin fish- Lake Superior and its populations successfully reproduced eries were in decline from environ- tributaries with each other eventually con- mental degradation caused by Despite being introduced state- unchecked plowing, grazing, timber wide in massive numbers, only in cutting, dam building, pollution and Lake Superior and certain tributar- overfishing. Rather than effectively ies, most notably the Bois Brule addressing these impacts, the pre- River, did naturalized, self-sustain- ferred response in this era was to in- ing populations become established troduce new and presumably more initially. Elsewhere in the state, reg- tolerant species to the state. From ular stocking was necessary to main- 1875 through 1925, the Wisconsin tain populations. Even where and federal governments and some naturalized populations developed individual citizens stocked at least in Lake Superior tributaries, stock- 10 non-native species in Wisconsin ing to improve numbers continued JUVENILE WILD MIGRATORY RAINBOW TROUT FROM DREW CREEK waters – arctic grayling from Michi- in some waters up to 2002. Appar- gan and Montana, American shad ently, some resident rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon from the East were also present in the Bois Brule What is a rainbow trout? vinced scientists that most were in Coast, chinook salmon and rainbow and perhaps other tributaries at The rainbow trout, as currently fact part of the same highly variable recognized, is native to the Pacific species, the rainbow trout. slope from the northern part of Baja But some populations looked California in Mexico, the entire west and behaved so differently, such as coast of the conterminous United the various forms of redband trout States and Canada, southern Alas- of northern California and Nevada, ka, and eastern Siberia and the Ka- Idaho, western Montana, and Ore- mchatka Peninsula in Russia. gon and Washington east of the Cas- Within this vast range there is a cade Mountains, the golden trout of bewildering variety of populations California’s Sierra Nevada Moun- that encompass tremendous natural tains, the apache trout of southern genetic, morphological and life-his- Arizona, the gila trout of southeast- tory diversity. Some populations oc- ern Arizona and southwestern New cupy rocky rushing mountain Mexico, and the poorly known but streams and others thickly vegetated highly variable native trout of Mexi- slow-moving spring runs in the des- co’s Sierra Madre Occidental ert. Mountains, that even today there is Some populations are “resident” debate whether they represent sepa- and rarely move more than a few rate species or merely particularly hundred yards over the course of distinctive rainbow trout lineages. their lives whereas others are “mi- Recent advances in genetic tech- GANARASKA STRAIN STEELHEAD FROM SAUK CREEK gratory” or “anadromous” and mi- niques will help clarify the situation, The author with a stocked Ganaraska strain Steelhead from Sauk Creek in grate hundreds of miles from the although years of poorly document- rivers of their birth to a large lake or ed stocking and mixing of popula- Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Summer 2021 Wisconsin Trout Page 13 lation originated in the 1960’s when steelhead stocked in Minnesota may a private fish hatchery along the enter Wisconsin. creek in Langlade County began to In inland lakes and streams and raise rainbow trout from Washing- in urban ponds, about 250,000 fish ton State. Fish from the hatchery from the domesticated Erwin Strain soon escaped and colonized the are introduced annually, usually at creek and moved downstream “catchable” sizes from 6-9 inches. In through a short stretch of the West this context, domesticated means Branch of the Wolf River into Flor- that the fertilized eggs used to pro- ence (Langlade County) and Upper duce fish for stocking are obtained Bass (Menominee County) lakes. from “brood stock” adults main- Although the West Branch contin- tained in the hatchery. Small num- JUVENILE WILD STEELHEAD FROM THE SIOUX RIVER ues downstream from Upper Bass, bers of brood stock up to 20 inches rainbow trout did not colonize it are sometimes added to a few inland further. lakes and streams to provide a tro- These rainbow trout are migrato- phy opportunity. Survival of inland ry, spending their first two growing and pond stockings is low, with most seasons in Drew Creek and then at fish harvested or dying of natural 6-9 inches moving to Florence or causes soon after being released in Upper Bass for most of the rest of the spring. However, in some waters their lives. In April, adults from the a few fish may “carry over” and sur- lakes move into Drew Creek to vive to the following year. spawn and then return back to the In Lake Michigan and tributar- lakes when finished. These adults ies, a total of about 450,000-500,000 range from 15-21 inches and 1-3 steelhead of four different strains.

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