Body Features Used in Identification Atlantic Salmon Brown Trout Salmon and (Salmo salar) (Salmo trutta) Adipose fin Lake Phase Adult Lake Phase Adult Usually no spots on Spots on Spots on Spots on Dorsal fin adipose fin Trout of the Caudal fin Kype adipose fin operculum operculum Jaw hook typically found in males Great Lakes:

Jaw extends beyond rear A Visual Identification Guide Easily “Tailed” Jaw extends to middle or rear edge of eye Hard to “Tail” edge of eye

Anal fin Pectoral fin (2) Stream Phase Adult Stream Phase Adult Chinook Salmon “Tailing” Usually no spots on Spots on Spots on Spots on adipose fin operculum The ability to land a fish Pelvic fin (2) adipose fin operculum by grabbing it by the tail while it is still in the water Operculum Coho Salmon

No red spots Red spots with white halos Jaw extends beyond rear Easily “Tailed” Jaw extends to middle or rear edge of eye Hard to “Tail” edge of eye Steelhead/ Rainbow Trout

Large kypes (jaw “hooks”) Large kypes (jaw “hooks”) on spawning males on spawning males

Atlantic Salmon This brochure results from a collaboration between New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois-Indiana Sea Well-developed Small vomerine (roof of vomerine (roof of Grants, members of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network. mouth) teeth in a single mouth) teeth in row zig-zag pattern We sincerely thank John Lyons, Brian Roth and Roger Greil Brown Trout for their valuable review comments on this brochure.

Additional information can be found at www.MichiganSeaGrant.org/salmonid Spawning Atlantic Salmon and Brown Trout can be Spawning Atlantic Salmon and Brown Trout can be Lake Trout difficult to distinguish. Vomerine teeth are the best difficult to distinguish. Vomerine teeth are the best Please refer to your State or Provincial characteristic to distinguish between these species. characteristic to distinguish between these species. fishing guidelines for creel and size regulations on each species. Original By: Dave MacNeill, Mary Austerman (NY Sea Grant) Dan Bishop, Fran Verdoliva (NYSDEC) Jim Johnson (USGS) All images in this publication are property of New York Sea Grant Juvenile (parr stage) Juvenile (parr stage) and are not to be duplicated or published without permission. Clear or dusky Revised By: Jesse Lepak (NY Sea Grant) adipose fin Orange IISG19-LWD-BRC-023 FNR-579-W adipose fin Dan O’Keefe (MI Sea Grant) Mitchell Zischke (IL-IN Sea Grant) Titus Seilheimer (WI Sea Grant) Artwork By: Peter Thompson

Slightly Deeply Large pectoral fin forked or An Equal Access/Equal Opportunity University forked tail square tail Small pectoral fin Lake Superior and St. Mary’s River Chinook Salmon Coho Salmon Steelhead/Rainbow Trout Pink Salmon Rare in Western Great Lakes (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (Oncorhynchus kisutch) (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) No spots on No spots on operculum No spots on Lake Phase Adult operculum Lake Phase Adult Lake Phase Adult operculum Lake Phase Adult Inside of mouth is Inside of mouth Inside of mouth black or gray with Fully spotted, square tail with Forked Large oval spots on spots in radiating rows and gums are both lobes of tail and gums are black lighter gums white tail

Fin Base Fin Base Fin Base

Small body size Longest anal fin ray is shorter Fin Ray Longest anal fin ray is Fin Ray Hard to “tail” Fin Ray Longest anal fin ray is shorter than fin longer than fin base Easy to “tail” than 2/3 length of the fin base base but longer than 2/3 of fin base Hard to “tail”

Stream Phase Adult Early Stream Phase Adult Stream Phase Adult Inside of mouth is Stream Phase Adult Inside of mouth Humps may Inside of mouth black or grey with Fully spotted, square tail with and gums are and gums are black Large back Smaller hump be absent in lighter gums spots in radiating rows white hump (male) (female) lake phase

Olive, brown, or black sides

Longest anal fin Longest anal fin ray is shorter Hard to “tail” Longest anal fin ray is shorter than fin ray is longer than Easy to “tail” than 2/3 length of the fin base Spawning fish reddish to pink stripe base but longer than 2/3 of fin base fin base (along lateral line below eye to tail) Lake Trout Late Stream Phase Adult Inside of mouth is Large kypes (jaw “hooks”) black or gray with Large kypes (jaw “hooks”) (Salvelinus namaycush) on spawning males lighter gums on spawning males Forked Light spots on No orange, pink tail dark background or red spots Pink Salmon and Chinook Salmon Lake Trout and Brook Trout can can hybridize. These hybrids are hybridize. These hybrids are called “Pinooks.” called “Splake.” Some reddish or purple Spawning Pinooks have variable color on sides fish reddish to pink stripe Splake have variable characteristics and their characteristics and their appearance can be similar to appearance can be similar to either parent species. Kype - upper jaw either parent species. becomes hooked Inside of Hard to “tail” mouth and No black or white gums are stripes on belly white

Juvenile (parr stage) Juvenile (parr stage) Juvenile (parr stage) Brook Trout Lake Superior and streams Black rimmed adipose fin (Salvelinus fontinalis) Square May have pink/red spots with tail halos on dark background

Wide parr marks Anal fin same with narrow spaces Sickle shaped anal fin shape as adult between Narrow parr marks with with white/black edge wide spaces between Pink stripe Wide parr marks

Fish coloration varies greatly and live fish may May have black and Inside of mouth and gums not look exactly as shown in the brochure. white belly stripes may be grey or black