The Trout and Salmon Family – Salmonidae

There are currently four members of the Trout and Salmon or Salmonidae Family found in the freshwater systems of Mexico, with all four being presented in this website:

FROM THE FRESHWATER SYSTEMS (4):

The Salmonidae a modest sized family of cold-water fishes that include chars, graylings, trouts and whitefishes. With the advent of DNA the family has undergone and is undergoing significant systematic and taxonomic changes. The Salmonids diverged from the rest of teleost fish at least 88,000,000 years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period. There are two hundred and twenty-six known family members that have been placed into eleven Genera. They are known in Mexican fishing waters as truchas and salmones.

The Salmonids are slender fish that have large mouths equipped with a single row of sharp teeth with the jaw extending beyond the eye; all fins that lack spines and have only soft rays; small fat adipose fin located between the caudal and dorsal fins; deeply forked to square caudal fins; a dorsal fin found mid-back; and, pelvic fins found at the rear of the body. Their bodies are covered with small rounded smooth scales and a prominent lateral line.

The Salmonids are found primarily in fresh water found in the northern hemisphere. They range in size from 13 cm (5.1 inches) to 2.0 m (six feet six inches). They feed on small crustaceans, aquatic insects, and smaller fish. Spawning adults assume a distinct and bright colors and can vary significantly depending on habitat, age and life stage. Sea-run fish tend to be a uniform silver; river fish have spotted patterns. In some species, spawning males develop a kype, an upturned hook on the lower jaw. Reproduction occurs in the gravel beds of fresh water with the eggs deposited in an excavated nest in the substrate, a redd, that have been dug by the females, then fertilized by the males, and covered with gravel by the females. Some Salmonids are anadromous, spending most of their lives at sea, returning to rivers to reproduce. Most die after spawning; some will spawn several times.

Salmon and Trout are heavily pursued by recreational anglers and in many regions are heavily regulated with size, daily limits and seasonal closures. They are a major focus of both commercial and recreational cold-water fisheries. They are widely farmed in fresh and saltwater ponds and pens as food fish. Brook, Brown, and Rainbow Trout are widely introduced frequently stocked in freshwater lakes and streams. Some Salmonids are endangered or have become extinct due to overfishing and the destruction of spawning streams via human development. Juvenile Salmonids are difficult to identify.