Newly hatched fish derive nutrition from their yolk sac. Rainbow troutSteelheads vary in size and weight depending on geographical location. During the spawning season the fish exhibit a pink to red horizontal stripe along the sides of the body. There are small black spots along the side and back above the lateral line, extending onto the large, square tail. A small adipose (fatty) dorsal fin forward of the tail helps to identify them as a salmonid fish.Ĭolor varies relative to geographical area, but in general the body is shiny silver, shading to olive or black on the back. Steelhead have the typical, but perhaps more slender, salmon appearance. Juveniles ultimately make their way to estuarine waters and to the ocean. Juveniles prefer areas with protective debris and will eventually find pools with a variety of hiding places such as tree roots, boulders, and undercut banks.

In the first several months of life the small fish tend to prefer shallow areas with rock and boulder bottoms. Eggs are hatched in streams with gravel bottoms. In the freshwater phase, freely flowing, cool, clean, highly oxygenated water is essential. Habitat needs vary depending on the time in the life cycle. The Mojave Rim BPG includes the watersheds of the Los Angeles San Gabriel and Santa Ana Rivers. These groups cover watersheds from the Santa Maria River to the U.S.-Mexican border and include both the coast and inland habitats. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has divided southern California into Biogeographic Population Groups (BPG): Conception, Santa Monica Mountains, Mojave Rim, and Santa Catalina Gulf Coast BPGs. As part of its Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan (SCSRP), the National Geographic Distributionįrom the Santa Maria River to the U.S.-Mexican border. Rainbow trout are also illustrated on The Wave, a mosaic tile mural in the Rios de la Vida (Rivers of Life) fountain in the Aquarium’s front plaza that tells a graphic story about the watershed of our Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers. The exhibit consists of three habitats utilized by the fish in their life cycle freshwater upper and middle elevation of the San Gabriel River watershed and brackish water in an estuary at the river mouth. The Southern California Steelhead Story exhibit contains rainbow trout obtained from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDDW) hatchery and may contain steelhead seasonally. SPECIES IN DETAIL Southern California Coastal SteelheadĬONSERVATION STATUS: Species or Population DependentĬLIMATE CHANGE: Vulnerable At the Aquarium

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