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State Fish
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Michigan Symbols
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Michigan State Fish
Brook Trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis)
Adopted in 1965.
The trout was designated as the state fish of Michigan in 1965. However, no specific species was
designated at that time. In 1988, the Michigan legislature specified the
Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, as the state fish. The brook trout is native to Michigan and found throughout the state.
The brook trout is olive with lighter sides and a reddish belly (in males) and easily identified by the
light colored edges of the lower fins.
Description of the Michigan State Fish
The average length is 10-12 inches but Brook Trout can be caught measuring up to 21 inches and weighing 4-6 pounds. The largest Brook trout on record was 14.5 pounds and caught in 1916 in the Nipigon River in Ontario. Breeding males develop a hook at the front of the lower jaw. Typical
coloring is olive-green to dark brown on the back with silvery sides and pale spotting. All colors intensify at spawning time.
Distribution
The brook trout is native to northern North America and is widely distributed throughout the maritime provinces. It occurs in clear, cool, well-oxygenated streams and lakes.
Foods
Brook trout are opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever they can find. In small streams they prefer aquatic insects (nymphs) that live under the rocks and along the stream bottom. They are also known to feed heavily on the adult stage of aquatic insects as they hatch and take
flight during their brief courtship and egg laying cycle. Land insects, like ants and beetles, that fall into the water are readily eaten as are small crayfish. They will eat other small fish and minnows but only when they are easy to catch.
Bioplogy
This species spawns in late summer or autumn in gravel beds in the shallows of headwaters of streams. The female digs the redd where she lays 100-5000 eggs depending on her size. They hatch 50-100 days later. The life expectancy is an average of five years. The brook trout is carnivorous
and feed upon a wide range of organisms. They have been known to eat their own eggs at spawning time and even their own young.
Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Brook Trout
| Kingdom |
Animalia -- animals |
| Phylum |
Chordata -- chordates |
| Subphylum |
Vertebrata |
| Superclass |
Osteichthyes -- bony fishes |
| Class |
Actinopterygii -- ray-finned and spiny rayed fishes |
| Order |
Salmoniformes -- salmon and trout |
| Family |
Salmonidae -- salmon and trout |
| Genus |
Salvelinus -- |
| Species |
Salvelinus fontinalis |
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State Fishes
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This is a list of official and *unofficial U.S. state fish:
The only states lacking a state fish as of 2008 are Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, and Ohio.
fish ('fish)
n. pl. fish or fishˇes
1. Any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates of the superclass Pisces, characteristically
having fins, gills, and a streamlined body and including specifically:
2. The flesh of such animals used as food.
3. Any of various primitive aquatic vertebrates of the class Cyclostomata, lacking jaws
and including the lampreys and hagfishes.
4. Any of various unrelated aquatic animals, such as a jellyfish, cuttlefish, or crayfish.
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