Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus)
Last Update/Review: August 6, 2002
Also known by some as the Dolly Varden, the bull trout is a long, slim fish with a large head in proportion to its body. The fish has an olive-green to grey back and silvery sides which are marked with pale yellow to red spots. There are no black spots on the dorsal fin of this trout.
Bull trout are found in all the river systems with headwaters in the mountains. They are a native trout with the largest natural distribution in Alberta. This species is the official provincial fish of Alberta.
The bull trout is usually found in pools or backwater areas, instead of fast-moving riffles and rapids. They grow slowly in their preferred cold-water areas, and they spawn at a much later age than other trout. Bull trout spawn in the early fall in small creeks. The spawning fish are usually quite large (over 30 cm), and are very vulnerable to capture by bears, ospreys and people. For this reason the Alberta Natural Resources Service has placed a zero possession limit on this fish throughout the province. All bull trout that are caught must be released.
