The bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) is a char of the family Salmonidae. It is found in western North America, ranging from the Yukon to northern Nevada, most commonly in the high mountains, and a population exists east of the Continental Divide, in Alberta.
It has been recorded at up to 103 cm in length and weighing 14.5 kg. Its head and mouth are unusually large for salmonids, giving it its name.
The bull trout favors the deep pools of the larger cold lakes and rivers, where it feeds on zooplankton and zoobenthos, especially chironomids.
The Dolly varden (Salvelinus malma malma) is also known as "bull trout" in Canada; at one time S. confluentus was considered a subspecies of the Dolly varden.
External link
FishBase entry for Salvelinus confluentus (http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Salvelinus&speciesname=confluentus)
The BullTrout belongs to a branch of the trout family called "chars," along with the Lake Trout, (Eastern) Brook Trout, and Dolly Varden (which was once considered to be the same species as the BullTrout).
Some anglers saw BullTrout as unwanted predators that fed on the more savoured trout species introduced by Man. From the 1930s to the 1950s, the removal of large BullTrout from some streams was an accepted practice, because it was believed this removal would improve the survival of the other fish.
Trout Unlimited Canada has embarked on an extensive sign campaign along streams throughout the entire eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta to caution anglers not to keep any bulltrout.
While the bulltrout is threatened, as defined by law, its numbers and distribution remain sufficient to insure that it is not at immediate risk of extinction.
And one population of bulltrout in Washington is known to be anadromous.
The strongest populations of bulltrout tend to be in unmanaged roadless areas that have near-pristine streams.
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