The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was first properly identified and named by Europeans in 1792 thanks to the German naturalist Johan Julius Walbaum.
Like all trouts, the rainbow trout is part of the same family as salmon, which is called salmonidae.
The rainbow trout is native to a very small region of the world, which includes the west coast of North America and the Kamchatka peninsula of Russia.
While they are found on coastal regions, they are actually almost always freshwater fish, living in cold water tributaries which eventually lead into the Pacific Ocean.
All that said, rainbow trout can now be found all over the world, and are bred specifically for both food and sport.
So what is it that makes this fishy little guy so popular? Let’s take a closer look!
#1 Rainbow trout can be found in over 45 countries.
As previously mentioned, the rainbow trout is only native to a very specific region of the world. So why are they found all over the world now?
The answer is quite simple: they’re incredibly easy to raise in fish farms, and are very adaptable to many different environments.
#2 Some rainbow trout prefer to live in the ocean.
Technically, they’re actually a sub-species of the rainbow trout. These ocean-loving cousins are referred to as steelhead trout, instead of rainbow trout.
So why are they called steelhead trout, and not rainbow trout?
Well, their scales take on a more steel-like sheen due to their life in the ocean.
Steelhead trout are born in freshwater, and then will live most of their lives in the ocean.
Interestingly, they will always return to freshwater to spawn their eggs.
#3 Rainbow trout always end up returning to their birthplace.
One of the most interesting facts about rainbow trout is that they will always return to the area they were born when it comes time to spawn their eggs.
For most species of rainbow trout this is a relatively simple process, as they tend not to stray far away from home.
For other subspecies, like the steelhead trout, this is a serious endeavor!
#4 Rainbow trout can lay thousands of eggs at a time.
When it comes time to spawn their eggs, female trout will find a bed of fine gravel in a calm, but shallow area.
There they dig a small recess, called a redd, in the gravel bed.
The female rainbow trout then lays an absolutely insane amount of eggs – up to 3,000 eggs per kilogram that the female weighs!
The eggs then usually take around four to seven weeks to hatch.
#5 Rainbow trout are predators.
Rainbow trout have been known to eat nearly anything they can lay their jaws on.
The main part of their diet is made up of various aquatic insects, feeding on the larval, pupal, and adult forms.
They are also known to eat land-based insects that are unlucky enough to fall into water nearby.
Other than insects, rainbow trout are known to hunt other water-based life. This ranges from fish smaller than them to fish eggs, crayfish, and shrimp.
They’re certainly not picky when it comes to mealtime!
The practice of farming rainbow trout for commercial practices has been going on since the late 19th Century, beginning in the US.
The largest producer of rainbow trout is surprisingly not the US though, it’s Chile!
Commercial rainbow trout farming is no small-scale industry either, with 666,592 tons of the fish harvested globally in 2007.
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