Saltwater Fly Fishing Series

"Annual British Columbia Fish Quiz Answers"

with Barry M. Thornton

There are five Pacific salmon species along the northwest coast. In the past century these fish have become an integral part of the commercial and the sports fishery with each species receiving regional nick names to describe their unique size, color, or shape. Using the numbers in front of each salmon species list below, match the following nick names with the correct salmon species:

1. chinook
2. coho
3. pink
4. chum
5. sockeye

1. 2 ( 1 ) tyee
2. 2 ( 3 ) humpie
3. 2 ( 2 ) silver
4. 2 ( 1 ) king
5. 2 ( 4 ) calico
6. 2 ( 1 ) spring
7. 2 ( 2 ) blueback
8. 2 ( 4 ) dog
9. 5 ( 5 ) red
10. ( 1 ) smiley

11. There is a sixth Pacific salmon species, the masu, that lives on the Asian side of the Pacific. What is the common name for this salmon? ( cherry salmon )

12. Pacific mackerel have easily identifiable 'tiger' strips on their sides. What length do they reach at maturity? ( about 40 cm or 16 inches. )

13. What is the daily catch limit for mackerel? ( 100 )

14. Are Atlantic salmon native to the Pacific Ocean? ( No )

15. What physical features distinguish Atlantic salmon from Pacific salmon and steelhead?
( Atlantic salmon have dark spots on their head and upper dorsal surface. They also have larger than normal scales ( someone once said almost carp like ) and a narrow wrist just prior to the tail. )

16. What is the real name for the bright orange rockfish commonly called the red snapper?
( Yelloweye rockfish )

17. What is the name of the rockfish referred to as the 'Black Bomber'? ( Black rockfish )

18. & 19. All fish have three basic covers over their body, skin, scales and mucus. Of the latter two, scales can be compared to hair on a mammal's body but the mucus is unique. It has many purposes on a fish's body including acting as a protection from parasites and disease and streamlining the body for quick passage through the water. Fish can loose upwards of 40% of their scales without serious effects. But, they can only loose upwards of how much ( 10% ) of their mucus-slime covering before they are seriously affected. It is for this reason that gloves should never be used when handling fish that are to be released as the gloves quickly absorb and strip off the mucus from the body. Fish to be released should only be handled with wet hands. As well as acting as a body armour, fish scales can be read in a similar way to reading the rings of a tree trunk. These rings, called circuli are the result of limited growth in the winter or limited growth during an illness or injury. A close grouping of circuli create a dark check or annulus. The front teeth of a river mammal grow just as do fish scales. ( Beaver ) ; can you name this industrious mammal?

20. Can you name this 30 pound sculpin which is commonly caught while drift fishing near kelp or over cobblestone rock bottoms? ( Cabezon )

Back to "Annual British Columbia Fish 1998"

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© Copyright Barry M. Thornton