![]() These dolly varden that choose to go to sea tend to do so in the 2nd 3rd or 4th year in freshwater and depart around May returning to spawn at the usual time. The fertilized eggs remain in the gravel for up to five months and the hatchlings, or alvelin, stay under for another month or two gaining nutrients from the egg sack, before dispersing into the stream. They look for gravel beds in smaller streams and rivers. In general, dolly varden may spawn up to three times during their lifetimes often skipping a year or two.ĭolly varden spawn in between September and November depending on conditions. According to Alaska’s fish and game authorities, the southern form live up to eight years and the northern form up to 16 years.ĭolly varden can spawn multiple times, unlike the various Pacific salmon species who die after reproducing. Growth and Reproductionĭolly varden are relatively slow growing reaching maturity at between five and nine years. In Alaska, which is noted for large dolly varden populations, two distinct forms are recognized: southern form dolly varden and northern form dolly varden, with the northern form maturing more slowly but reaching larger sizes (up to 30 inches and more than 20lbs vs 16 inches and 10 pounds for the southern form). Bull trout have white leading edges on their finsīull Trout: Note the large head in proportion to its body Life History.Bull trout have a translucent dorsal fin.Bull trout tend to have a large head in proportion to their body.Other than, it is very similar on this angle to a dolly varden Bull Trout Artic char usually live and spawn in lakes for their whole life cycleĪn Arctic Char: note the translucent dorsal fin.Arctic char are usually a darker bronze in color.Spawning male Dolly Varden develop a more pronounced “kype” or beak when spawning.Dolly varden have a slightly forked tail.The spots on Dolly Varden are small – smaller than the pupil of an eye.Here are some key differences to help you tell them apart: Dolly Varden ![]() Dolly varden vs bull trout vs arctic charĭolly Varden look like, and are often confused with, Arctic char and bull trout. The characteristic spots tend to develop when juveniles reach 3–4 inches in length. Young Dolly Varden have 8–12 dark, irregularly-shaped vertical bars (parr marks) on their sides straddling the lateral line. Like most salmonids, the anadromous forms of dolly varden are lighter and more silvery in color and tend to darken when they enter fresh water. The characteristic red highlights in all three species occur when the fish are spawning. Their appearance is very similar to both bull trout and artic char. They have pale spots ranging from pale pink to yellow. This record dolly varden has the characteristic pink spots and white leading edges to its finsĭollies have dark colored sides(ranging from grey through the brown or olive green) fading to white on the bellies.
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