 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
                
Member ATIA ALASKA TRAVEL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
|
So Who or What Is Dolly Varden? And Other Fish Tales..The original Dolly Varden is a character in the Charles Dickens's novel "Barnaby Rudge" and was well known as being quite flirtatious, wearing her flashy attire and colorful dresses--one of which was green with pink polka dots. Dolly Varden's Reputation ~ A Classic Case of Not Knowing The Whole Story Somehow the name was passed on to a fish from the Artic Char Family who has the same flashy appearance. Dolly Varden are dark in color with light colored spots. The Dolly has been given a rather unsavory reputation, though quite unjustifiably so. It was originally thought that Dolly Varden was a "trash fish" and a threat to the salmon population. The char supposedly ate salmon fry and eggs and was blamed for the decline in salmon population. There was actually a bounty put on their tails and somewhere around 6 million were killed and discarded between 1921 & 1940. Anglers were paid for the tails. The U.S. Bureau of Fisheries later discovered most of the tails were from trout and coho salmon, so they stopped the program. It is now realized that Dolly Varden co-existed with salmon for thousands of years and can not be blamed for more recent man-made declines in the population of salmon. "Early studies described these fish as a variety of the Arctic char, while later work declared them to be a separate species. For a long time, the bull trout was considered just a localized version of the Dolly Varden. Now many fisheries scientists believe that Dolly Varden and bull trout are two distinct species that look amazingly similar. One thing is clear, though, as more of the puzzle surrounding these species unravels: these fish are reeling from a head-on collision with rampant human population growth and environmental damage, and are losing." "Although closely resembling trout in body shape, char--which includes the imported brook trout and lake trout--can be distinguished from their relatives by their very fine scales and a reverse coloration. Char have dark-colored bodies with light spots while trout (such as rainbow and cutthroat) and Pacific salmon have light-colored bodies with dark spots." More In The News About Dolly Varden News Release Department of the Interior January 9, 2001 "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it is proposing to protect the fish Dolly Varden in the Coastal-Puget Sound region of Washington under the "similarity of appearance" provision of the Endangered Species Act, because the Dolly Varden so closely resembles the bull trout, which is listed as a threatened species.... Char have light-colored spots on a darker background, just the opposite of the pattern on salmon and trout, which have dark spots on a light background. Creamy to pale yellow spots cover the back, and red or orange spots cover the sides. The fins have white or cream-colored margins. This unique coloration is particularly striking in the male during spawning and led to the common name Dolly Varden, in reference to a colorfully clothed character in the Charles Dickens novel Barnaby Rudge." _______________________________ Dolly Varden Alaska Toll Free 866-298-6287 360-757-3700
|
|
Copyright © 2003 - 2008 Dolly Varden Tours | Toll Free 866-298-6287 | Dolly@DollyVardenAlaska.com All prices subject to change. | CANCELLATION POLICY | Privacy Policy |
