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Named after a coquettishly dressed character in Charles Dickens' novel
Burnaby Rudge for its profuse bright orange, pink and creamy yellow
spotting, the Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) is one of three species
of char native to British Columbia - the Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus)
and the Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) being the other two.
The distribution of the Dolly Varden is predominately coastal, extending
from Southern Washington to North Western Alaska. In British Columbia they
are found farthest inland in the Skeena and Fraser River drainage systems.
The Dolly Varden has both a resident and an anadromous form, the latter
never straying too far from the coast.
The anadromous Dolly Varden enter their natal streams to spawn between
September and November, when they are at their most colourful, with bright
red spotting on intensely orange bellies and dark green backs.
Highly piscivorous, the Dolly Varden is a respectable game fish of particular
interest to the fly fisher during the spring seaward migrations of newly
hatched salmon fry. Throughout the rest of the year, it feeds primarily
on aquatic insects, crustaceans, and salmon eggs.
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