2015 - $20 - 1 oz. Fine Silver Coin – North American Sportfish: Rainbow Trout

A native of the Pacific Basin, including parts of Asia and North America from Alaska to northern Mexico, Oncorhynchus mykiss is a popular game fish that has been introduced in many non-native locales across Canada and around the world. This beautiful species, though quite diverse in appearance depending on its habitat and diet, is normally green in colour with a spotted back and bright pink streak on its side.

This member of the salmon family averages from 50 centimetres to just under 80 centimetres in length, weighing about 3.6 kilograms—but can reach very large sizes (up to 1.2 metres and 24 kilograms) under the right conditions. Its preferred natural habitat is gravel-bottomed, cool rivers and streams or lakes with sufficient vegetation for predatory coverage. Rainbow trout require fast-moving gravel-bottomed streams for spawning. Generally, river dwellers are not as large as lake dwellers.

Rainbow trout are strong predators that feed on water and land insects, small fish, and crustaceans. They are subdivided into about fifteen sub-species, including steelhead, which are the salt-water variety of rainbow trout. Steelhead bear genetic variations that allow them to adapt to life in salt water—a process known as smoltification. They are born in fresh water and return to their birthplace to spawn after undergoing this physiological adaptation to salt water. They are also iteroparous, which means they can spawn several times over their lifetime. Unlike their freshwater cousins, they are entirely silver in colour.

Specifications
No.143947
Mintage 6500
Composition 99.99% pure silver
Finish proof
Weight (g) 31.39
Diameter (mm) 38
Edge plain with edge lettering
Certificate serialized
Face value 20 dollars
Artist Curtis Atwater (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)