Alaska Dolly Varden:

The Dolly Varden is one of the most beautiful and diverse fish in Alaska. Some spend their entire lives in freshwater lakes or rivers. Others spend part of the year in saltwater, a few months or just a few weeks, but spawn in fresh water. In some populations, only females migrate to sea, growing larger and producing more eggs before returning to their home water and spawning with the small resident males. There are even populations of dwarf Dolly Varden in many parts of Alaska. In spawning colors, the Dolly Varden is perhaps our most striking fish. Dolly Varden are two different species. Dollies are fall spawners and make the transition from chrome-silver with light pink spots to colorful fish with deep green backs, orange bellies and fins and a pure white stripe on the leading edge of the lower fins. Truly beautiful.
 
Dolly Varden of Alaska:
Alaska-Cruises | Alaska-National-Parks | Alaska-Wildlife-Tours | Dog-Sledding
Alaska-Independent-Tours | Eco-Rafting-Trips | Widerness-Lodge | Dolly-Varden

The Dolly Varden found in Alaska, Salvelinus malma, were never present in the McCloud River. The fish likely viewed by Elda McCloud were in fact bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus. Bull trout and Dolly Varden were confused by anglers and biologists until 1978 when Ted Cavender of Ohio State University demonstrated that bull trout was a valid species separate from Dolly Varden. At that time the world record Dolly Varden (32 pounds) from Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho became a record "bull trout".

Dolly was a young girl with a rosy complexion. In the late 1860s a popular green fabric adorned with small crimson polka dots was marketed under the name Dolly Varden.
The Dolly Varden is one of the most widely distributed salmonids in Alaska. It occurs throughout the coastal areas of the state from southeast Alaska across the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea into the Beaufort Sea to the Mackenzie River in northern Canada. It also occurs in streams in Interior Alaska and the Brooks Range. There are two forms of Dolly Varden in Alaska. The southern form ranges from southeast Alaska throughout the Gulf of Alaska to the south side of the Alaska Peninsula. The northern form ranges from the north side of the Alaska Peninsula northward to the Mackenzie River in Canada. Recently some char from the central Canadian Arctic drainages of the Tree and Coppermine rivers have been identified as Dolly Varden. Southern-form Dolly Varden differ from northern-form Dolly Varden in number of vertebrae(62-65 for southern form and 66-70 for northern form) and in number of chromosomes(82 for southern form and 78 for northern form).

 



About Us
Hotels & Hostels
Shop
Destination
Testimonials
Site Map
Feedback
FAQ's
Reservation System
Travel Reservation Software
Travel Agent Software System
Tour Operator Software
Ticketing Software
Train Reservation System
Internet Booking Engine
Hotel Reservation System
Online Reservation Software
Airline Reservation System
Cruise Reservation System
Ferry Reservation Software