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The Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) is a species of char native to northwestern North America and northeastern Asia.
Two subspecies of Dolly Varden are native to North America:
Northern Dolly Varden (S. m. malma), the type subspecies, found north of Alaska Peninsula in North America and north of Kamchatka Peninsula in Asia.
Southern Dolly Varden (S. m. lordi) found south of Alaska Peninsula down to Puget Sound and south of Kamchatka Peninsula to northern Japan.
Like all char, the Dolly Varden is a cold water species.Â
The Dolly Varden and the bull trout (S. confluentus) have long been confused with each other, especially where their range overlaps. The Dolly Varden is also similar in appearance to the Arctic char (S. alpinus). The three species will hybridize with each other as well as with brook trout (S. fontinalis).
While the Dolly Varden trout is secure globally, population in Washingon is vulnerable.
Dolly Varden. Photo by Morgan Bond, University of Washington. CC BY-SA 2.0
Angler Challenges
The Dolly Varden is included in the Western Native Trout Challenge, although only catches in Alaska qualify.
Additional Reading
Trout and Salmon of North America by Robert Behnke
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