In reality, these are steelhead which have traveled from Hell's Canyon to the ocean and back. They are battered and bruised, but they are HUGE! In the last two weeks, we have had a rash of problems that have made the fish look even worse. Thankfully, everything is clearing up and they are looking healthy again.
First, spawning season brought all of our trout and steelhead to shallow water where they can be attacked by predators. Mink, heron, osprey, raccoons, and more take advantage of spawning to feed on our fish. As a result, many fish have large open wounds. The wounds are bad enough, but they look even worse when coupled with the second problem.
The second problem is fungus. Fish fungus grows into a white, wispy coating on the wounds of the fish. It is always in the water, but if there are no injuries, there is nowhere for the fungus to take hold. The spawning and migration injuries are perfect locations for the fungus to grow, so all of the wounds became covered in a white fuzz.
Both of these problems get better as wounds heal and the fungus fades. Unfortunately, the third problem is more serious and harder to treat. This is a parasite infection from a small crustacean called gill lice (Salmincola californiensis). This gets into the gills and mouth and makes it hard for the fish to breathe. This problem has to be treated with an oral medication given to each individual fish, so it likely will have to run its course also. The animation below shows an infected fish. The small white flexible objects in and around the mouth are the gill lice.
