The family containing salmon, trout, chars, freshwater whitefishes, and graylings is Salmonidae.
Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fishes commonly called salmonids. It includes familiar genera such as Salmo, which contains Atlantic salmon and many trout; Oncorhynchus, which includes Pacific salmon and trout; Salvelinus, which includes chars; Coregonus, which contains many freshwater whitefishes; and Thymallus, the graylings.
Salmonids are primarily associated with cool and cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Many species are powerful swimmers and predators of aquatic insects, crustaceans, smaller fish, and other prey. Some migrate between freshwater and the sea, while others remain in lakes or rivers throughout their lives. Salmon migrations can transport ocean-derived nutrients far inland and support predators and surrounding ecosystems.
A frequent source of confusion is the word “trout.” It is a common name, not one single taxonomic group: trout species occur in several salmonid genera. Salmonidae is also not the same as Cyprinidae, the carp and minnow family, or Gadidae, the cod family. The family name ultimately reflects the Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar.