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COASTAL CUTTHROAT TROUT
DID YOU KNOW? Coastal cutthroat trout can return to spawn more than once.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Oncorhynchus clarki clarki, from the Greek roots onkos (hook), rynchos (nose), and clarki from Captain W. Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
COMMON NAMES: Sea trout, sea-run cutthroat, red-throat trout, or harvest trout.
DESCRIPTION: The coastal cutthroat trout is greenish blue on its back and silvery on the sides. They are distinguished from other trout and salmon species by bright red streaks located on the lower jaw, and the dense patterns of spots across the body and completely covering the tail. Adult cutthroat average 1 to 4 pounds, and can reach 20 inches in length.
LIFE CYCLE: The coastal cutthroat trout is unlike most of the other salmon Species, because it may spawn more than once. Adults commonly enter streams during the fall and feed on the eggs from other salmons' spawn. Like other salmon, the female cutthroat digs a nest or redd and the male fertilizes the eggs. Spawning can occur from December through May, dependent upon the water conditions. The female cutthroat can lay from 200 to 4,400 eggs, which hatch in about 1 month. The young spend 1 to 2 weeks in the gravel before emerging. Young cutthroat can spend 1 to 9 years in fresh water before they migrate to the estuaries and ocean in the spring, most commonly three years from emergence. Coastal cutthroat trout usually spend less than 1 year in salt water before returning to spawn. The age of adults can range from 2 to age 10, with first time spawners usually being 3 or 4 years old. After spawning, the 'spent' or spawned adults, now called 'kelts', often return to salt water in late March or early April. Juveniles and adults are carnivorous, feeding mostly on insects, crustaceans, and other fish throughout their lives.
HABITAT AND ECOLOGY: Large woody debris and in-stream structures play an important role in providing valuable habitat for coastal cutthroat trout. In freshwater, adult cutthroat typically reside in large pools while the young reside in riffles, most commonly in upper tributaries of small rivers. Coastal cutthroat trout utilize a wide variety of habitat types during their complex life cycle. They spawn in small tributary streams, and utilize slow flowing backwater areas, low velocity pools, and side channels for rearing of young. Good forest canopy cover, in-stream woody debris, and abundant supplies of insects are crucial for the young cutthroat's survival.
During the estuarine or ocean phase of life, the cutthroat trout utilizes tidal sloughs, marshes, and swamps as holding areas and feeding grounds. These tidal areas are also very important for the survival of the prey fishes that the cutthroat depends on for food. Healthy estuaries with abundant supplies of small schooling fishes and young crustaceans are necessary for the cutthroat's survival.
RANGE: Northern California to Prince Williams Sound in Alaska.
ECONOMIC VALUE: Good recreational fisheries exist throughout the Pacific Northwest. Relatively little population data exist for the Coastal cutthroat trout. In Oregon, it is believed that the Coastal cutthroat trout is undergoing widespread decline. Several populations in western Oregon are thought to be at moderate risk of extinction, with poor ocean conditions and habitat-related problems thought to be significant contributing factors. The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed to list all cutthroat trout populations in the Umpqua River Basin as endangered in July of 1994.