Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) is a saltwater, freshwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 0–200 m.
Scientific name: Oncorhynchus clarkii · Water: Saltwater, Freshwater, Brackish
Size: up to 99 cm
The cutthroat trout is a demersal salmonid that prefers relatively small streams with gravel bottoms and gentle gradients. Spawning adults migrate from the sea into streams, and the young usually stay in the stream for a year or two before entering the sea, though some populations never go to sea at all and, in rare cases, individuals of sea-going populations may remain in fresh water for as long as eight years. It feeds on small fishes, crustaceans and insects, and its flesh is orange-red and highly regarded. It is recorded from the surface down to 200 m. Its range is the northern parts of Prince William Sound in Alaska south to the Eel River in northern California, and it has been widely introduced both within and beyond that range. Maximum length is about 99 cm total length, and it can live 13 years, maturing at about 15.2 cm. It is a commercial species, a gamefish and a commercial aquaculture species kept in public aquariums, with a very high price category. It does not compete well with other fish and is unable to withstand fishing pressure. Fishing vulnerability is moderate to high at 48 of 100 and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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