DID YOU KNOW? Cutthroat trout have a distinctive red streak on their lower jaw.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii, from the Greek roots onkos (hook), rynchos (nose), and clarki from Captain W. Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

COMMON NAMES: Red-throat trout, harvest trout, Lahontan cutthroat, West slope cutthroat, Rio Grande cutthroat, Greenback cutthroat, Colorado River cutthroat, Utah cutthroat, Snake River finespot cutthroat, Alvord cutthroat, and Yellowstone cutthroat.

DESCRIPTION: The cutthroat trout can be a greenish blue on its back with silvery sides, or it can develop a copper coloration with a diverse array of spotting across its body. It is 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 can weigh over 4 pounds, and can reach 20+ inches in length. Depending on geographic location, the cutthroat can display a wide variety of coloration patterns.

LIFECYCLE: The female cutthroat digs a nest or redd and the male fertilizes the eggs. Spawning usually occurs in the spring or early summer, depending upon the water conditions. The female cutthroat can lay from 100 to 5,000 eggs, which hatch in about 1 month. The young commonly spend 1 to 2 weeks in the gravel before emerging. Young cutthroat commonly rear in their natal streams for 2 years (ranging from 1 to 9 years) before migrating to larger streams, rivers or lakes, in the spring. First-time spawners are usually 3 or 4 years old. Juveniles and adults are carnivorous and opportunistic feeders, feeding mostly on insects, crustaceans, and other fish throughout their life.

RANGE: Northern California to Prince Williams Sound in Alaska.

HABITAT AND ECOLOGY: There are four known behavioral or life-history types of cutthroat trout. Those that migrate between lakes or reservoirs and streams (adfluvial), those that migrate between small tributaries and main rivers (fluvial), those that are non-migratory (resident), and those that spawn in fresh water and migrate to salt water to rear (anadromous).

Resident cutthroat trout generally spawn in small tributary streams. Large woody debris and in-stream structure play important roles in providing valuable habitat for cutthroat trout. Adult cutthroat typically reside in low velocity large pools or side-channels, while the young cutthroat reside in side-channels, riffles, backwater areas, and in upper tributaries of small rivers. Cutthroat trout use a wide variety of habitat types during their complex lifecycle. They spawn in small tributary streams, and utilize slow-flowing backwater areas and low velocity pools and side channels for rearing young and escaping spring high flows. Good forest canopy cover, in-stream woody debris and abundant supplies of insects are crucial for young cutthroat survival.

ECONOMIC VALUE: Recreational or sport fisheries exist for cutthroat trout throughout the Pacific Northwest.