Cutthroat Trout

Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) at one time consisted of more than one dozen subspecies distributed throughout western North America. The Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) is the subspecies that lives in conjunction with temperate rain forests. It is the only subspecies that enters salt water. Those that do are known as Searun Cutthroat Trout. A given Coastal Cutthroat Trout population can include searun as well as several freshwater resident forms or ecomorphs. The northern biogeographical limit for the species is Prince William Sound, Alaska, near to where these images were taken. Unlike their Pacific salmon congeners, Cutthroat Trout are iteroparous. A healthy population will have many repeat spawners.