Redband trout is a fish name that may be a synonym for the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but is also used more narrowly for inland subspecies with well-defined geographical distributions in the United States. These include Columbia River redband trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdnerii, found in Montana, Washington and Idaho, Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei found in small tributaries of the McCloud River as well as similar fish in the Pit River system—the McCloud and Pit are tributaries of California's Sacramento River -- and the Great Basin redband trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii, found in southeastern Oregon, and parts of California and Nevada on the periphery of the Great Basin, but not the deep interior where Cutthroat Trout -- Oncorynchus clarkii -- are endemic. Redband trout are prized game fish.
Throughout its distribution, the redband trout has been facing declines due to altered or destroyed habitats, introduction of exotic and hatchery raised fish species, and seasonal drought. However, as of 2000, the population of Great Basin redband trout was not a candidate for listing as threatened or endangered by the standards established by the United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service.
Read more about Redband Trout: Physical Characteristics, Further Reading
Famous quotes containing the word trout:
“All those girls
who wore the red shoes,
each boarded a train that would not stop.
Stations flew by like suitors and would not stop.
They all danced like trout on the hook.
They were played with.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)