Redband trout

Redband trout
Great Basin redband trout
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
Subspecies:
O. m. gairdneri
O. m. newberrii
O. m. stonei
Trinomial name
Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri
Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii
Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei

Redband trout are a group of three recognized subspecies of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).[1] They occur in three distinct regions in Pacific basin tributaries and endorheic basins in the western United States. The three subspecies are the Columbia River redband trout (O. m. gairdneri), the McCloud River redband trout (O. m. stonei) and the Great Basin redband trout (O. m. newberrii).

The Columbia River redband trout is found in the Columbia River and its tributaries in Montana, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Anadromous populations of O. m. gairdneri are known as redband steelhead. The McCloud River redband trout is found in small tributaries of the McCloud River and Pit River which are tributaries of California's Sacramento River. The Great Basin redband trout is found in seven distinct basins in southeastern Oregon, and parts of California and Nevada on the periphery of the Great Basin.[1] Redband trout have often been confused with cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii). Redband trout are prized game fish.

Redband trout populations have been declining across its range as a result of habitat changes or destruction, the introduction of alien 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.

  1. ^ a b Behnke, Robert J. (2002). "Rainbow and Redband Trout". Trout and Salmon of North America. Tomelleri, Joseph R. (illust.). The Free Press. pp. 65–122. ISBN 0743222202.