What’s more, many of the streams in Oregon were at one time stocked with brook trout or bass, species not native to redband territory. In many streams, genetic mixing is now impossible. Once fish from neighboring streams might have accidently run up the wrong creek from shared wetlands and deposited their eggs or milt, introducing new genetics to that tributary. The fish persevere, but their lives today take place in a patchwork of streams and small rivers isolated from one another genetic diversity is a concern. Many redbands that lost access to the sea would utilize as a proxy the lakes and marshes that formed in the valleys between ranges.
There, they would feed and fatten up until they felt the urge to return to their birthplace and spawn, completing their life cycle.Īs eons passed, their migration routes diminished.
Once, their ancestors made pilgrimages to the ocean or a large sea, migrating from their natal tributaries to rivers and eventually to saltwater. In my native state of Oregon, these survivors can be found in seven distinct ancient lake basins in the south-central and eastern part of the state.
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