Are Rainbow, Brook, and Brown trout native to North Carolina?
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are native or indigenous to the west coast of North America, from California to Alaska. Rainbow trout were first stocked in North Carolina in the late 1800’s and are closely related to Pacific salmon (king, silver, sockeye salmon, etc.). Brown trout (Salmo trutta) is native to Europe and was first introduced to the United States in 1883. This fish is closely related to Atlantic salmon. Brook or speckled “trout” (Salvelinus fontinalis), are the only salmonid native to western North Carolina and is actually a char, not a trout. This fish is closely related to arctic char, dolly varden, and lake trout, which are found further north.
