Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests
Crooked River National Grassland

Fish Species Introduction

The fresh waters of the world make up only about three percent of all the water on Earth. Yet they represent a great variety of habitats, from small ponds to deep lakes, fast flowing brooks to sluggish rivers, still canals and ditches, foaming waterfalls, and dark underground pools and streams. Fish have adapted to all of these different habitats. There are over 20,000 species of bony fishes in the world but only 109 species in Oregon and of those there are 24 in Central Oregon.

People have fished since pre-historic times as indicated by fossil finds from the stone age (30,000 years). In the medieval times, fish flesh was a valuable addition to the weekly diet and in fact monks kept carp and other fish protected in isolated ponds known as “stew ponds”.

Source: “Focus on Fish” by Steve Parker