Southeast Alaska is the northern part of the range of coastal cutthroat trout. Cutthroats are considered anadromous, meaning that they spend part of their lives in ocean waters. However, some cutthroats choose to remain in fresh water their entire lives, even if there is access to the ocean.
Studies done in Auke Creek have indicated that cutthroats are very mobile, in that many can be found in different watersheds than from where they were hatched.