Naugatuck River and roadways, through the time of development of Connecticut Route 8. The river enters a forested, hilly area between Connecticut Route 118 and Thomaston. The largely industrialized cities of the Naugatuck River Valley were developed on each side of the river, with periodic sections of forested areas, before it enters the Housatonic River at Derby, at about above sea level. As part of the Housatonic River watershed, the Naugatuck River historically hosted the southernmost Atlantic salmon ("Salmo salar") migrations. Historical runs of anadromous fish also included native American shad ("Alosa sapidissima", Connecticut's state fish), alewife ("Alosa pseudoharengus") and blueback herring
Coonamesset River while environmental awareness has increased, bringing the conservation goal to the fore. While the Coonamessett maintained a healthy herring run for many years alongside Cranberry cultivation, in recent years the herring run has undergone a massive decline, following a similar decrease across New England which has been widely attributed to at-sea factors external to the rivers. In 2004, fish counters saw only 640 fish and the only about 2000 herring returned to spawn. Concern over the herring run and the disappearance of sea run trout has led to a consensus in the Town for better protection and improvement of the