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
Alosa Most individuals die shortly after spawning. "Alosa" species are seemingly very adaptive vertebrates, so can change readily to adapt to their environments, as species are found in a variety of temperatures and waters. As "Alosa" species are generally anadromous, they are faced with various obstacles to survival. They may have to pass through numerous barriers and waters to get to either their spawning grounds or normal habitats (the sea in most cases). Estuaries are a major factor in numerous "Alosa" species' migration. Estuaries can be highly variable and complex environments contributing to fluctuating biological interactions, with shifts in osomolarity, food