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
American herring gull American herring gull The American herring gull or Smithsonian gull ("Larus smithsonianus" or "Larus argentatus smithsonianus") is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithologists' Union as a subspecies of herring gull ("L. argentatus"). Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots, and pink legs. Immature birds are gray-brown and are darker and more uniform than European herring gulls, with a darker tail. It occurs in a variety of habitats including coasts, lakes, rivers and garbage dumps. Its broad diet includes invertebrates, fish, and many other items.