Coaster Brook Trout Rehabilitation in Lake Superior: Introduction

Abstract

Migratory brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis were once common in the nearshore waters of Lake Superior. These brook trout, hereafter referred to as ‘‘coaster brook trout,’’ provided a highly valued and productive sport fishery until the early 1900s. Today, only a few remnant populations exist (Newman and DuBois 1997). Excessive harvest and habitat degradation are thought to be the major causes of the decline. In 1999, the Brook Trout Subcommittee of the Lake Superior Technical Committee, under the auspices of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) and guided by the GLFC special publication Fish Community Objectives for Lake Superior (Bushian 1990; Horns et al. 2003), published A Brook Trout Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Superior (Newman et al. 2003), which emphasized the need for more scientific information about coaster brook trout and stated the following: ‘‘The rehabilitation goal for brook trout in Lake Superior is to maintain widely dispersed selfsustaining populations in as many of the original, native habitats as is practical.’’ Since the mid-1990s, a variety of research and management projects have been conducted on coaster brook trout in Lake Superior. Biologists from management agencies and academia have expressed interest in compiling this information and in charting a shared direction for future research and management. In 2002, the GLFC, in partnership with a number of other organizations (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Wisconsin Extension, and Trout Unlimited), funded a conference to synthesize current information and to advance scientific understanding of coaster brook trout rehabilitation in Lake Superior. Five major objectives were defined to create the Coaster Brook Trout Initiative (CBTI): (1) convene a conference and synthesis session where lakewide recommendations for future research and management initiatives will be developed for coaster brook trout rehabilitation; (2) promote collaboration among fishery biologists from various organizations by providing both formal and informal opportunities for interaction and networking among conference participants; (3) share the outcomes and strategies discussed at the conference with other fishery biologists by sponsoring a symposium on coaster brook trout rehabilitation in Lake Superior; (4) publish symposium proceedings in a peer-reviewed journal; and (5) work with Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Wisconsin Extension, and Trout Unlimited (USA and Canada) to provide materials, a Web site, and a forum that will enable other interested organizations and citizens to learn more about Lake Superior coaster brook trout rehabilitation and become actively involved in supporting rehabilitation efforts. The Coaster Brook Trout Conference and Synthesis was the focal point of the CBTI. The conference was held October 16–18, 2003, at the University of Minnesota Forest Research Center in Cloquet. Approximately 40 fishery professionals from across North America gathered to review recent coaster brook trout research findings and to develop suggestions for coaster brook trout rehabilitation. During much of the conference, participants worked in teams to address one of five important topics: coaster brook trout genetics, stream habitat requirements, lake habitat requirements, population dynamics, and management strategies to rehabilitate coaster brook trout in Lake Superior. Additional CBTI activities included sponsoring two symposia on migratory brook trout: ‘‘A Multiple Scale Perspective in Brook Trout Conservation and Management’’ (22 presentations and 15 posters) held at the 2003 annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in Quebec City, Quebec, and ‘‘Coaster Brook Trout Management, Biology and Rehabilitation’’ (26 presentations and 10 posters) held at the 2004 annual meeting of AFS in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition, Trout Unlimited and Sea Grant developed and sponsored a coaster brook trout Web site and multiagency outreach programs to transfer sciencebased information from the symposia to the general public. Workshops entitled ‘‘Hooked on Coasters: Lake Superior Coaster Brook Trout Rehabilitation,’’ held in each Lake Superior management jurisdiction, were attended by anglers, environmentalists, government officials, resource managers, and other interested citizens. * E-mail: don.schreiner@dnr.state.mn.us