Coaster brook trout are big, beautiful fish, and there used to be lots more of them. A number of people would like to see them restored to their former glory, which has wrought an unusual collaboration of governmental, University, and sportsman's organizations.
Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Michigan Tech Assistant Professor Casey Huckins and PhD student Patrick Schmalz (Department of Biological Sciences) have been studying the coaster's basic ecology.
"The coaster is a brook trout that spends a lot of its life in Lake Superior waters," Huckins said, returning to rivers during fall spawning runs.. "They look like a brook trout, but they get quite big, some twenty inches. And they tend to hang out by the coast." Thus their name. "They were pretty much reduced in Lake Superior about a hundred years ago."
Bill Deephouse, a member of the local Trout Unlimited board of directors and a fisheries biologist retired from the Department of Natural Resources, calls coaster brook trout "kind of a glamorous fish." The chapter's enthusiasm helped prompt the DNR to reintroduce coasters to the Gratiot River, in Keweenaw County. A total of 30,000 fingerlings were planted last fall, with additional plantings on tap for the next five years.
The project is part of a larger initiative to restore the big trout to the entire southern shore of Lake Superior. It involves a genetic study of various coaster populations in the lake that could determine if they are separate species or just big brookies. The activity is being supported by the national Trout Unlimited organization, which has been active in bringing various trout populations back from the brink throughout the US.
"We're monitoring the success of the introduction and studying the natural populations," Huckins said. "It's all very experimental, and we just can't say whether it will work or not at this point. But it is such a nice collaboration."
Deephouse agreed. "It's really a benefit to have the researchers located so close to the site of the research, the Gratiot River," he said. "I'm gleeful that it's at Tech, and that we're all working in collaboration with the DNR. It's wonderful that we've forged this relationship."
The Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited has linked with Michigan Tech in other ways. Athletic Trainer Chris Ipson was recently honored with the Busy Beaver Award as the volunteer of the year by the local chapter. Ipson has been a member of the chapter since its inception in 1998 and was recognized for his work on fish habitat improvements on the Pilgrim River.
In addition, Mike Forgave, a senior in scientific and technical communication, produced a documentary video for the group on stream protection as part of Associate Professor Craig Waddell's Project Management class.
"He did a real good job," Deephouse said. "Overall, TU's ongoing partnership with the folks at Michigan Tech has been truly beneficial, for the resource, the local chapter, and even the University."
05/11/00