Federal authorities are extremely interested in these particular populations of lake trout as a possible valuable key to FWS restoration efforts in the Great Lakes. Recent studies have shown higher survival of these particular 'strains? of trout in some areas of Lake Huron where sea lamprey infestations are a recognized limiting factor in lake trout restoration.

Several thousand progeny resulting from the over 100 pairs of fish spawned will be raised at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery Isolation Unit for the next 18 months. While at Genoa they will be subjected to a series of rigorous disease inspections by the LaCrosse Fish Health Center before they are eventually transferred to other regional lake trout production hatcheries to begin their lives as broodstock for the production of millions of eggs and fish annually.

These fish will, after their obligatory isolation period, be incorporated into the region's lake trout broodstock program currently being carried out at the services Sullivan Creek NFH and Iron River NFH. At these Service facilities the fish will serve as broodstock for the production of eggs and fingerlings for restoration efforts in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

It is hoped that these fish, with their unique characteristics, will aid in the long term successful restoration of this nationally significant species.