Tribal biologist Matt Symbal holds a coaster brook trout. - FWS photo

Ashland FRO assisted the Red Cliff Natural Resources Department with their fall assessments of coaster brook trout in Lake Superior. 

The Red Cliff tribe has a stocking program where Lake Nipigon strain brook trout are reared in the tribal hatchery and stocked into Lake Superior.  The tribe has collaborated with the Service to use electrofishing to capture fish to assess their stocking program. 

Thirteen kilometers of shoreline were sampled as 1 km segments; 4 km in Raspberry Bay, 2 km in Frog Bay, and 7 km in Red Cliff and Buffalo bays.  In each segment, relative abundances of species are recorded as present (1-4 individuals), common (5-25 individuals), and abundant (>25 individuals). 

An attempt is made to capture any brook trout encountered.  Brook trout captured were measured for length and weight, examined for a fin clip (an indication of hatchery origin), tagged with a Floy tag if >208 mm, and then released.  Fish without a fin clip were tissue sampled for later genetic analysis to identify population of origin. 

During the October and November 2006 sampling (6 nights of effort), 47 brook trout were captured, more than twice the number that were captured during sampling efforts in 2005. 

Only two of the fish captured were unclipped, indicating that at present the population is comprised almost entirely of stocked fish.  Many of the fish captured were sexually mature.  The tribe is encouraged to see these fish and hope that these fish will reproduce and some day support a naturalized population.

Contact: Jonathan Pyatskowit