Wild Lake Trout Found In Lake Simcoe

[Mike]

February 24, 2006

Signs Show Coldwater Fish Making Tentative Comeback

SUTTON — A small number of wild lake trout are surviving to adulthood in Lake Simcoe - a promising sign that the popular fish may be rebounding, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay announced today.

"While we can’t yet be sure the survival of these trout is due to improved water quality, the findings are encouraging," said Ramsay. "We are committed to fostering self-sustaining populations of native species when possible and protecting Ontario’s biodiversity."

The Lake Simcoe Fisheries Assessment Unit has confirmed that a small population of adult wild lake trout have been observed in the lake.

Wild trout have been virtually extinct in Lake Simcoe since the late 1980s because of excess phosphorus in the lake and loss of fish habitat. The Lake Simcoe Environmental Management Strategy, a partnership involving three levels of government, First Nations, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the public, has focused on reducing phosphorus in the lake to help restore habitat to support a self-sustaining community of coldwater fish.

Over the years, the Ministry of Natural Resources has stocked lake trout in Lake Simcoe to maintain a viable population while ecological conditions in the lake improve enough to support a self-sustaining population of lake trout. This has also helped maintain the significant economic and social benefits of a fishery that would otherwise have been lost in the region.

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