The Ohio Brook Trout Story
By Andy Burt (Division of Wildlife Inland Fishery Research Unit located in Hebron, OH), Paul Pira (Geauga Park District), and Vince Laconte (Division of Wildlife, retired)
The brook trout, also known as a speckled trout, is a fish that is both defined and held captive by its uncompromising life requirements. These fish thrive only in cold, clear, clean lakes and streams where the water temperatures remain below 66 degrees, dissolved oxygen levels are high, and siltation is practically non-existent. Any change in the lake, stream, or watershed that affects these critical components will affect the brook trout living there, and even a seemingly minor change in habitat can result in the loss of a brook trout population. Brook trout are among the most colorful of all freshwater fish and are currently listed as a “Threatened Species” in Ohio.
The early explorers of the Western Reserve found "speckled trout" inhabiting the coldwater tributaries of Lake Erie in what is now northeastern Ohio.
With settlement, the great eastern forests fell before the ax and saw to be replaced by agricultural fields and pastures. And as a result, these coldwater streams warmed and filled with silt, greatly reducing the numbers of these native fish.
These "speckled trout" and their habitat declined to such an extent that by as early as 1838, the naturalist Dr. Jared P. Kirtland wrote in his Report on the Zoology of Ohio that "speckled trout" were to be found in only two Ohio streams: a small creek in Ashtabula County, and a branch of the Chagrin River in Geauga County. The name and exact location of the Ashtabula County stream has been lost with time, but we know the Geauga County stream to be the East Branch of the Chagrin River.
Westward settlement continued, as did the destruction of the brook trout's habitat, and in 1945, Milton Trautman noted in his classic book, The Fishes of Ohio, that almost all vestiges of brook trout habitat in Ohio had been destroyed. He assumed that all populations had perished. Other aquatic biologists shared this view until 1972, when two populations of brook trout were discovered in the headwaters of the Chagrin River by Dr. Andrew White of John Carroll University. Division of Wildlife biologists were made aware of these populations through Terry Harmon ( University School) during the mid-1980’s and thereafter began to monitor the streams. Genetic testing established that these fish are the last relicts of original Ohio brook trout populations, dating back to the last glacial period more than 10,000 years ago.
Over the past decade cooperative efforts were undertaken to restore this native Ohio fish species. The Division of Wildlife initiated a project in the mid-1990’s to reintroduce the native Ohio brook trout into streams primarily within the Chagrin River drainage that contained suitable habitat. Presently, there are 10 self-sustaining native brook trout streams (one stream is outside of the Chagrin River drainage), with 9 of these streams being a result of the restoration efforts. Integral to accomplishing this success was having the assistance of the Geauga Park District, University School, Ohio EPA, Chagrin River Land Conservancy (now Western Reserve Land Conservancy), Cleveland Metroparks and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Trout Club.
The recovery plan is not intended to produce a sport fishery. In fact, current fishing regulations state possession of brook trout in the Chagrin River and Rocky River watersheds is prohibited. The goal is simply to return an interesting and habitat-sensitive native fish to its former range and abundance. This, in turn, will help maintain biodiversity and preserve a heritage species.
Additional Research
The Ohio Division of Wildlife , Ohio EPA, and Geauga Park District’s Department of Natural Resource Management is currently involved in a brook trout research effort that’s goal is to develop a regional (Ohio) Habitat Suitability Index ( HSI). HSI’s are basically an assortment of criteria related to a species and its habitat requirements that allow fisheries biologists to better predict the probability of success or failure of that species in a given habitat. To date, physical and chemical data on 16 brook trout streams have been collected and are now being analyzed for indicators of successful Ohio brook trout streams.
There is also an initiative to develop a new brook trout exhibit at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo at the Wolf Cabin area. Funding for this project is not yet fully secured, but a large portion is funded through conservation organizations and county park systems in Northeast Ohio.
Read the entire Division of Wildlife report here...
Trout Unlimited Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) newsletter
About Andy Burt
Andy has been the principle researcher coordinating the native brook trout restoration in Ohio for the past 6 years, but has only transferred to his current position last year (2007). In addition to working with the occasional brook trout, Andy now coordinates the lake and reservoir sampling for the Division of Wildlife and manages the Division’s fisheries database. Prior to his professional career, Andy spent much of his time in streams and rivers developing an appreciation for any fish that would find his lures (and occasional flies) enticing. Although smallmouth bass are his preferred target in streams, Andy enjoys the occasional trip to NE Ohio to hook up with a few steelhead trout.