Lake Trout East and West: What Can Be Learned by Comparing Lake Trout Restoration in the Eastern US A to Lake Trout Suppression in the Western USA?

We propose to address the question, what can be learned by comparing lake trout restoration in the eastern USA to lake trout suppression in the western USA?  In the Laurentian Great Lakes, lake trout were historically dominant, but underwent catastrophic declines caused by over-fishing, non-native species invasions, and habitat degradation.  Lake trout management in Laurentian Great Lakes now focuses on restoration or rehabilitation of the species.  In contrast, lake trout were introduced into many western lakes and are now overwhelming fish assemblages in many of those lakes, with devastating effects on native species, such as bull trout, rainbow trout, and cutthroat trout.  In many western lakes, fishery management now focuses on lake trout suppression to restore native depleted species.  Our symposium proposes to borrow information learned for one purpose, such as how to restore a depleted species, for the opposite purpose, such as how to suppress an invasive species.  The lake trout provides an excellent example of a species that is managed for opposite goals (restoration versus suppression) that depends on its historic role (native or non-native) in aquatic communities.  The symposium will provide AFS members and participants with an opportunity to study the use of common biological information about a species to develop diametrically opposite management goals.  The symposium will be organized around case examples to be presented by leading experts on lake trout restoration in the Laurentian Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario) and lake trout suppression in western lakes (e.g. Yellowstone, Flathead, Pend Oreille, and Glacier NP).  Case examples will be preceded by an overview of the topic to lead off the symposium and a synthesis and panel discussion to close the symposium.