This video was shot during the reporting for “Vanishing Point,” a story in the March 2009 issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine that explored issues surrounding efforts to save Michigan’s endangered coaster brook trout.
The only mainland U.S. river where the fish spawns is the Salmon Trout River near Big Bay, a half-hour north of Marquette, and editor Jeff Smith shot this footage while on the river with fish researchers who are trying to better understand the habitat and life history of the coaster brook trout. Nothing fancy about the video—it was shot with an inexpensive handheld camera, but the images convey a nice sense of the coaster’s home water.
If you have any hint of the fish-science nerd about you, we suggest checking out the documents below. They include great background about the fish, its history, human impact and possible threats to the coaster’s survival. The nice thing is they are written in a way that non-academics can understand (for the most part, anyway).
Status Review Response: Petition to List Coaster Brook Trout Under the Endangered Species Act