Natural reproduction by stocked lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and hybrid (backcross) lake trout in South Bay, Lake Huron

In 1977, a study was begun in South Bay, Lake Huron, to assess the fitness of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and lake trout backcrossed to splake (S. namaycush X S. fontinalis) for rehabilitating the lake. Mature lake trout were fivefold more abundant than mature backcross from paired stockings. Wild progeny consisting of 321 fry and 67 age-0 to age-2 juveniles were collected in 1986-1992. We estimate that survival from potential egg-deposition to age I averaged 0.00035. The size of the two best wild year classes was small, approximately only 2,000 yearlings each. At current exploitation rates sufficient numbers of wild trout are unlikely to survive long enough to produce a second generation.