New research suggests wild brook trout in the Adirondack Mountains have more genetic diversity than previously thought.
The research is good news for the species, but wild brook trout are still susceptible to climate change and other threats. Zachary Matson has been reporting on brook trout for the Adirondack Explorer magazine.
"I think their future is still very delicate. And there are these much larger trends at play. But understanding the genetic diversity of the fish that are here now, is telling researchers that the more diversity there is, the more likely some of those strains of fish are going to be able to survive warming weather and warming patterns and what have you," Matson said.
For more than 60 years, the state has supplemented wild brook trout with trout raised in hatcheries that are released into rivers and ponds in the Adirondacks. It planned to release more than a million hatchery trout into Adirondack Park earlier this spring.
This story comes from North Country Public Radio, a news service located in Canton, New York.