Genetic mapping boosts hopes for restoring prized lake trout

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – A scientific team has traced the genetic makeup of lake trout, which should help rebuild populations of the prized fish in the Great Lakes and other North American waters.

U.S. and Canadian researchers said Tuesday they’ve completed a digital genetic map for lake trout. It will help explain characteristics that enabled the species to evolve and spread across its vast range, with different types settling in particular depths and locations.

Fishery managers need such information as they stock lakes with trout, which have been hammered by invasive species, overfishing and pollution.