[surfrod]

Noticed in the article on trout a tidbit about "Ancestral Trout"

I know that a stream in Southwest NJ didn't pan out, but is Pat Hamilton still heading up the study and now investigating another potential source?

"Ancestral Trout
The section of the South Branch of the Raritan
River—from its Budd Lake source down to
the old YMCA Boy Scout camp dam near the
intersection of River and Flanders-Drakestown
roads in Mt. Olive Township—has been classified
as non-trout waters since its 1968 sampling.
Original survey results suggested that this part of
the river only contained warmwater fish species
such as sunfish, perch and bullhead. However, as
a result of the latest re-inspection, approximately
2 miles of the main stem river plus six connected
tributaries are now known all to contain waters
of truly exceptional quality. A real potential
exists for the subpopulation of brookies located
there to be direct descendants of those that swam
in the region’s waters upon the retreat of the last
glaciation 10–15 thousand years ago!
These waters are noteworthy due to their proximity
to Turkey Brook, a body of water that has
demonstrated that isolated New Jersey tributaries
may contain ancestral brook trout and
also for the fact that a dam isolates this portion
of the river from a section currently stocked,
making it less likely that hatchery genes have
found their way into the system. The discovery
of an unknown group of New Jersey’s only native
salmonid is important, for it bolsters our knowledge
regarding this vital and precious natural
resource. Further, consider the possibility that
the new finds may be genetic relicts of a heritage
strain of fish. This is a significant discovery!"