Their efforts appear to have paid off. In 1990, the pH in the lakes had risen to 6.5, well above the threshold pH of 5 required for successful natural reproduction of aurora trout. The alkalinity levels in the lakes also were favorably adjusted. It was time to give the fish a second lease on life. A thousand aurora trout of different age classes were planted into Whirligig Lake in spring 1990. By fall, the fish had prospered. Some weighed as much as three pounds. The biomass of auroras (essentially the total weight of trout) in Whirligig Lake was almost 16 pounds per acre, a level comparable to that of a healthy brook trout population in a natural setting. But the best news was received in fall. The trout were spawning successfully.
Tons of additional crushed lime was subsequently spread across a wetland that drains into Whirligig Lake and extra powdered calcite was poured over the transom of boats directly into the prop wash to neutralize the acidic effect when levels started creeping back up.
Fisheries personnel are cautiously optimistic. Stricter (though some say not strict enough) standards were imposed on the Sudbury smelters in 1994, mandating a 40 percent reduction in emissions. The aurora trout planted in 1990 now have died of old age, but multiple year classes indicate that the trout are spawning successfully, and each year the percentage of wild aurora trout in Whirligig increases over the percentage of trout planted.
According to Chuck McCrudden, one of the biologists associated with the recovery project: "The progeny are doing fine. I think we are on our third generation of naturally reproduced fish in Whirligig Lake, and evidence suggests that the young aurora trout in Whitepine Lake are not only downstream migrants but more likely progeny of the adult stockings as well."
Though fishing in Whirligig, Little Whitepine, and the other refuge lakes remains closed, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has developed a unique trophy aurora trout-fishing program. Nine natural lakes in Fisheries Division 19 of Northeastern Ontario are now stocked with aurora trout, and on a rotational basis, three lakes each year are open to angling. The aurora trout season runs from August 1 to October 15, and the daily catch and possession limit is one fish. Live fish may not be used as bait.
INCO and Falconbridge Nickel, either out of embarrassment or a sense of corporate responsibility, also appear to be stepping up to the plate. The companies are now considering funding various projects to restore many other coldwater trout lakes they originally damaged. Also in its infancy is the Ontario Living Legacy Trust Fund project that would affect over 1,000 trout lakes in Northeastern Ontario. Although we came dreadfully close to losing aurora trout for all time, anglers everywhere have their fingers crossed that the golden age of the aurora trout may be just around the corner.
