What are "Coasters?"
Until the results of a recent study (Coaster Brook Trout by Silvia D'Amelio, M.Sc.) there was great debate among fisherman, biologists and any other individual with an opinion  over the genetic makeup of lake run brook trout and those brook trout found in the streams of Lake Superior.  The study showed there was no difference in the genetic makeup of the brook trout. Current efforts by the "Brook Trout Committee"  to enhance the coaster brook trout population also recognizes the need to protect the "little guys" in the streams by managing the pressures and the habitat.  While coasters are usually heavier than stream-dwelling brook trout, they are directly related genetically.

Historically, most of the rivers leading into Lake Superior had populations of Coasters. Due to a variety of factors, such as hydro development, fishing pressure, logging, and environmental changes, the Coaster population has significantly declined.

Current Coaster populations are are limited to a few areas. The most significant population is located in the Nipigon basin. Efforts to sustain and revitalize the species is currently underway.

Status of the Brook Trout in Lake Superior (pdf)

• Coaster brook trout are part of the natural heritage of the upper Great Lakes
• Char species are notable within the Salmoninae for their extensive morphological and ecological variability.
• adfluvial brook trout, migrate from lake habitat into tributaries for spawning
• lacustrine brook trout, which complete their life cycle within the lake habitat.
• Adfluvial brook trout (Nipigon River) have typically been considered analogous to anadromous brook trout, similar to Steelhead
• Populations of lacustrine brook trout, ( Lake Superior) reside in lake habitat and spawn on shoals within the lake
• A more ecologically relevant definition of coasters would focus on brook trout that have the potential to utilize lake habitats for an ecologically significant portion of their development and resource acquisition.
• A predominant feature in the life history of adfluvial coaster brook trout populations is their migratory behavior.
• Coasters can be "movers" or stayers"
• Stream-spawned and shoal-spawned

• The Nipigon River coaster population has apparently expanded in recent years after an increase in the minimum size limit and a reduction in the daily bag limit
• Angler data and diaries indicated that coaster catch rates in the Nipigon River and Bay have greatly increased and that coasters are being caught and released multiple times
• Long-term coaster rehabilitation will be most successful if the process is guided by an understanding of their unique life histories within an ecological and evolutionary context.
• Historical accounts suggest that coaster brook trout along the north shore of Lake Superior were larger than those along the south shore
• Whether lake spawned or stream spawned, juvenile brook trout may use stream habitat for refuge and development
• Interactions with exotic species are likely to be particularly important in limiting coaster populations.
• angling in the late 1800s and early 1900s most likely led to the initial declines of coaster brook trout in the Lake Superior basin, and mortality from fisheries appears to remain high.

"Coasters," are a Great Lakes strain of Salvelinus fontinalis

Coasters