Ross Cook’s father used to fish for brook trout in the spring-fed stream that runs through the family farm just northeast of Stratford.
On Saturday, his son Nathan helped release some 1,000 fingerlings back into that very stream in an effort to reintroduce the native species to the area.
Eventually, Nathan may catch a brook trout in the same place his grandfather once did.
“That’s the hope,” said Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) aquatic biologist John Schwindt, who helped with the weekend release of a record 7,500 trout into several streams in the watershed, including sites near Stratford, St. Marys, Embro and Komoka.
Read more about the Cook’s efforts to restore brook trout in a story from the Stratford Beacon Herald.