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The brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is an iconic species among
fly anglers and cold-water conservationists in eastern North
America. This fish registers as a powerful symbol for its beauty
and its imagery in art and literature. Its presence also tells us a
great deal about the health of the larger environment. When an
angler has a brook trout in hand, there is confidence that the
water is close to pristine. Besides being an important indicator
species, the brook trout, with its gold and reddish markings and
its camouflaged green and black back, is one of the most beautiful
freshwater fish in North America. And beyond the beauty of the fish
itself, the environment in which it is found is also part of its
past and present appeal. To fish for brook trout is often to fish
in the last remote and rugged landscapes in the East, "fishscapes"
that have not been polluted by stocking trucks that dump nonnative
brown and rainbow trout in most of the East’s accessible cold
waterways. Searching for Home Waters is part science, part
environmental history, and part personal journey of the author,
Michael K. Steinberg, and those he interviewed during his travels.
The work takes a broad perspective that examines the status of
brook trout in the eastern United States, employing a "landscape"
approach. In other words, brook trout do not exist in a vacuum;
they are impacted by logging, agriculture, fishing policies,
suburban development, mining, air pollution, and climate change.
Thus, while the book focuses specifically on the status and
management of the brook trout—from Georgia to Labrador—it also
tells the larger story of the status of the eastern environment. As
a "pilgrimage," this book is also a journey of the heart and
contains Steinberg’s personal reflections on his relationship
with the brook trout and its geography.
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