More than an estimated six decades after it vanished from Lake Erie, a long-lost native fish has resurfaced, the Pocono Record reported. Biologist Doug Fischer and colleagues with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently confirmed the presence of shallow-water ciscoes thriving in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The species hadn’t been seen in Lake Erie since the 1950s or early 1960s, after it was wiped out thanks to pollution, overfishing, and competition from invasive species. But thanks to stocking efforts in the early 20th century, a population has quietly survived in the privately owned Crystal Lake — and researchers are wondering if it could be the key to bringing shallow-water ciscoes back to Lake Erie.

“It’s kind of like finding the missing link,” said Fischer. “The Great Lake cisco are still present in the upper lakes and Lake Ontario, but there’s no other place to get shallow-water cisco for Lake Erie to round out the community there,” he said.

Now, biologists from multiple states, universities, and federal agencies are collaborating to study the fish’s genetics and evaluate whether ciscoes could be used in a carefully planned repopulation program. Fortunately, it’s not the first comeback story to offer hope. Species such as the fisher in Ohio and the rare Southern California steelhead trout have survived near extinction.

Returning ciscoes to Lake Erie could benefit both people and the lake. The fish was a major food source for native lake trout, and its return could help rebalance the cold-water ecosystem. That could give a boost to local fisheries if the population rebounds to sustainable levels.

“If we can bring that back to what it used to be, that may be impossible, but I think even an attempt to do that is necessary,” said Jerry Skrypzak, president of Save Our Native Species of Lake Erie.

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With stronger environmental protections in place, including improvements under the Clean Water Act, scientists are cautiously optimistic that conditions in Lake Erie are finally good enough to support a second chance. “We got to the point where we think things are good enough, recovered enough, that an effort like this would be fruitful,” Fischer said.

There’s still a long road ahead, but the find could someday play a major role in reviving a critical component of Lake Erie’s biodiversity. As Fischer said, “Maybe 50 years from now it might have been a key management decision that we had a part in.”

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