Although the recreational aspects of fishing are important, the Park's primary purpose is to protect and perpetuate native species and natural environments so that visitors can see and enjoy native plant and animal life. Hence, the focus on preservation of native species like the brook trout, and the closure of brook trout streams. The Park has no plans to eliminate rainbows and browns, and many streams are managed for self-perpetuating populations of these game fish. Research is underway to determine if there is a distinct Southern Appalachian genetic strain of brook trout. If so, restoration efforts will be even more intensive.
Efforts are underway to study and convert a number of lost streams back to brook trout waters.
So far, Park biologists know that 40 miles of the 120 miles of pure brook trout streams are protected by functional barriers. Other waterfalls are being studied to determine how high a falls must be to prevent rainbows and browns from migrating upstream over them. The Park has been pursuing a brook trout restoration program for several years. The objective of the brook trout program is to expand the range of the native brook trout to produce a self-sustaining natural population which will eventually support angling pressure. People and organizations, including the American Fisheries Society, Trout Unlimited, Land Between the Lakes, and Great Smoky Moun-tains Natural History Association have joined the National Park Service to raise money for the restoration effort.