LAKE MICHIGAN FISHERIES

Today’s sport and commercial fisheries on Lake Michigan rely on two ongoing management activities, the control of sea lamprey and the stocking of salmon and trout. Together, these activities have transformed an ecosystem devastated by the proliferation of sea lamprey and alewives, and created remarkable sport and commercial fishing opportunities. Sea lamprey control is carried out on Lake Michigan by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission through its agent, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The stocking of 13,000,000 Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, rainbow trout, and brown trout annually is conducted by the Departments of Natural Resources of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. In addition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stocks over 2,000,000 lake trout annually in a restoration program designed by the four states together with the Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority. Most of the Department’s investment in Lake Michigan fisheries is directly related to the propagation and stocking of trout and salmon. These programs have stabilized the Lake Michigan fish community, and provided a context in which significant local initiatives are taking place related to yellow perch, lake sturgeon, Great Lakes spotted musky, smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike.

Despite these successes, the future of fishing on Lake Michigan is uncertain because the ecosystem is constantly changing. The steady flow of new exotic species, most of which are introduced through the discharge of ballast by ocean-going vessels, complicates our work and places all predictions in doubt.

LAKE MICHIGAN FISHERIES

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Lake Michigan Research Vessels

Lake Michigan Fisheries Staff

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