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.

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.

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.