The Future of Salmon and Trout Stocking in Lake Michigan
photo courtesy of Sean Landsman
Five species of salmon and trout support a world-class recreational fishery in Lake Michigan. Stocking has played an important role in maintaining the balance between predators and forage fish, such as the non-native alewife, since the late 1960s. If too many salmon and trout are in the lake, forage fish decline and salmon starve or fall prey to disease. If too few salmon and trout are in the lake, the non-native alewife could foul beaches and affect native species populations.
Ongoing research is being used to investigate the possibility that changes to stocking policy could improve fisheries and limit the risk of predator-prey imbalance. Fisheries managers in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana will set a stocking policy for Lake Michigan salmon and trout by fall of 2012.
At a meeting on March 19th, The Lake Michigan Committee agreed to move the four options listed below forward for public comment (all options are fully explained in the report).
- Reduce Chinook salmon stocking lake-wide by 50% and evaluate after five years.
This option follows our existing policy to make a change, evaluate the results over five years, and come back to the public for future changes. - Reduce Chinook salmon stocking lake-wide by 50% and make additional reductions to stocking if weight of age-3 Chinook salmon is below 7 kg (15.4 lbs) or increase stocking if weight of age-3 Chinook salmon is above 8 kg
(17.6 lbs).
This option uses Chinook salmon weight as an indicator of forage abundance and fish health to determine when stocking changes are necessary. Agencies would make changes more often than every five years (i.e., changes could occur after 2, 3 or 4 years). - Reduce Chinook salmon stocking lake-wide by 30% and a mix of coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout by 10% and make additional reductions to stocking if weight of age-3 Chinook salmon is below 7 kg (15.4 lbs) or increase stocking if weight of age-3 Chinook salmon is above 8 kg (17.6 lbs).
This option uses Chinook salmon weight as an indicator of forage abundance and fish health to determine when stocking changes are necessary. Agencies would make changes more often than every five years (i.e., changes could occur after 2, 3 or 4 years). Additionally, reducing the stocking of other species reduces predation and maintains higher Chinook abundance while protecting lake trout for rehabilitation purposes. - Reduce Chinook salmon stocking lake-wide by 30% and a mix of other salmon and trout species (coho salmon, steelhead, brown trout, and lake trout) by 10% and make additional reductions to stocking if weight of age-3 Chinook salmon is below 7 kg (15.4 lbs) or increase stocking if weight of age-3 Chinook salmon is above 8 kg (17.6 lbs).
This option uses Chinook salmon weight as an indicator of forage abundance and fish health to determine when stocking changes are necessary. Agencies would make changes more often than every five years (i.e., changes could occur after 2, 3 or 4 years). Reducing the stocking of other species reduces predation and maintains higher Chinook abundance.
For a full explanation behind these options, as well as an overview of the history of Lake Michigan stocking programs,
read the report here.
To share your opinion with fisheries managers,
take the survey here.
Note: Comments are being taken until May 15, 2012
