MICHIGAN, USA — This spring and summer, nearly 270 tons of fish so far were stocked into bodies of water all across Michigan.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said this massive undertaking is shaping up for great fall fishing for anglers.
The species of fish stocked include yearling lake trout, yearling rainbow trout, yearling brown trout, brook trout and splake (a hybrid of lake trout and brook trout), yearling steelhead and spring fingerling Chinook salmon, Atlantic salmon, coho salmon and yearling muskellunge.
DNR workers spent 2,233 hours and drove more than 89,000 miles so far this year for stocking.
"We had excellent spring and summer stocking seasons that will bring significant benefits and fishing opportunities to Michigan anglers," said Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager. "With the hard work and dedication of our staff, healthy, high-quality fish were reared and delivered to stocking sites in excellent condition. The numbers produced and stocked were right on target for most areas."
Each hatchery stocked the following fish this spring and summer:
- Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 341,423 yearling lake trout, brook trout and splake (a hybrid of lake trout and brook trout) that in total weighed 41,771 pounds. This hatchery stocked 98 inland and Great Lakes sites.
- Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) stocked 997,431 fish that included yearling steelhead and spring fingerling Chinook salmon. These fish weighed 78,659 pounds in total. This hatchery stocked 54 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).
- Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 679,488 yearling brown trout and rainbow trout that weighed 96,372 pounds. This hatchery stocked 123 inland and Great Lakes sites.
- Harrietta State Fish Hatchery (in Harrietta) stocked 780,654 yearling brown trout, Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout that in total weighed 95,751 pounds. This hatchery stocked 228 sites (the majority located inland).
- Platte River State Fish Hatchery (near Honor) stocked 2,350,685 fish that included yearling Atlantic salmon and coho salmon and spring fingerling Chinook salmon that in total weighed 158,038 pounds. This hatchery stocked 48 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).
- Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (near Kalamazoo) stocked 1,469,465 fish that included yearling steelhead, yearling muskellunge and spring fingerling Chinook salmon that in total weighed 121,467 pounds. Wolf Lake also stocked 11,473 channel catfish obtained from the Ohio DNR (weighing 2,828 pounds), as well as 33,679 Skamania steelhead (weighing 3,511 pounds). This hatchery stocked 49 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).
- A cooperative teaching hatchery at Lake Superior State University (in Sault Saint Marie) stocked 28,646 Atlantic salmon weighing 2,510 pounds into the St. Marys River.
While 9 million fish may seem like a lot, Michigan DNR plans to do a few more stockings of brook trout, rainbow trout, coho salmon, walleye, lake sturgeon and muskellunge later this fall.
If you'd like to learn more about fishing opportunities, management and resources – including the DNR’s Fish Stocking Database, showing where many of these fish were stocked – visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.
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