Anglers can look forward to great fall fishing, due to successful spring and summer fish stocking by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The DNR stocked a total of 9,118,112 fish that weighed nearly 321 tons and consisted of 10 different species and one hybrid.
Fish stocking is an important activity to provide both Michigan residents and visitors with quality fishing opportunities. These efforts also bring an estimated $4.2 billion into the state’s economy and help support a Great Lakes fishery valued at more than $7 billion.
To complete the task of stocking, 17 specialized trucks started in early spring and took 451 trips – traveling more than 100,000 miles and 2,829 hours – to 691 stocking sites. Releasing fish early in spring can reduce their loss to major bird predators, like cormorants, whose peak migration times come later in the season.
“We had another excellent spring and summer stocking season that will bring ecological benefits and fishing opportunities to Michigan anglers,” said Aaron Switzer, DNR fish production manager. “Thanks to 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 met the targets for most areas.”
The number and type of fish produced vary by hatchery, as the source and temperature of the water determine which fish can be raised in that location. Fish are reared in Michigan’s state fish hatcheries anywhere from one month to 1 1/2 years before they are stocked.
In Michigan there are six state and two cooperative hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strain and size of fish needed for fisheries managers. These fish must then be delivered and stocked at a specific time and location to ensure their success.
Each hatchery stocked the following fish this spring:
- Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 323,710 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 90 inland and Great Lakes sites.
- Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) stocked 1,171,696 fish that included yearling steelhead and spring fingerling Chinook salmon. These fish weighed 102,442 pounds in total. This hatchery stocked 64 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).
- Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 762,074 yearling brown trout and rainbow trout that in total weighed 112,704 pounds. Oden also stocked 3,689 adult brown and rainbow trout that in total weighed 8,148 pounds. This hatchery stocked 159 inland and Great Lakes sites.
- Harrietta State Fish Hatchery (in Harrietta) stocked 684,487 yearling brown trout and rainbow trout that in total weighed 84,812 pounds. This hatchery stocked 200 sites (the majority located inland).
- Platte River State Fish Hatchery (near Honor) stocked 2,272,494 fish that included yearling Atlantic salmon, yearling coho salmon and spring fingerling Chinook salmon that in total weighed 161,396 pounds. Platte River also stocked 31,514 Skamania steelhead obtained from the Indiana DNR that in total weighed 4,314 pounds. This hatchery stocked 23 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).
- Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (near Kalamazoo) stocked 1,485,711 fish that included yearling steelhead, yearling muskellunge and spring fingerling Chinook salmon that in total weighed 123,381 pounds. Wolf Lake also stocked 22,067 channel catfish obtained from the Ohio DNR, that in total weighed 670 pounds. This hatchery stocked 51 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).
- A cooperative teaching hatchery at Lake Superior State University (in Sault Ste. Marie) stocked 19,285 Atlantic salmon weighing 1,849 pounds into the St. Marys River.
Included in this year’s total fish stocked were 2.4 million walleye spring fingerlings. These fish, reared in ponds by the DNR with extensive support provided by local sporting organizations, were stocked at 61 inland lakes and rivers and Lake Michigan.
Some hatcheries will also provide fish for a few additional stockings (consisting of brook trout, Atlantic salmon, walleye, lake sturgeon and muskellunge) to be made this fall. The lake sturgeon will come from the cooperative hatchery in Tower, Michigan, that is operated with Michigan State University.
The public is welcome at any of Michigan’s state fish hatcheries to see the fish rearing process firsthand. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/Hatcheries.
To find out where many of these fish were stocked, check out the DNR’s Fish Stocking Database at michigandnr.com/fishstock.
