DNR Enhances Great Lakes Fish Population Through Stocking Efforts

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continues to help enhance fish populations in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior through its 2023 stocking efforts.

“The fisheries of the Great Lakes provide world-class fishing opportunities for our stakeholders,” said Brad Eggold, DNR Great Lakes District Fisheries Supervisor. “We continue to assess the fish populations of the Great Lakes and stock appropriate numbers and species of fish to build on the success that started over five decades ago.”

Stocking efforts will continue throughout the year, including stocking 50,000 brook trout, 44,468 brown trout and 258,228 coho salmon into the Great Lakes, to ensure the 2023 stocking quotas are fulfilled.

Since the start of 2023, DNR fisheries staff have stocked the following fish into the Great Lakes:

 LAKE MICHIGAN

• 405,532 brown trout
• 1,386,492 Chinook salmon
• 241,772 coho salmon
• 7,681 muskellunge
• 522,852 rainbow trout

LAKE SUPERIOR

• 174,906 brown trout
• 58,300 lake trout
• 40,816 splake
• 100,000 walleye
   

During this year’s data entry, DNR staff discovered that approximately 4,200 additional steelhead yearlings stocked into Lake Michigan in 2022 had not been recorded in the database. The database has since been updated to reflect this addition to the fishery.

Read more fast facts about our Great Lakes stocking efforts on this DNR publication.

You can find previous years’ fish stocking information for Lake Michigan and Lake Superior on the DNR fisheries webpage.