Fishing_Content Page_Chinook Salmon Stocking on Lake Michigan

Chinook Salmon Stocking on Lake Michigan

Wisconsin and states surrounding Lake Michigan have agreed to adjust Chinook salmon stocking starting in 2013 to keep the great fishing going. Lakewide, about half as many chinook will be stocked because more wild chinook are reproducing and fewer prey fish for them to eat.

Adjusting the stocking is expected to restore the balance between game and prey fish and is not expected to affect anglers’ open water fishing. Anglers may see some changes in fall tributary fishing for Chinook salmon.

DNR seeks input on how to distribute stocked Chinook salmon
DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp has invited anglers and others to a Dec. 1 Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum meeting at the Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland to learn how DNR has distributed chinook in the past and to provide ideas for distributing the fish in 2013.

If you can not attend this meeting, public comments will be accepted until December 17, 2012, via email, phone or letter.

Brad Eggold
Wisconsin DNR
600 E. Greenfield Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53204
bradley.eggold@wisconsin.gov
414-382-7921

How Wisconsin has distributed stocked fish
DNR since 1986 has used a formula for distributing stocked fish among Wisconsin's Lake Michigan ports. When the four states have agreed to adjust stocking levels, as they did in 1992, 1998, and most recently in 2006, DNR used across the board cuts. That has worked extremely well in the past to maintain a good fishery in each area and at the same time producing healthy salmon of a good size range.

Information states and stakeholders used to make lakewide stocking adjustment
DNR and counterpart fisheries officials from Michigan, Illinois and Indiana convened a series of stakeholder groups over the last two years to look at the latest scientific information on Lake Michigan game fish and prey fish populations, and to develop alternative stocking strategies. Wisconsin DNR also held two rounds of public meetings on the stocking alternatives in 2012. Detailed materials presented at the multi-state and DNR workshops are presented below with the most recent materials and sessions first.

Workshop 6 - August 7 and August 9, Wisconsin

Workshop 5 - May 1 and May 8, Wisconsin

April 14, 2012 Lake Michigan Stocking Strategies Public Workshop

Workshop 3

Workshop 2

Workshop 1