IDNR Report

Anglers and other interested parties can participate in two DNR public meetings, Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, to discuss the interim Lake Michigan fish stocking plan and provide input on future stocking plans.

Announced in October 2019, changes to the current plan included stocking more yearling coho salmon, fewer fall fingerling coho salmon, reductions in Skamania steelhead stocked in the Little Calumet River, and increases in Chinook salmon stocked.

The first meeting will start at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, at Red Mill County Park, 0185 South Holmesville Road in LaPorte. The second meeting will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Indiana Harbor Yacht Club, 3301 Aldis Avenue in East Chicago.

“We will lay out the details of the 2020 interim stocking plan and talk about all the considerations and logistics that influence Indiana’s stocking decisions,” said Ben Dickinson, Lake Michigan fisheries biologist.

Jeremy Price, DNR northern fisheries supervisor and Indiana’s Lake Michigan Committee representative, says public input is a key step in the Lake Michigan management process.

“We crafted the interim plan using input from anglers received during the last round of stocking cuts and our best judgment for maximizing all aspects of the fishery,” Price said. “Now, we would like anglers to help refine it for 2021 and beyond.”

Learn about Lake Michigan fishing at wildlife.IN.gov/3625.htm.