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DNR Investigating Citizen Reports of Dead Fish in Lake St. Clair/>The Michigan DNR is investigating several fish mortalities particularly of gizzard shad that have been reported by citizens around Lake St. Clair.
A number of samples have been collected to determine the cause. Some of the fish may have been affected by viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSv), a very contagious pathogen, but the DNR is still waiting on confirmation.
"Thanks to the publics vigilance we are able to get timely samples from these fish mortalities, and it is very likely VHSv is involved," said Gary Whelan, research program manager for the DNRs Fisheries Division. "VHSv has been detected in these waters since at least 2003, and when conditions are right the pathogen will cause disease events like this one."
Many of the collected fish showed the classic external signs of VHSv: bloody patches on the skin. VHSv first caused fish mortalities in the St. Clair-Detroit River corridor in 2006 and occasionally has been detected in these waters since that time.
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DNR Will Move Muskie This Spring to Build Inland Sources
The Michigan DNR continues to make advancements in the state's Great Lakes muskellunge program, and activities this spring will add to those efforts.
Since 2011, the DNR's Fisheries Division has collected spawning Great Lakes strain muskellunge in the Detroit River. The collected eggs are reared at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan and stocked throughout the state in fall. Although the Detroit River is a natural source of this native strain, it presents several challenges.
Water temperatures on the Detroit River typically do not reach optimal levels for spawning until late May or early June, much later than smaller inland waterbodies. This results in a short rearing period and fish not reaching maximum size for stocking each fall. Additionally, the Detroit Rivers expansiveness makes it extremely difficult to efficiently find spawning fish.
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Michigan Seeks Comments on Inland Trout Management PlanThe Michigan DNR has released its draft inland trout management plan and is seeking public comment on it.
The plan, available online at michigan.gov/fishing under Angler Alerts, focuses on the ecology and management of populations of inland trout in rivers and inland lakes of Michigan.
The intent of the inland trout management plan is to provide an overview of inland trout habitats in Michigan, the biology and ecology of inland trout populations, and management activities directed toward inland trout and their habitats. This information provides a basis for understanding the role of inland trout in current and future management of fisheries in Michigan's inland lakes and streams.
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The Michigan DNR has approved bear hunting regulations for the 2017-2018 hunting seasons.
In order to reduce regulation confusion and to stabilize hunting quotas, bear hunting regulations currently are reviewed every two years instead of annually, which had been the previous practice. Michigan bear hunters will see the following changes beginning in the 2017 bear hunting season:
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The Michigan DNR has announced the 2016 results from its Master Angler program that recognizes large fish caught by recreational anglers.
This past year, 1,807 anglers representing 24 states and the countries of Canada and Austria submitted catches that were recognized as Master Angler fish. That's an increase from the 1,542 fish recognized in 2015 and nearly double the 987 fish recognized in 2014. Of the entries accepted, 1,078 were in the catch-and-keep category while 729 were in the catch-and-release category. A total of 241 anglers received certificates for fish placing in the top five for both categories.