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MDNR Report
DNR Staff with muskellunge.
Great Lakes muskellunge eggs were collected last month from the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair by the Michigan DNR.
These fish will be reared at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan and Thompson State Fish Hatchery near Manistique and stocked in Michigan waters this fall.
In 2021, approximately 232,000 eggs were collected from the Detroit River. Those eggs produced nearly 30,000 fall fingerlings that were stocked in 19 inland lakes and rivers. No muskellunge are stocked in the Detroit River because the abundant Lake St. Clair-Detroit River muskellunge population is supported entirely by natural reproduction.
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MDNR Report
Michigan Fisheries Habitat Grant Projects
Twelve fish habitat conservation projects in streams and lakes across the state will share close to $1.8 million in Fisheries Habitat Grants administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The projects, supported by an additional $1.6 million in matching partner contributions, will rehabilitate and protect valuable fish habitat that provides the foundation for Michigan’s world-class fisheries. Four of the funded projects are identified by the DNR as priority habitat conservation projects.
The Fisheries Habitat Grant program provides funding for a variety of activities including fish habitat conservation, dam removal and repair, resource assessment studies and access to recreation opportunities like fishing. Funding from fishing license sales, state of Michigan general funds and a settlement with Consumers Energy is distributed through three grant areas: aquatic habitat conservation, dam management, and aquatic habitat and recreation in the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon river watersheds.
Joe Nohner, a resource analyst with the DNR Fisheries Division, said the funded projects will protect and rehabilitate fish habitat across the state, while in many cases also improving public safety through the removal of dams.
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MDNR Report
Fisheries biologist with trout
The Michigan DNR fisheries management units completed over 260 fisheries surveys across Michigan in 2021. Specifically, DNR fisheries staff surveyed 152 inland lakes and 115 streams.
Overall, the surveys revealed that most of our lakes and streams have healthy, self-sustaining populations of fish.
The surveys are useful for tracking inland fisheries populations, evaluating if stocking increases angler opportunities or addressing concerns from anglers throughout the year.
So, just what are crews looking for?
According to Jay Wesley, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Michigan basin coordinator, surveys fall into three categories:
- Evaluating management actions.
- Understanding status and trends.
- Finding answers to new questions or concerns.
“The management units stepped up last year and safely conducted these surveys to evaluate if management actions, like fish stocking or habitat improvement projects, had the desired effect,” Wesley said. “Surveys help us understand whether or not our management actions resulted in better recreational fishing in certain areas or improved a lake’s overall health.”
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MDNR Report
Michigan Fish Stocking
Have you seen fish stocking trucks out on the road this spring? We’re in the midst of our spring fish stocking season. This time of year, you’ll find Michigan Department of Natural Resources fish stocking trucks releasing their prized recreational cargo at hundreds of lakes and streams throughout the state.
Fish stocking is a valuable tool used by fisheries managers for different reasons, including:
- Restoring ecosystem balance.
- Providing diverse fishing opportunities.
- Rehabilitating low fish populations.
- Reintroducing extirpated (locally extinct) species.
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MDNR Report
Lanternfly
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is asking the public to be on the lookout for spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect with the potential to seriously affect Michigan’s agriculture and natural resources. This insect could damage or kill more than 70 varieties of crops and plants including grapes, apples, hops, and hardwood trees. To date, spotted lanternfly has not been detected in Michigan.
First detected in the United States in 2014 in southeastern Pennsylvania, spotted lanternfly has been spreading rapidly across the northeastern states. There have been confirmed infestations in Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Spotted lanternfly causes direct damage by sucking sap from host plants and secreting large amounts of a sugar-rich, sticky liquid called honeydew. This honeydew and the resulting black sooty mold can kill plants and foul surfaces. The honeydew often attracts other pests like yellow jackets, flies, and ants, affecting outdoor recreation and complicating crop harvests.