Salmon stocking could be cut in Lake Michigan

[adrenalin]

I didn't read all the responses so maybe I missed something. Why cut the stocking the same lake wide to deal with the natural reproduction in Michigan?? We don't have natural reproduction in Wisconsin so cut the stocking in Michigan and stock fish in Wisconsin to return to our rivers. 4 year old kings don't swim over to wisconsin to spawn if they hatched in Michigan rivers so one side of the lake has all the kings. Doesn't make sense to me.

[danthebuilder]

I didn't read all the responses so maybe I missed something. Why cut the stocking the same lake wide to deal with the natural reproduction in Michigan?? We don't have natural reproduction in Wisconsin so cut the stocking in Michigan and stock fish in Wisconsin to return to our rivers. 4 year old kings don't swim over to wisconsin to spawn if they hatched in Michigan rivers so one side of the lake has all the kings. Doesn't make sense to me.

They're also claiming that the bigger fish everyone is seeing now eat twice as much. So when they cut the stocking it didn't help as much as they needed & they need to cut more.

[fishsniffer]

didnt we have alewives wash on the beach for the first time in years up north?

[EdB]

Go to the link I posted in post #15 and watch the 2 video's on that webpage. It is very informative on what is going on in Lk Mich with the forage and salmon. Well worth the time to learn about the science behind this. I'd rather take a cut in plants and have a fishery than to see Lk Mich end up like Lake Huron. I plan to watch the webcast of the meeting this Saturday too. You need to register for that on the same link in post #15.

[Nailer]

Michigan Sea Grant is coordinating the meeting and information exchange. All state agenciesa and CORA (representing tribes) are on board with some sort of stocking reductions.

If you can not make the meeting, there will be a web cast. If you can not get on the web cast, there is plenty of info on the Sea Grant page and there will be a survey monkey available by Saturday to start making comments too.

Thanks EdB for inviting me to this forum. I will try my best to keep tabs on it to answer your questions.

Jay Wesley

MDNR Fisheries

Plainwell, Michigan.

Welcome Jay.

[WALRANGER5]

This will be my last post on this topic. This is considered a helpful and informative forum, not an argue and bash forum. I do not, however, believe people should be given incorrect information.

I would like to point out alewife ARE NOT predatory fish. They are distinctly classified as a "baitfish." Classifying them as a predatory fish would be like classifying grass as a predator because it absorbs nutrients from the ground. Yes alewife do feed on larva. But their MAIN forage is that of plankton.

Secondly, white perch are a feeder fish for walleye and lake trout. Hence the take off of the two species. White perch have also been prevalent since the 1960's during the peak of the alewife boom.

Thirdly, Asian carp have no natural predators in north america. Period. Trying to eradicate them by introducing another species is just not an option. Our native fish WILL NOT handle the issue. These fish reproduce much too fast, and grow MUCH too fast. They will achieve adult hood much too fast for any of our species of fish in the Great Lakes to feed on them. Big heads alone can grow up to 12 pounds per year!!!!

Again, our native species have NO CHANCE at controlling asian carp.

Currently there is only one proposed solution to eradicating the species if they do establish in our lakes, and this is trying to impede access to their spawning grounds. All species of asian carp are very particular about their spawning rituals. But if they become establish, that could turn into an extremely long cycle.

As far as turning towards browns and steelhead as a sustainable sport fishery, that is NOT an option without alewives. This is clearly pointed out with the crash of Lake Huron. Both species depend heavily on the alewife population in lake michigan(as they did in lake huron). Currently there has been a slight uptick in the numbers of both species in lake huron, but this is largly due to the large increase in the smelt population, which MAY be able to sustain a decent population of both species. That is yet to be seen.

I will again state that i believe that the alewife issue, and the invasion of asian carp are separate issues. Right now trying to sustain our alewife population is number one in keeping a strong salmon fishery. This of course is short term in the big picture.

For the longevity of our fishery, and ALL fisheries asian carp HAVE to be stopped from establishing within the great lakes.

Again i strongly support the cuts of salmon plants in upcoming years. In 2006 we received cuts in lake michigan. This may have been absolutely perfect timing. 2008 was an extremely bad year for adult kings, but numbers and size have since rebounded. Most around the lake, i believe, will agree.

I truly wish this type of effort, research, and thought was put into Lake Huron before the crash!

With respect, The feds admit we have native predators for Asian Carp,

and restoring native fish does not interfere with any other asian carp plans. Steelhead and Browns are not native but NOT dependant on alewives, proven in Lake Erie. One fed says the carp can be controlled, but the predators have to be abundant (sufficient) to do the job. (Predator-prey balance-ratio) same same different fish. Predator type only has to be one that eats them, numbers is the key, proven in common carp studies, "stocking of predators essential after removal of adult carp, for predation on young carp" being proven in Illinois as we speak, they harvest adults the ones they miss just reload, sans predators, you just reduced the competition, or predators if killed poison.