Chinook roam the Great Lakes

[News]

Chinook salmon, which have been stocked in the Great Lakes since the 1960s, roam far and wide within the Great Lakes.

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[Bakers Dozen]

I figured as much........good article, thanks for sharing

[KJ pluggin]

I have thought about this in the past and wondered if the Salmon from MI head back across the lake in August when it seem like the fishing slows down and the average size decreases.... at least the last few years for us.

[Cork Dust]

The disappointing part of this informaiton is that it has been long known, but broadly unquantified and therefore not factored-into State-lwcwl fishery manager's efforts in maintaining the robustness of the Great Lakes' sport fishery. MDNR fish biologists had data in-hand since 2007-'08 indicating a 10-14% swim-over rate into Lake Michigan from Lake Huron planted salmon. These data were derived during an interval when somewhere around 80% of the Chinook stock were wild-origin fish in Lake Huron, yet these data were not extrapolated to this Chinook stock component. Again, this was during an interval when 95% of alewife forage stock was gone from Lake Huron waters.

Fish survive, grow and propagate by eating sufficient food volumes to ensure intake calory levels above body maintenance needs...someone should have connnected the dots a long time ago, particularly since they were being "encouraged" to think outside the accepted paradigms of their agency.