Alewife collapse in Lake Huron and results.

[hear fishy fishy]

I read this article by captian Dan and can say I lived throught this when I fished Lake Huron before moving to the west side. I have seen simalar patterns happening in Lake Mi. I hope the DNR cuts on salmon are in time but it really worries me most alewife in the lake are only two years old and not mature with a over population of salmon.

http://www.saginawbay.com/appiesboard/viewtopic.php?t=10693

[Priority1]

The Salmon were planted to control the alewives and have done their job. Now we are all faced with a balancing act to keep the salmon that we love to catch and their primary food source. The DNR has taken some steps in this balancing act and we will see how it plays out.

As far as Lake Huron goes when one door closed another one opened. Never stare too long at the closed door or ya miss the one that just opened. Their is still a lot of silver caught on Huron and the mixed bags are fantastic.

[hear fishie fishie]

Your spot on Frank. Northern Lake Huron has been very good for Browns Atlantics Coho Lakers Kings and Eyes for the last few years.

Haven't seen any emancipated fish for a couple of years now. Also mark

very large numbers of bait balls--gobies and smelt. Landed some nice Lakers

last year with live gobies coming out of their mouths in the splash pan!:grin:

[SteelEyes]

Hopefully the Mi DNR will have success with their proposed plan to stock Atlantics (as far south as Oscada if I remember correctly). I'd make an annual trip up for a mixed bag fishery that featured atlantics.

[Paulywood]

Yeah, we sometimes forget that salmon were planted to get rid of the alewives, which are now gone out of Lake Huron. More browns, steelies and Atlantics to go with the walleye and lakers would be a good fishery for sure. I found it interesting that the usage of launch areas on the Bay is impacted so much by the perch population. Hopefully the cisco rebound to help out the perch.

[Turfwrench]

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2011/04/the_salmon_experiment_the_inve.html

This is an interesting read about the inception of salmon plantings. Information provided by Howard Tanner who at the time was the newly appointed fisheries chief. He stated that their intent was to create the worlds greatest freshwater fishery with the alewife being the foundation for the food supply to the salmon. He also stated it was a misconception that they were stocked to control the alewife.

Obviously the idea worked and the salmon fishery exploded into a huge success. Unfortunately now with the lowered supply of alewife the salmon fishery has has declined, especially for those of us on the Huron side. Now they reduced stocking on Lk Michigan which hopefully will halt a collapse like what happened on Huron. It is a shame that it took the collapse of Huron to open their eyes on the control of stockings to keep the fishery at a level that brings and keeps people fishing the Great Lakes.

[Twill23]

23,000 steelhead planted today in Alpena 7-10inches. 20,000 atlantics to go in tomorrow. Oscoda soon to follow.

[DonMcJr]

They Planted 100,000 Atlantics in Lexington, MI on April 3, 2013.

18 month old fish 6 inches long.

http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20130403/NEWS01/304030021/Michigan-Department-Natural-Resources-stocks-Atlantic-salmon-Lexington

[FishDoctorCT]

I have fished lake huron since the crash and feel the lake is better off without alewife, kings included. The lake's prey fish biomass is also currently estimated at 97 kilotonnes. The MDNR's goal for lakewide biomass stability is 100 kilotonnes. Food for thought...

link for those that question it.

http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/_files/reports/2012LakeHuronDemersal.pdf

[danthebuilder]

I have fished lake huron since the crash and feel the lake is better off without alewife, kings included. The lake's prey fish biomass is also currently estimated at 97 kilotonnes. The MDNR's goal for lakewide biomass stability is 100 kilotonnes. Food for thought...

link for those that question it.

http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/_files/reports/2012LakeHuronDemersal.pdf

Welcome to GLF!

[Turfwrench]

33,000 steelhead were planted Friday in Pt. Sanilac. Along with the Atlantic Salmon that were planted previously this spring the DNR is putting fish in the lake and hopefully they will survive to give anglers a rip on the line.

For those of us in the southern end of Lk Huron we are again experiencing some fairly good salmon fishing this spring with fish being caught in the 19+ range. That's not too shabby for a fishery everyone says is dead. Results of the Spring Fling and Salmon Stakes out of Pt Huron and the CanIIcan out of Harbor Beach showed some great boxes of fish again this year.

Maybe the lake has stabilized and we will have more consistent catches of all species out there instead of just lake trout like so many believe are the only fish available.

[Priority1]

I have fished lake huron since the crash and feel the lake is better off without alewife, kings included. The lake's prey fish biomass is also currently estimated at 97 kilotonnes. The MDNR's goal for lakewide biomass stability is 100 kilotonnes. Food for thought...

link for those that question it.

http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/_files/reports/2012LakeHuronDemersal.pdf

Mark, A warm to the site.

[FishDoctorCT]

Thanks Frank! Looking forward to this year's open water fishery over there!