NEWS

Stocking of trout, salmon a concern

Mike Vandersteen
For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

A healthy Lake Michigan salmon and trout fishery is the goal, but the path to achieve it is receiving serious debate.

This is a local and a regional issue. Citizens have the opportunity to let the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources know how they feel on proposed cutbacks in the stocking of trout and salmon in Lake Michigan.

The multi-state Lake Michigan Committee recently recommended a 62 percent reduction in Chinook salmon stocking on Lake Michigan. The Lake Michigan Committee includes representatives of the Wisconsin DNR, the other state management agencies that border Lake Michigan and tribal representatives from Michigan. This recommendation comes on the heels of a previous three-year agreement to cut back 30 percent on the stocking of Chinook salmon in Lake Michigan.

The Lake Michigan Committee contends the trout and salmon vs. the population of alewife are out of balance. Their study shows currently there is a historic low in the alewife population. Anglers, however, are reported to be experiencing the best salmon fishing and seeing more bait fish than they have in years. Large numbers of alewife are being reported along the Wisconsin shore this spring and summer.

The vast majority of the charter captains and sport anglers attending the meeting at LTC Monday were opposed to the plan and favored no further cuts in the current fish stocking program. There is still one year left on the 30 percent Chinook salmon cut agreed to in 2013. That agreement should be honored before any further changes to the stocking program.

“The phenomenal fishing that anglers are encountering this season is due to last year’s mild winter, which gave us warmer water temperatures, good bait-fish survival and active Lake Michigan trout and salmon,” said Dan Welsch, of Dumper Dan’s Charter Fishing Fleet. “This season anglers are catching large numbers of big healthy trout and salmon which are full of bait fish.”

The Lake Michigan Committee is attempting to avoid a collapse of the Chinook fishery similar to what occurred in Lake Huron in the 2000s. The biggest change to Lake Michigan occurred in recent decades with the invasion of mussels, which have colonized much of the lake bed and constantly filter the water which removes the food on which the alewife feed. With less food available, it’s more difficult for young fish like alewife and smelt to survive.

The City Of Sheboygan has a robust sport fishing fleet that is an important part of its summer tourism attraction. The current 30 percent reduction in the stocking of salmon over three years has been absorbed without affecting our destination tourism draw. The proposed additional reduction could decrease the draw of the sport fishing in the Sheboygan area.

Over time the sport fishing could recede and we would see a reduction in local visitor spending and visitor overnight stays in Sheboygan. Pride Hospitality Hotels in Sheboygan predicted it would lose 50 percent in lodging revenue during the fishing season if the cuts in salmon and trout stocking were approved.

I hope you’ll agree that we’d rather see the same number fish stocked in Lake Michigan rather than less. I would like to see anglers land trophy salmon that, when caught, will make a great fish story for a visitor to Sheboygan. That fish story will be told and retold, bringing more visitors to our city and state.

Your comments on the draft plan may be sent to Todd.Kalish@wisconsin.gov. A final decision is planned to be announced by Oct. 1.

Mike Vandersteen is the mayor of Sheboygan.