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Angler help needed for trout & salmon study
Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials today reminded anglers that their participation is needed again this year in lakes Huron and Michigan with an ongoing trout and salmon study.
DNR fisheries workers annually distribute nearly one million chinook salmon in the Great Lakes. These fish are marked with a coded-wire tag and clipped adipose fin. The tags are implanted into the snout of the fish and are not visible to the angler.
Trout or salmon with only an adipose fin missing may contain such a tag. Anglers who catch these fish are asked to record the following information: angler’s name and address, species of fish, length, weight and sex of the fish, along with the date of capture and capture location.
Anglers are asked to freeze only the head and take it with the requested information to the nearest MDNR Fisheries Division office or participating drop-site location. A list of drop-sites and the tag recovery form are available on the MDNR website, www.michigan.gov/dnr.
“This research is a vital part of our effort to maintain healthy, plentiful populations of trout and salmon for Great Lakes anglers to enjoy,” said DNR Fisheries Chief Kelley Smith. “This information has been used in selecting stocking locations and evaluating the performance of different strains of trout and salmon. Providing this information will help determine the course of Michigan's fishing future.”
Participating anglers will receive a letter describing the stocking history of the fish they caught and possibly a reward lure.
Between 5,000 and 7,000 salmon and trout with CWTs are processed annually. Rainbow trout, Lake trout, and Chinook salmon accounted for the majority of fish collected for CWT processing in 2002.
For more information regarding Great Lakes fisheries research and coded-wire tagged trout and salmon, contact the MDNR Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station at (231)-547-2914.
Source: MDNR |