Every fall, tens of thousands of Michigan’s Coho & Chinook salmon sense the changing of the season and return to the rivers & streams of their birth to spawn (lay eggs) before they die. The latest State of Michigan Fishing Report shares that time has arrived, and salmon are beginning to move into Northern Michigan harbors & streams preparatory to the annual fall salmon run. You can read more about this process and how you can observe (or fish for!) these salmon from MSU’s guide to the Michigan Salmon Run & for sure watch this video from Michigan Sea Grant!
One of my favorite new photographers to the Michigan in Pictures Group on Facebook is Scott Short aka Papi’s Pictures. Scott is based in Beulah in northwest Michigan, and he regularly shares dynamite photos from places that are near & dear to my heart like Frankfort, Benzie County & the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Follow Papi’s Pictures on Facebook for lots more!
Using decades of capture-and-recapture records from five Great Lakes populations, researchers found that in some populations many lake sturgeon may routinely live well beyond 200 years, with some approaching 300 years.
“Scientists have long recognized that lake sturgeon are among North America’s longest-lived freshwater fish,” said Scott Colborne, assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. “But the new study suggests they may live far longer than previously appreciated. These fish are a living connection to history”.
…One conversation during the project particularly resonated with Colborne. While discussing the research with a tribal community member, he learned that some Indigenous communities had long believed lake sturgeon could live as long as 400 years. “That was one of those goosebump moments,” Colborne said. “Here we were using modern analytical approaches, and they were pointing us toward something that Indigenous communities had long understood — that these fish live incredibly long lives.“
“Since first arriving in the Great Lakes in the 1980s, invasive mussels have spread to all five lakes, and altered the ecosystem in profound ways. Today we understand that zebra and quagga mussels are an existential threat to the Great Lakes and without a coordinated response, they will continue to inflict harm on the environment, infrastructure, and critical species such as lake whitefish. Just as invasive sea lamprey require a coordinated, binational response for effective control, we must partner with national, state, provincial, Indigenous, regional, and local partners to find a solution to the mussel invasion. This bill makes that happen.” –Great Lakes Fishery Commission Chair Ethan Baker
US Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, want to increase funding for mussel control research more than fiftyfold to $500 million over the next 10 years. (EDITOR: They released it on Tuesday)
Otherwise, the “fish that we take for granted are going to just disappear,” Dingell told Bridge Michigan.
…The damage wrought by invasive mussels is among the biggest threats to the Great Lakes in history. Yet Bridge found that while the US government has spent mightily to combat other threats, the fight against mussels has received a comparative pittance.
The main funding program for Great Lakes science has devoted an average of less than $1 million annually to the cause since 2010, according to spending records analyzed by Bridge. The federal government spends about 20 times that amount to keep sea lamprey out of the Great Lakes and has promised 90 times as much to build a barrier against invasive carp.
Read on for much more & kudos to these two Representatives for working together to protect the livelihoods and meals of Michiganders!
The photos are from Michigan Sea Grant and the one of the boat moored was taken by Brandon Schroeder. Sea Grant is an excellent organization that works hard for Michigan waters and the Great Lakes as a whole!
“Ross Lang was known by many as a fisherman’s fisherman, respected by everyone who knew him for his efficiency, determination, and ingenuity. The shock experienced by all when he died in a fishing accident on a beautiful calm April day in 1998 is still felt today.” –Fishtown Preservation
Once upon a time, Joy Lang Anderson & her husband Ross were my across the street neighbors in the village of Leland. Back in 2017, I sat down with her in Leland’s Fishtown to talk about how she & Ross (both UP natives) ended up integral parts of the village of Leland and its fishing history. I hope you enjoy it!
The photos of the Joy were taken by Mark Smith (I took the pic of Ross’s marker). See more in Mark’s Leland album on Flickr and for sure view & purchase Mark’s work at Leelanau Landscapes.
Even though I’ve been on the internet for almost 3 decades, the odd synchronicities the combination of cookies, targeted ads, perceived interested, and dumb luck create never fail to delight me. The latest is this video about the process of preparing & smoking fish by an old family friend that came to me the day after I featured a photo from another business that sells smoked fish! (and I even have a THIRD for Monday)
I really encourage you to watch this video from John Mitchell’s Follow the Fishing channel on YouTube exploring the entire lake-to-table process of taking fish from Lake Michigan in Peshawbestown to Carlson’s Fishery in Leland and all the way to a plate at the Cove!
MSU shares that Michigan has over 1500 commercial farms growing peppers, which are packed with Vitamins A & C! Head over to MSU Extension for tips on storing & cooking peppers and down to your local farm market to buy them!
There is no set start date, but you can usually start to see fish in the river in early September, and expect the run to be pretty much done by the end of October. A lot of this depends on the weather. A lack of rain and/or warm weather can make the run start later, and extra rain with cooler temperatures can cause the run to start a little earlier. I guess it all depends on when the fall rains and cooler temperatures hit the area. If you go to the rivers during September and October you are going to eventually find fish, it’s just a matter of timing it to catch the big run.
It’s pretty cool to watch too! The Betsie River salmon fishing group on Facebook confirms that the 2024 salmon run is well underway!
Sue caught this great pic of a salmon following its instincts as it attempts to surmount Homestead Dam in Benzie County, relying on its “inner knowing” and putting all focus and energy to making its way upstream! For sure follow her at SueFi Photography on Facebook for more!!
Made of quarter-inch-thick plate steel with an iridescent sheen, this whopper weighs nearly four tons and gave credibility to Onaway’s claim to be the Sturgeon Capital of Michigan. It was sculpted by Tom Moran of Moran Iron Works, with help from the students of Onaway’s Industrial Arts Institute. It debuted in Onaway’s July 4th parade in 2017. Tom then bought an abandoned downtown gas station, bulldozed the buildings, and set the fish in the vacant lot.
Onaway is known for its annual mid-winter sturgeon hunt, where the big fish are speared through the ice on Black Lake. Tom did not make a monster-size spear to accompany his giant sturgeon, but told us that he’s always open to new ideas for future projects.
Rick shared this pic in our Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook. Head over to the group to see more of his photos!
On Saturday the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians held their first annual Sturgeon Release Ceremony to return Nmé (Lake Sturgeon) into the Boardman-Ottaway River. The event included a ceremony, prayers, food, drinks, and a community release of hundreds of juvenile Nmé. The photo shows Percy Bird releasing a young sturgeon into the Boardman-Ottaway.
Michigan Sea Grant shares that lake sturgeon live longer than any other fish species in Michigan with males living an average of 55 years and females 80-150 years. Despite their long lives, sturgeon are very slow to mature. It takes about 15 years for male lake sturgeon to reach reproductive maturity and 20-25 years for females. In early spring, adult sturgeon enter fast-flowing rivers to spawn. Female lake sturgeon spawn once every four years, each depositing million of eggs on gravel bars. It is estimated that only about 10-20 percent of adult lake sturgeon within a population spawn during a given year.
Thank you to the GTB Natural Resources Department & Grand Traverse Band members and all who were part of restoring balance to Michigan’s waters. Also thank you to my friend Holly T. Bird who shared this photo with me. She doesn’t have a photography website, but she is the co-executive director of the amazing organization Title Track that uses creative practice to build resilient social-ecological systems supporting clean water, racial equity, and youth empowerment.
This year we recorded our 20 MILLIONTH walleye stocked since our walleye hatchery program began in 1995! Last month we are very proud to have released more than 1 million walleye fingerlings into Northern Michigan waters. These fish contribute to a sustainable fishery while eventually providing meals for families and recreation for fishers.
Every year, our work contributes about 1/3 of all walleye fingerlings released into 1836 Ceded Territory waters!
