Michigan: Over 21 Million Fish Stocked in 2019

Brown trout, coho salmon, steelhead, walleye and nine other species and one hybrid were among the 21,281,411 fish stocked in Michigan’s public waters so far this year. These fish weighed a combined total of 311 tons.

DNR staff made 449 stocking trips to 857 stocking sites, including Great Lakes, inland lakes and rivers. Eighteen specialized stocking trucks traveled 106,000 miles over the course of 2,693 hours to get the job done.

The number and type of fish stocked varies depending on stocking requests, hatchery rearing assignments, and the source and temperature of each facility’s rearing water. Michigan has six state fish hatcheries and two cooperative hatcheries that together produce the species, strain and size of fish requested by fisheries managers. These fish are delivered at a specific time and location to ensure their survival and success.

Each hatchery stocked the following fish (details on weight and sites are available on the DNR’s website):

• Harrietta State Fish Hatchery (west of Cadillac) stocked 916,630 brown and rainbow trout.
• Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 377,076 yearling lake trout, brook trout and splake (a hybrid of lake trout and brook trout).
• Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 647,699 brown and rainbow trout.
• Platte River State Fish Hatchery (near Honor) stocked 3,090,753 fish that included yearling Atlantic and coho salmon, spring fingerling chinook salmon and walleye fry.
• Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) stocked 6,944,722 fish that included yearling steelhead, spring fingerling chinook salmon and walleye fry.
• Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (near Kalamazoo) stocked 6,233,314 fish that included yearling steelhead, spring fingerling chinook salmon, Great Lakes strain muskellunge, walleye fry and channel catfish obtained from the Ohio DNR.

A cooperative teaching hatchery at Lake Superior State University (in Sault Ste. Marie) stocked 19,894 Atlantic salmon.

The total includes more than 3 million walleye spring fingerlings. These fish are reared in ponds by the DNR and tribal partners, with extensive support provided by local sporting organizations. Also included are 14,544 lake sturgeon fingerlings reared at stream-side hatcheries and released in various inland and Great Lake tributary streams.

Learn more at MichiganDNR.com/FishStock or by contacting Jan VanAmberg, 906-341-5587, ext. 202 or 906-249-1611, ext. 306 or Elyse Walter, 517-284-5839.