Watch Bridge Lunch Break discussion on Michigan’s whitefish crisis
- Whitefish are disappearing in lakes Michigan and Huron largely because of an infestation of invasive quagga mussels
- Bridge Michigan senior environment reporter Kelly House led a virtual panel discussion about the crisis
- You can watch a recap of that discussion below
Michiganders concerned about the collapsing whitefish population in the lower Great Lakes should contact their state and federal lawmakers to ask that more money be spent on combatting the invasive species killing the fish.
That was one of the messages of the latest Bridge Michigan Lunch Break, an hourlong virtual panel discussion about disappearing whitefish in lakes Huron and Michigan.
Whitefish have been an important part of Michigan’s culture for millennia and an important part of its economy for generations, but the invasive quagga mussel threatens the fish’s survival. The mussels gobble up nutrients in the water that are part of the fish’s food chain and leave the water crystal clear, allowing sunlight to burn young whitefish to death.
Bridge Michigan senior environment reporter Kelly House led a panel discussion about the crisis via Zoom with Ellen Marsden, professor emerita at the University of Vermont, Douglas W. Craven, Natural Resources Department director with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and Amanda Holmes, executive director of the Fishtown Preservation Society.
If you missed the discussion, you can watch it here:
Bridge’s Lunch Break monthly series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous discussions have included examinations of the media landscape in Michigan, Michigan tourism, aging in Michigan, the impact of Trump policies in Michigan, education challenges and opportunities, solutions to gun violence, the long-term impact of pollution from the automotive industry and ideas for growing the state’s population.
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