- Whitefish are disappearing in lakes Michigan and Huron as invasive mussels suck nutrients from the water
- Scientists are stocking whitefish in rivers in hopes they can learn to survive there
- Listen to an audio story on scientists working to stock the fish
For the past three winters, scientists have stocked whitefish eggs in the Jordan River in Antrim County.
The hope is that whitefish — which haven’t spawned in rivers in over a century — can hatch, drift downstream, then feed and grow in nutrient-rich river mouths as food dwindles in Lake Michigan.
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians recently received a federal grant to continue whitefish restoration work in the Bear River near Petoskey.
The process is labor-intensive: Eggs are stocked in incubators in February. Then, in early spring, a team of biologists and fisheries technicians returns to the river for nightly sampling.
The goal is to catch newly-hatched whitefish as they drift down the river in order to estimate how many fish have survived.
IPR joined the team one night as they searched for fish. Listen to that immersive audio story in the player below:
RELATED:
- A Wisconsin whitefish refuge offers lessons for Michigan. But will it last?
- Michigan’s whitefish crisis: Your questions answered
- Watch Bridge Lunch Break discussion on Michigan’s whitefish crisis
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