Important: Michigan Anglers Must Watch for Tagged Fish

Great Lakes whitefish is a big part of Michigan’s food, culture, and Indigenous heritage. Now, the Michigan DNR is asking anglers fishing the Muskegon River, from Croton to its mouth, to help with its whitefish research.

Whitefish Numbers Are Declining in Michigan Waters

Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash

Whitefish has been a Michigan favorite for generations and remains a popular local delicacy. For centuries, Indigenous communities and early settlers caught, dried, and smoked whitefish along the Great Lakes, establishing one of Michigan’s oldest food traditions.

Whitefish has been a staple of Great Lakes dining for generations.. From traditional fish boils and smoked whitefish spreads to Friday night fish fries, it’s a local favorite. It’s also part of the history of Michigan’s fishing communities, including the historic Fishtown in Leland.

Whitefish populations in Lakes Michigan and Huron have taken a major hit, with commercial catches dropping by more than 70%. One of the biggest reasons is invasive quagga and zebra mussels, which eat up plankton and nutrients that whitefish depend on for food.

See a Whitefish in the Muskegon River? DNR Wants to Know

The DNR, is asking anglers fishing the Muskegon River from Croton Dam to its mouth at Lake Michigan to help with its research. If you catch a whitefish fitted with an acoustic tag used to track its movements, the DNR asks that you release it back into the river.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The tags are part of a research project tracking whitefish movements to determine whether the Muskegon River could serve as an alternative spawning area for lake whitefish. If you catch a tagged whitefish, release it immediately. Then contact the DNR's Scott Heintzelman at 231.433.9782 to report the fish.

Get our free mobile app

If the tag appears damaged, contact Matt Herbert at The Nature Conservancy in Michigan at 517-316-2283. Whitefish populations are at their lowest levels in three decades, and researchers hope this project will help turn things around and get those numbers moving in the right direction.