Now out in the Great Lakes are the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Great Lakes research vessels. You may spot the Lake Michigan vessel, Steelhead, passing through St. Joseph or South Haven in the coming weeks. DNR research station manager Dave Clapp tells WSJM News the agency monitors fish populations.
“We’re really looking at long-term trends for most of these fish,” Clapp said. “They fluctuate some, but we’re looking at the status in any given year or over a period of years compared to what we would consider a healthy status.”
Class things like white fish and yellow perch have been at lower levels lately, and a reason for population declines would be invasive species. The public is encouraged to visit the vessels when in port and talk with the crews about their work. The vessels go miles out into the lakes and monitor reefs, which are underwater piles of rocks where a lot of fish spawn. The research program a collaborative assessment with other Lake Michigan agencies that has been conducted since 1997. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/FishResearch.
