DNR Collecting Salmon, Trout Eggs This Fall, Winter

The Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Division is hard at work gathering the necessary eggs for the continued production of hatchery fish to support Michigan’s world-class fisheries. Fall egg takes are starting or are under way for wild Chinook and coho salmon and for captive broodstocks of brown, rainbow, brook and lake trout.

Chinook salmon eggs are being collected at the Little Manistee River Weir through today, Oct.10. Coho salmon eggs will be collected at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery Weir, scheduled for Oct. 15-23.

“From these wild egg sources, we expect to collect nearly 4.4 million Chinook salmon eggs and nearly 5.5 million coho salmon eggs,” said Gary Whelan, DNR fish production manager. “The number of Chinook salmon eggs is 3.4 million less than last year as a result of Lake Michigan stocking reductions.”

Michigan contributes to the collaborative efforts of neighboring states to support the Great Lakes fishery. Of the Chinook salmon eggs collected, 3 million will be used in Michigan while 600,000 will go to Indiana and 850,000 to Wisconsin. Of the coho salmon eggs collected, 2.8 million will be used in Michigan while 1.2 million will go to Indiana, 850,000 to Illinois and 600,000 to Wisconsin.

Captive broodstock egg takes for brook and lake trout are in progress until mid-November at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery. Similarly at the Oden State Fish Hatchery, egg takes for brown trout have just started and will continue until mid-November. That will be followed by rainbow trout starting in late December and continuing to early February, also at Oden. All of the captive egg takes occur on an approximately biweekly schedule.

Captive broodstocks will provide 250,000 brook trout eggs, 300,000 lake trout eggs, 1.8 million brown trout eggs and 1 million rainbow trout eggs. An additional 650,000 splake eggs (brook trout and lake trout hybrid) will also be collected to support Michigan’s fisheries management objectives.

The public is welcome to observe the egg takes. It is best to call ahead to get the final egg take schedule and to ensure the collection efforts will occur. Scheduling information is available for each egg take and can be obtained by contacting each facility directly:

To learn more about fish production efforts in Michigan, visit www.michigan.gov/hatcheries; for general fishing information, visit www.michigan.gov/fishing.