Lake Huron Citizens Advisory Committee
An executive briefing prepared for MAC on the MDNR Lake Huron CAC meeting of August 20, 2026 — what the DNR reported, and what it means for Michigan anglers.
Three Things Anglers Should Know
The August CAC meeting covered a full agenda, but three items carry real consequences for Michigan anglers over the next two years.
A Looming Budget Cliff in FY27
Fisheries Division is spending down roughly $30M in reserves against a $30M annual license-revenue baseline. The resulting ~$2M structural deficit would trigger a proposed 25% inland creel cut and a potential 25% stocking reduction in 2027 unless a license fee increase or funding resolution is enacted.
Saginaw Bay: Walleye Up, Perch Down
Walleye are booming — roughly 16 million fish over age 2, fully self-sustaining since 2006 following the 2003 alewife collapse, supporting a $65M recreational fishery. Yellow perch remain severely depressed: an estimated 4 million in 2025 against 25 million in 1991, driven by a 90% first-year mortality rate rather than adult walleye predation.
Creel & Survey Blind Spots
Zero creel clerks were assigned to southern Lake Huron and Thumb ports in 2026 because of cost cuts and staffing shortages. That degrades confidence in angler catch data and leaves real gaps in the assessments that quota and management decisions rest on.
Fisheries Division by the Numbers
Fisheries Division Updates & Financial Outlook
The Division’s budget math no longer works, and 2027 is when anglers would start to feel it.Reported by Wesley and Schultz.
In Memoriam: Dr. Howard Tanner
The meeting opened by noting the passing of Dr. Howard Tanner, the visionary MDNR fisheries chief who introduced Pacific salmon to the Great Lakes.
The Structural Deficit Crisis
The current financial model is unsustainable. Fisheries generates roughly $30M annually from fishing license sales but is pulling heavily from savings, with approximately $30M in reserves depleted. To balance a projected $2M deficit in FY27, severe operational reductions are planned:
- A 25% reduction in inland creel surveys.
- A potential 25% across-the-board reduction in fish stocking (details TBD).
Data Blind Spots
Creel clerks were completely eliminated in 2026 for southern Thumb ports to save funds. MDNR leadership and CAC members emphasized that lower clerk presence translates directly into lower statistical confidence in Great Lakes harvest data. Inflation will keep compounding these shortfalls unless a funding legislative resolution — license fee restructuring — is passed.
Capital Outlay & Emergency Funds
An $11M one-time Game & Fish Fund appropriation is being used for critical infrastructure repairs, with $5M allocated specifically toward dam and weir remediation across state waterways.
FY27 Cormorant Management
A one-time legislative appropriation for FY27 will expand USDA-APHIS contracts, permit direct MDNR assistance with bird take activities, and fund research and investment into non-lethal deterrents for urban human-wildlife conflicts.
Saginaw Bay Fisheries & Walleye Telemetry
Two species in the same bay, moving in opposite directions.Reported by Dave Fielder.
Walleye: Thriving & Self-Sustaining
- Population. Over 16 million walleye age 2 and older; annual recruitment generates 4.5 to 5.0 million fish.
- Harvest & economy. Average recreational harvest is about 550,000 fish per year at an average catch rate of 0.5 fish per hour, generating a $65,000,000 economic impact. Saginaw Bay accounts for 52% of all recreational angling hours in Michigan.
- Growth. Average length reaches 16" by age 3.
- Natural reproduction. 100% natural reproduction since 2006, triggered by the 2003 alewife collapse — alewife were the primary predator of walleye fry.
- Movement & telemetry. Spawning runs occur March 15–April 15. Telemetry shows 65% spawn in open water and reefs, predominantly North Island, and 35% spawn in rivers — the Tittabawassee, Saginaw, and Rifle. Genetic traits cannot be distinguished between river and reef spawners, and males linger longer on the spawning grounds.
Yellow Perch: Severely Depressed
- Population collapse. Estimated at only 4 million perch in 2025, down drastically from 25 million in 1991.
- The recruitment bottleneck. Perch have abundant spring egg and larval reproduction but suffer a catastrophic 90% mortality rate before age 1. Longevity and recruitment into the fishery are virtually absent.
- Mortality cause. Historically walleye and perch co-existed at high abundances. Analysis indicates adult walleye are not actively hunting down juvenile perch — perch possess protective spines, and walleye show strong dietary preferences for shad and round gobies. Instead, system-wide food-web shifts, competition, and larval predation dynamics remain severe bottlenecks.
- Commercial & border pressure. Gill netting on the Upper and Canadian sides of Lake Huron continues to impact adult stocks.
Lake Huron Salmon & Trout Planning and Creel Updates
Effort was down across the lake, but catches held up — especially for lake trout and Atlantic salmon.Reported by Schultz and Wills.
Stocking Vulnerability
An offshore stocking vessel mechanical breakdown meant lake trout could not be stocked offshore as planned, except at Adams Point. Roughly 540,000 lake trout fingerlings had to be shore-stocked across Detour, Bois Blanc, and North Point, potentially impairing survival rates.
Creel & Angler Effort
Overall Great Lakes fishing effort was noticeably down across Lake Huron. Drivers include severe spring flooding in northern basins, elevated fuel prices, and reduced creel clerk coverage in southern ports. Saginaw Bay clerks report similar drops in boat trips due to fuel costs.
Forage Base
Multiple age classes of rainbow smelt are appearing in predator diets, a positive sign of forage diversification. A basin-wide top-to-bottom food web survey is planned for 2027.
Species Performance & Angler Catches
- Atlantic salmon. Increased catches year over year, holding exceptionally well in the southern central basin — “Taking hold in SCB very well”.
- Lake trout. Exceptional catch rates throughout the main basin.
- Chinook & coho salmon. Produced solid “mixed bag” catches; the coho stocking program continues to show success.
Invasive Species, Fish Passage & Habitat
The long-game work: keeping mussels and lamprey in check, and rebuilding the places fish spawn.
Zebra Mussels in the St. Marys River
- Ecological constraints. Zebra mussels require a dissolved calcium concentration of at least 7.2 to 8.0 mg/L to maintain shell formation and reproduce.
- Lake Superior barrier. Lake Superior’s calcium levels are too low for zebra and quagga mussels to colonize, which is preventing upstream invasion.
- Food web impact. Downstream proliferation in the St. Marys River heavily impacts plankton communities, threatening alewife and whitefish recruitment while fouling industrial intake pipes.
Presented by G. Trinklein, Lake Superior State University.
Sea Lamprey Control & Invasive Species
- Lamprey index. The 2025 adult index was 45,000, against a three-year average of 39,000 — still above the target of 31,000. Treatments are planned across 32 streams and 7 lentic (standing-water) areas.
- St. Marys trap. Construction of a permanent trap at the St. Marys compensating works begins in 2027.
- Carp monitoring. Comprehensive eDNA and metabarcoding — genetic testing of water samples — detected no bighead or silver carp in Lake Huron.
Presented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Reefs, Fish Passage & Sturgeon
- Channel Island Reef. Construction is complete, with documented tons of fish utilization and verified successful whitefish and walleye spawning on the new reef.
- Cisco & whitefish reefs. Feasibility studies are planned for new deep and outer bay reefs in the Tawas area, designed for cisco and lake whitefish.
- Dow Dam fish passage. The barrier is being converted into a functional rock-ramp fish pass modeled after Frankenmuth; FEMA permitting delays are finally clearing.
- Smallmouth bass study. A joint MSU/MDNR acoustic telemetry tagging study is evaluating bay movements and stock structure, with awareness growing rapidly among tournament anglers.
- Lake sturgeon recovery. About 8,000 sturgeon were released into Saginaw Bay tributaries — the Flint, Cass, Shiawassee, and Tittabawassee — from 2019 to 2025, with roughly 70 verified angler catches logged since 2019. Fall releases are set for September 4 and September 26, 2026.
Presented by Jolley, MDNR.
State Hatchery & Field Station Highlights
Where next season’s fish come from — production status across the state system.
| Facility / Station | Key Operational Highlights & Production Status |
|---|---|
| Marquette SFH | Obtained 1.1M Arctic grayling eggs across 3 takes, transferred to tribal partners and stocked into the Maple, Boardman, and Upper Manistee rivers. Brood isolation facility is operational. |
| Thompson SFH | Steelhead yearling numbers on target; 30K walleye fingerlings stocked into Caribou Lake; 59K musky fingerlings transferred from Wolf Lake for pond rearing. |
| Oden SFH | Began brown trout egg takes; administering BKD (bacterial kidney disease) injections; replacing 26-year-old computerized automated fish feeders. |
| Platte River SFH | Backup steelhead egg take supported other state hatcheries; year 2.5 of mass marking coho salmon is complete; testing ultra-low phosphorus feed for effluent compliance. |
| Wolf Lake SFH | Constructing a new coolwater rearing facility — walls poured, ceiling panels set, trusses next; coolwater pond liner repairs are wrapping up. |
| Law Enforcement | The Lake Huron marine unit is fully staffed but reports commercial fishing activity down across all metrics. Notable spike in recreational water rescues and fatalities involving paddleboards, kayaks, and divers. Hiring 10 pre-certified officers in early 2027. |
Strategic Implications & Recommended Follow-Ups
The follow-ups recommended to MAC in the briefing submitted after this meeting.
Advocate for Funding Stabilization
Without a legislative license fee increase or general fund appropriation, the $2M FY27 structural shortfall will degrade core management — slashing inland creel surveys by 25% and threatening Great Lakes stocking.
Address Thumb Data Gaps
Southern Lake Huron creel clerk gaps must be addressed through stakeholder pressure or partnership creel monitoring. The current lack of clerk data risks flawed quota models.
Support Habitat & Reef Investments
The documented spawning success at Channel Island Reef validates expanded investment in outer bay cisco and whitefish reefs, and in the barrier removal and fish-passage projects at Roberts Lake, Trout Lake, and the Dow Dam rock-ramp.
About This Briefing
This summary was prepared for MAC by Karl Burnside of Thumbs Up Charter Services, who submitted this executive summary on the August 20, 2026 Lake Huron Citizens Advisory Committee meeting to the Consortium. Figures and findings are as reported by MDNR staff and presenters at that meeting.
