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| Digital post card from Michigan DNR website |
In 1873 the Michigan Fish Commission was formed; this was the precursor to today's DNR. At this time fish populations were greatly decreasing. The decrease was due to dams which hindered fish movement, pollution, and over fishing. The logging industry was the reason for this era of dam building. The pollution had many causes. Over fishing was due to no regulations of catch limits.
The Fish Commission had focused on fish production. There was no political push at this time for habitat conservation or stopping mass overfishing. The only available option at the time was hatcheries. The hatcheries of the time focused on food fish as opposed to today's hatcheries focus on sport fish species. About 92% of hatchery fish during this period were lake whitefish. The technology of the time did not allow for raising past the fry development stage so there was only limited success.
By the Great Depression sport fishing was established and the transition was made from food fish to sport fish. Species produced at this time were brook, brown and rainbow trout and a few other warm water species. Technology advanced and fish were now produced to the fingerling stage which lead to greater success. Post WWII there was more leisure time and the Great Lakes were greatly polluted so the hatcheries started producing legal catch size fish. This was a huge expense and did nothing to fix the habitat and pollution which was the real problem.
In the late 1960s the public push came for pollution clean up. Water quality greatly improved and this marked the change to the modern era of fish management in Michigan. Legal catch fish production was changed to fingerling and yearling fish production. Hatchery fish are now used to restore lost fish populations, help depressed populations, and ecosystem balance. This ends my brief history post and my next post will be on Michigan fish hatcheries today and their part in sustaining Michigan fish populations.
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