A once plentiful species of salmonid is on track to return to Michigan waters by 2025 – after nearly a century of absence.
A native species known for their large, sail-like dorsal fins and light blue and sometimes iridescent pink bodies, Arctic grayling have been absent from Michigan since the 1930s. A project to bring them back began in 2016, and hit a crucial milestone this fall.
Arctic grayling are poured from a net into a raceway at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Michigan’s first year-class of 4,000 young, healthy future broodstock fish, averaging 6.5 inches long, was transferred in September from the well-fed Oden State Fish Hatchery near Petoskey to the Marquette State Fish Hatchery where the fish are reared in water that mimics the grayling’s natural habitat - and will trigger spawning.
It was a significant achievement in the Michigan Arctic Grayling Initiative – the collaborative effort by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and Michigan Department of Natural Resources to bring this native fish back to the Great Lakes state.
Grayling are removed from a fish transport truck and carried into the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
“This was a really exciting day for the Arctic grayling initiative,” said DNR Fisheries Division Chief Jim Dexter. “A lot of planning and work has gone into this program and it’s great to see it moving forward.”
Arctic grayling was the dominant salmonid species found in the state’s cold-water streams before it went extinct in the Midwest during the 1930s due to over-fishing, habitat loss from timber practices, and competing with and being preyed on by non-native species like brown trout.
Freshly transferred Arctic grayling swim around in their new surroundings at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
The fish that were moved in September came to Michigan from Alaska as eggs in spring 2019. Because the eggs originated from outside of the Great Lakes basin, they had to be quarantined and pass three health exams before being moved to the Upper Peninsula hatchery.
The move to Marquette was important because grayling need water temperatures and daylight that change with the season, and the water source at the Marquette hatchery, Cherry Creek, does that.
A view of Arctic grayling ready to be poured into a raceway at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Now that the fish have arrived, staff will care for the group until the fish are ready to produce eggs, usually at 4-6 years old. At that time – likely 2024 or 2025 – the DNR will collect eggs and milt from the fish, fertilize the eggs and place them in instream incubators. When they hatch, the fry will emerge into the stream in almost the same way as if they had been spawned naturally. The site of the initial reintroduction has not yet been selected.
While COVID-19 pandemic forced a hiatus in growing the Arctic grayling broodstock, the DNR plans to send staff to Alaska in 2021 and 2022 to collect more eggs.
See more photos below of the fish at their new home in Marquette.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries staffers observe nearly transferred Arctic grayling at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Grayling are removed from a fish transport truck and carried into the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
A Michigan Department of Natural Resources worker dumps Arctic grayling into a raceway at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Michigan Department of Natural Resources workers prepare to transfer Arctic grayling from a fish stocking truck to raceways at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
A view of Arctic grayling ready to be poured into a raceway at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Arctic grayling are poured from a net into a raceway at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Michigan Department of Natural Resources workers prepare to transfer Arctic grayling from a fish stocking truck to raceways at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
A close-up view of one of the Arctic grayling that were brought to the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette County.Michigan Department of Natural Resources
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The Link LonkDecember 22, 2020 at 02:14AM
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See the fish that will repopulate Michigan waters with native Arctic grayling - MLive.com
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