Using eggs collected and fertilized on three different Lake Superior reefs (Klondike, north of Grand Marais, Michigan; Traverse in Keweenaw Bay; and Gull Shoal in the Apostle Islands, Wisconsin), the cold, clear waters of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Fish Hatchery fostered three new batches of trout fry.
Tribal staff nurtured the eggs during an extended incubation period, then transferred the young fish to tanks in January. The lake trout, representing three distinct strains, have been feeding for the last few weeks, and now measure just over an inch long. Once they reach a pound in weight, 6,000 of the fish will be turned over to the Iron River National Fish Hatchery operated by the Service in northern Wisconsin.
The wild fish are very important. These young fish become the brood stock for the next generation of lake trout, explained Iron River Hatchery Manager Dale Bast. Theyll be stocked back into parts of the Great Lakes where as yet wild fish arent reproducing in sufficient numbers. Along with sea lamprey control and habitat restoration, periodic stocking of lake trout is critical toward restoring wild lake trout populations in Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan.
The incubation process involves placing the eggs in vertical incubation trays for approximately 60 days and then, as the newly hatched fish, or `sac-fry increase their mobility, theyre placed in 100 gallon rearing tanks, said Keweenaw Bay Hatchery Manager Mike Donofrio. The fry are then placed on a high-protein diet to ensure proper development.
The fish-rearing process at the Communitys facility is part of a two-year Cooperative Agreement between the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the Service. The Service relies on the Community to isolate the three strains of lake trout for use as future brood stock. Three federal health inspections over the next 18 months will ensure the fry are disease-free before being transferred to the Iron River National Fish Hatchery. In exchange, the Service will provide
100,000 yearling lake trout and 7,000 yearling brook trout from the hatchery to Keweenaw Bay and the Communitys reservation waters.
The fry will be growing about one-half to three-quarters of an inch each month and will undergo their first health inspection this spring. Members of the media and public are invited to view and photograph the fish during this stage by contacting Keweenaw Bay Indian Fish Hatchery Manager Mike Donofrio at 906/524-5757. Photos of the fry are also available.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov


