The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced that no silver carp environmental DNA was found in a Sept. 6 resampling of the St. Joseph River.

Following notification that one of 220 samples taken on the St. Joseph River in June by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service contained eDNA from invasive silver carp, the area was resampled.

A total of 220 new samples were collected from stretches of the river between Lake Michigan and Berrien Springs, and according to the USFWS, none of the samples tested positive for bighead or silver carp eDNA. These species of invasive carp are not known to be in the Great Lakes basin, and this sampling provides an early detection process for their potential presence.

More than 269 tons of fish, eight different species, plus one hybrid, and a total of 9,335,410 individual fish – it all adds up to successful spring and summer stocking efforts by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and some great fall fishing for anglers.

Stocking is no small task. Over the course of 2,233 hours and more than 89,000 miles, DNR fisheries crews in 17 specialized trucks took 375 trips to stock fish at 705 different sites.

“We had excellent spring and summer stocking seasons that will bring significant benefits and fishing opportunities to Michigan anglers,” said Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager. “With the hard work and dedication of our staff, healthy, high-quality fish were reared and delivered to stocking sites in excellent condition. The numbers produced and stocked were right on target for most areas.”

The number and type of fish produced varies by hatchery, as each location’s ability to rear fish depends on the source and temperature of the rearing water. In Michigan there are six state and two cooperative hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strain and size of fish needed for fisheries managers. These fish must then be delivered and stocked at a specific time and location to ensure their success.

Each hatchery stocked the following fish this spring and summer: Read more

I’m standing knee deep in the cold crystalline waters of a narrowgravelly stream in the highest headwaters of the White Mountains of southeast Arizona.  Apache trout live here.

A spindly 2-weight fly rod and a barbless hook ornamented with fur and feather are the ligaments to the object of my affections.  Fresh lime-green fronds of streamside grasses arc over the water pooled behind a downed ponderosa, its cooling shade make a lair for the pretty trout.  A short cast lands an Elk-hair Caddis along a seam of flow. The fly wafts downstream toward trout who face upstream waiting for the groceries to come to them.  A darting flash and a splash and the trout is transmogrified in the tug I feel in my forearm through the bent rod.

It’s exhilarating. An eight-inch lemony-yellow Apache troutpeppered with haloed black spots lying in my net is really something to witness. It’s a trophy, but not for its size. Catching an Apache trout on a fly rod is a testament to the diligence of a good many people who cared about this rare trout over the span of decades. If not for their conservation work, this experience would not be possible.

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On August 10, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to delist the Apache trout at an event with the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the U.S. Forest Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Trout Unlimited at Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery. The Apache trout stands to be the first sport fish species to be recovered and removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. Read more

Plus, a deep dive into choosing your winter boat cover from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — For some boaters, fall is the best time for boating. Summer’s steamy days have surrendered to more comfortable temperatures, angling improves, and winds are stronger for sailing. It’s also time to embrace extra boating safety efforts for the season and look ahead to how you’re going to store your boat this winter. The nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has three boating safety tips to consider, as well as some test results on the four main types of winter boat covers.

1. Take safety seriously. If you ask the U.S. Coast Guard about boating safety and drowning, they’ll tell you that three of every four boaters who drowned in 2022 were using vessels less than 21 feet in length at the time (when boat length was known in the accident statistics). The BoatUS Foundation says Read more

Project preproposals are due Oct. 20

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is offering more than $1.5 million in funding for a variety of activities tied to improving state fisheries and aquatic resources, including fish habitat conservation, dam removal and repair, resource assessment studies and public access to recreation opportunities.

Distributed through three themes – aquatic habitat conservation, dam management, and aquatic habitat and recreation in the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon river watersheds – Fisheries Habitat Grant funding is available through an open, competitive process to local, state, federal and tribal governments and nonprofit groups.

“Recreation and local economies throughout Michigan rely on healthy rivers, lakes, and wetlands to support fishing, boating and other enjoyment of our natural resources,” said Joe Nohner, a resource analyst with the DNR Fisheries Division. “These grants help our partners protect and rehabilitate fisheries and aquatic ecosystems in a state that relies heavily on those resources. In cases where we remove, repair or renovate dams, we also can improve public safety for residents and visitors.” Read more

Routine environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance for invasive bighead and silver carp, conducted annually by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, turned up a single positive sample in the St. Joseph River near the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor area, according to data provided to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Aug. 28.

Of 220 water samples collected in June 2023 from stretches of the river between Lake Michigan and Berrien Springs, only one, taken near Marina Island, showed evidence of genetic material from silver carp. Read more

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