Inter-Tribal Fisheries Program Provides Walleyes for Stocking in Little Bay de Noc and Mullett Lake
Published: Sunday, December 26, 2010 7:00 am
By: Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Walleye stocks in Little Bay de Noc and Mullet Lake in Cheboygan Countyreceived another unexpected boost with the stocking of 10,000 fall fingerlings provided by the Inter-tribal Fisheries and Assessment Program(ITFAP). Little Bay de Noc received 7,480 fingerlings and Mullet Lake received 2,592 of the robust, six- to eight-inch fingerlings.
The ITFAP hatchery program is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie and administered by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, with funding support from the Bay Mills Indian Community, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
The fall fingerling stocking followed a similar Tribal-State cooperative stocking event that occurred in July, when ITFAP provided 143,000of the smaller (two-inch) summer fingerlings to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment for stocking in the same two locations.
Like the summer fingerlings, these fall fingerlings were surplus to the tribes' stocking needs.
"We experienced great survival and growth for both our summer and fall fingerlings this year," said Tribal hatchery manager Greg Wright.
The fall fingerlings are expected to provide more bang-for-the-buck than the summer fingerlings.
"Although the number of fall fingerlings being stocked in these areas is much smaller than the number of summer fingerlings, the survival of these large fall fingerlings is expected to be much greater," Wright said.
"The tribes continue to be excellent partners in cooperative ventures such as this," said DNRE Lake Michigan Basin Coordinator Jim Dexter. "We very much appreciate their efforts to ensure that these important walleye populations are maintained and improved, and that anglers and tribal members will benefit from these actions."
"Earlier this year, MDNRE was able to provide us with additional walleye fry after we experienced high mortality in one of our hatcheries," said ITFAP Director Tom Gorenflo about the cooperativeTribal-State walleye enhancement efforts. "In exchange, we were able to provide surplus summer fingerlings to them for stocking in Little Bay de Noc and Mullet Lake. Now we are able to provide surplus fall fingerlings for the same areas."
Joe McCoy, chairman for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, added, "Little Bay de Noc and Mullet Lake are important fishing areas for both the tribal fishery and state recreational fishery. The fingerlings we provided this year should enhance those walleye populations for the future benefit of all users."
As with the summer fingerlings, the fall fingerlings were tested for VHS prior to stocking. Samples from the tribal walleye culture pond were sent to Michigan State University and all samples tested negative for the virus.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is committed to the conservation, protection, management, and accessible use and enjoyment of the state's environment, natural resources and related economic interests for current and future generations. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/dnre.
