I was recently on a business trip and I was making small talk on the airplane with someone sitting next to me. It was a Friday morning and they had asked what I had planned for the weekend and I had mentioned how I was going salmon fishing. They were not a angler themselves but they made a comment to me that I was trying to register and maybe decided I was at fault for being all assuming but they mentioned how they were unaware that there were salmon in The Great Lakes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing but I thought they probably don’t fish let alone know much about fishing The Great Lakes.
As we went wheels up and were heading back to Detroit, I grabbed my journal as I typically do when there is a good topic for the podcast. I figure most of you listening to this podcast would recognize the fact that there are salmon in The Great Lakes but maybe you may not know all the history of how they became to be. Hence, episode 34. I brought Jay Wesley on the podcast from the Michigan DNR to talk about how salmon came to be in The Great Lakes, their growth and declines in population over the decades and an update on how the current population is doing. Here in Michigan there is a great topic of controversy amongst anglers who disagree with the Michigan DNR biologist stocking numbers around Michigan. You have to understand that there are costal towns on the west side of the state and other places that depend tremendously on the tourism dollars and economical benefits these salmon provide. For some it is their livelihood.
Wes provides us with in depth details on current populations, different species of salmon and what the future looks like for our beloved sport fish. If you want to learn more about salmon and their endless journey to stay here in Michigan for many years to come tune into this weeks episode. Enjoy
LK