Does Lake Superior have adequate supply of bait fish to sustain a larger fishery?
in the 1960-70s Lake Superior’s bait fish was dominated by the non-native smelt. Since the 70s, lake trout have increased and have caused the decline in smelt. With the decline of smelt, native herring have increased dramatically since the 1980s . In addition, with fewer smelt in shallow water and more lake trout in the lake, stocked salmonids are having a harder time surviving. The current native prey fish population is adequate to suppor the current native predator population. Q: Who could we contact in Madison for help to keep our Brown Trout program going? A: We have talked to our Great Lakes biologist in Madison and made it clear that we feel the seeforellen brown trout stocking program is important to the Lake Superior fishery. If we need your support in retaining the brown trout stocking program we will contact the club. We are planning to stock St. Croix brown trout. Q: What is the impact of more lake trout and sporadic herring year classes? A: With more native predators in the
