Root River Steelhead Facility: Managing Lake Michigan's trout & salmon fishery

Chip visits the Root River Steelhead Facility to learn all about how they manage Lake Michigan's trout and salmon fishery. According to their website, the facility was built in 1992-93 to help the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources more effectively manage Lake Michigan's trout and salmon fishery. Each fall and spring, migrating chinook salmon, coho salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout (steelhead) enter the streams as part of their spawning ritual. Because successful natural reproduction of trout and salmon does not occur in Wisconsin waters, the fishery is entirely dependent upon hatchery-raised fish. This facility is Wisconsin's primary source of steelhead eggs and brood (parent) stock, and is the backup facility for the collection of eggs of other trout and salmon species. Each year, approximately 500,000 steelhead are stocked in Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan. The weir is the tool with which the DNR collects the eggs to accomplish this goal. Click here to learn more.