Lake Whitefish Directed Grantmaking- DNR

Grant: # 2156

Grant Amount: $338,000.00

Board Decision Year: 2026

Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Lansing)

Claramunt, Randall ([email protected]) (231) 622-3820

2026 Lake Whitefish Initiative - Lake Whitefish Initiative

Project Summary

Immediate conservation intervention is required to stabilize the most severely impacted stocks. This includes targeted collection of spawning adults in November and the rearing of fertilized eggs in hatcheries and rearing ponds to bypass early life stages characterized by high mortality. While tribal partners are prioritizing rescue efforts in northern Lake Michigan, the Michigan DNR (MDNR) – Fisheries Division will focus on southern Lake Michigan stocks during the project period. Spawning aggregates in Pentwater, Muskegon, and Saugatuck have declined to critically low densities, making large-scale egg collections increasingly infeasible.