Updated 2024-11-22 15:20:18
Lake Superior -> 8.0 Pacific Salmon, Rainbow Trout, and Brown Trout -> Pacific Salmon Stocking
Reporting Interval
2017 - 2021
Area
Lakewide
Meeting Target?
Meets
Indicator Trend
Downward trend
Confidence?
High
8.1.2 Number of non-native Pacific salmon stocked
The earliest records of non-native salmonid stocking in Lake Superior were rainbow trout in the late 1800s with subsequent stockings of brown trout, chinook salmon, coho salmon, and rainbow trout occurring in the mid-1960s. Pink salmon fry were inadvertantly stocked in Lake Superior in 1956, became established, and naturalized to Lake Superior. Stocking of non-native salmonids in Lake Superior peaked in 1991 when approximately 5.6 milion Brown Trout, Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and Rainbow Trout were stocked. Despite the belief at the time, populations of stocked chinook and coho salmon also naturalized to the freshwater system and became self-sustaining. As the success of lake trout rehabilitation progressed and were re-established as the top level native predator, stocking of non-native salmonids continued to decline through time as poor returns of stocked fish to anglers and self-sustaining populations reduced the benefit of large scale stocking events. Coho salmon stocking was largely discontinued by the early 1990s and overall stocking numbers continued to decline through time and in 2021 only 268,129 brown trout and rainbow trout were stocked making it the smallest annual stocking of non-native salmonids since 1966.
Figure 1. Number of non-native salmonids stocked in Lake Superior, 1966-2021.
Methodology
Annual stocking numbers are reported to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and can be accessed via the Great Lakes Fish Stocking Database.
Other Resources
Minnesota DNR's Fishery Management Plan for the Minnesota Waters of Lake Superior (2016) provides additional details, history, research, and management perspectives on the various non-native salmonid species stocked through time.
From 1999 to 2002, the Minnesota DNR conducted a study to evaluate the contribution of stocked Chinook salmon to the Minnesota sport fishery and concluded that 95% of Chinook salmon caught in the summer boat fishery were wild produced.
To diversify the fishery and respond to angler requests, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) began an experimental Atlantic Salmon stocking program for Lake Superior in 1980. Large declines in abundance of Atlantic salmon and a lack of interest from all but a small number of anglers caused the evaluation and subsequent discontinuation of the program.
Contributing Author(s)
- Lake Superior Technical Committee -