MADISON, WI (AP)-- Lake Michigan regulators are recommending a 62 percent lake-wide reduction of Chinook salmon with hopes of averting a population collapse similar to the one that hit Lake Huron a decade ago.
Wisconsin Fisheries Management Bureau Deputy Director Todd Kalish told reporters Monday that the lake has a historically low population of alewives, the herring-like fish that are the Chinook's main food source.
That same problem led to the collapse of Lake Huron's Chinook salmon population in the early 2000s. Regulators hope reducing the Chinook stock in Lake Michigan will improve the alewife population and avert a similar collapse down the line.
States surrounding Lake Michigan are soliciting input from stakeholders through meetings and online comments. Kalish says they intend to finalize plans by Oct. 1.
