EAST TAWAS – As spring makes its way to the Mitten State each year, the change in season also signals the restart of a long-running, annual series which focuses on the condition of the Great Lakes fishery.
For 2025, the Lake Huron Regional Fisheries Workshops – which are always free and open to the public – will get underway this coming week, and continue periodically through May 1.
Put on by Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) – in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)-Fisheries Division, U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Tribal and local fishery organizations – the yearly events offer current research and information related to the status of Lake Huron fisheries.
Organizers point out that they offer these regional workshops to provide valuable information for anglers, charter captains, resource professionals and community members. The events include status updates and current details on such topics as fish populations and angler catch data, forage/prey fish surveys and offshore and open water fisheries, as well as the latest happenings with fisheries management activities, citizen science opportunities for anglers and a variety of other items of interest, based on specific regions.
Some of the workshops will be held in-person, some are being offered online and others will be available in both formats. Regardless of which event(s) one may choose to join, the registration process will start out the same, with participants first visiting bit.ly/misgfish. From here, they will be able to view a list of the various presentations, and then click on the associated link to sign up for whichever one(s) they would like.
Along with several sessions on Lake Huron, this year’s program will also feature a Keweenaw Bay, Lake Erie/Lake St. Clair and Lake Michigan presentation (for which more information is available on the aforementioned website).
Those from Michigan Sea Grant and MSUE note that while there is no cost to take part, pre-registration is required for the workshops, particularly when it comes to receiving the access/log-in details for the hybrid events.
Details regarding all four of the Lake Huron-specific workshops that have been slated for the 2025 series, are provided below.
- Lake Huron – Open Water: Tuesday, April 8, from 6-8 p.m., virtually via Zoom. Registration will be available through the day of the event.
- Lake Huron – Saginaw Bay: Tuesday, April 22, from 6-8 p.m. This hybrid workshop will be offered virtually via Zoom, as well as in-person at the Saganing Tribal Center, which is located at 5447 Sturman Rd. in Standish. It should also be noted that participants are to register for this event by Monday, April 21.
- Lake Huron – Les Cheneaux & St. Mary’s River: Tuesday, April 29, from 6-8 p.m. With both in-person and remote attendance available, this workshop will be hosted live in the Clark Township Community Center, at 133 M-134 in Cedarville, and also on Zoom. Participants will have until one day before the workshop – Monday, April 28 – to sign up.
- Statewide: Thursday, May 1, from noon to 2 p.m., on Zoom only. This fishery workshop will cover topics relevant to both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, including lamprey control and predatory fish diets. The new DNR Fisheries Chief, Randy Claramunt, will also give an overview of Fisheries Division priorities and take questions. Registration for the virtual event will close at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30.
Additional information – plus recordings of past presentations, further details on the efforts of Michigan Sea Grant, other programs in the works and more – can be found on the bit.ly/misgfish website.
For questions specific to the 2025 Lake Huron Regional Fisheries Workshops, contact Brandon Schroeder of Michigan Sea Grant, at schroe45@msu.edu; or Katelyn Brolick of MSUE, at brolickk@msu.edu.
Organizers are also asking guests to pass along, promote and share the workshop dates with any and all who may be interested in participating.
