Muskegon River anglers asked to release tagged lake whitefish as the DNR tests the river as a new spawning ground

MUSKEGON, Mich. — Anglers on the Muskegon River are being asked to help with a study of whether rivers can give one of the Great Lakes’ most valuable fish a new place to spawn.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday that adult lake whitefish fitted with acoustic tags will be stocked in the Muskegon River this November. Receivers anchored on the river bottom between Croton Dam and the river mouth at Lake Michigan will record the fish as they swim past.

What anglers should do. Release any tagged whitefish alive if possible, and report any tagged fish you keep, the DNR said. The tags, about the diameter of an AA battery, are attached near the dorsal fin. Boaters and others should not move the receiver stations, and anyone who sees a damaged receiver should report it.

Reports go to the DNR’s Scott Heintzelman at 231-433-9782 or to Matt Herbert of The Nature Conservancy in Michigan at 517-316-2283, according to the department.

Why it matters. Lake whitefish have declined sharply in lakes Michigan and Huron. “Lake whitefish stocks have declined dramatically since a peak in the 1990s, with commercial catches and yield currently at their lowest levels in three decades,” said Herbert, a senior conservation scientist with the conservancy’s Great Lakes fisheries program. The DNR blames habitat loss, pollution and invasive species for changing the lakes’ food web and hurting young whitefish.

If whitefish can spawn in rivers, as historical accounts say they once did, young fish could grow up where food is more plentiful, Herbert said.

Who is involved. The project team includes the DNR, The Nature Conservancy, Grand Valley State University, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Bay Mills Indian Community.

Sources:
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, “Angler assistance needed for Muskegon River whitefish study,” Oct. 20, 2026 (study area, tags, receivers, November stocking, contacts, Herbert quotes, partners), https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2026/10/20/angler-assistance-needed-for-muskegon-river-whitefish-study
Photo: Meelar, “Muskegon River November 2024.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muskegon_River_November_2024.jpg

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Tags: Muskegon · Muskegon River · Fishing · Lake Whitefish · DNR