Ever go fishing and were lucky enough to catch a trout, salmon, walleye or muskie? Many of those fish may have come from one of Michigan's State Fish Hatcheries.
One of those hatcheries is the Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery, where they protect and preserve the aquatic species found in Michigan. Employees at the hatchery catch and breed fish, give them water, shelter, and everything else they need to survive.
The hatchery raises multiple kinds of fish including Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Walleye and Great Lakes Musky. When the fish are big enough, they are distributed into Michigan's lakes, rivers and streams.
The Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery is also open to the public providing educational school programs and activities like fishing, feeding fish, nature hikes, archery and more.
A very unique fish that lives in Michigan's waters is the Lake Sturgeon.. They are Michigan's biggest fish found in the great lakes, being able to grow up to nine feet long, 300 pounds, and live to be 150 years old. Lake Sturgeon are also bottom feeders, so they are often swimming at the bottom of the lake.
While the Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery's main mission is to raise and grow the population of native fish, they also work to keep invasive species out. One of the most troublesome invasive species that the US Fish and Wildlife Service spends over $20 million a year to control is the Sea Lamprey.
Sea Lamprey is an invasive species from the Atlantic ocean when Michigan built the Welland Canal. Since then, they have severely decreased the Lake Trout trout populations; they have over 100 teeth and have a tongue that acts like a drill bit that goes into the fish, allowing them to attach to the fish with their teeth and feed on them, often killing them..
With the programs at the fish hatchery, the DNR hopes to educate the community on how to take care of the current fish population and prevent invasive species from taking over.
The Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery is located at 34270 County Road 652 in Mattawan. For more information on hours, camps, exhibits, and more visit michigan.gov/wolflakevc or call (269)-668-2876.
To learn more about the great work the Michigan Wildlife Council has highlighted, visit hereformioutdoors.org.
