(WXMI) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is advising anglers to turn in fish with adipose fin clips.
We’re told those clips may contain important information that may help scientists understand how fish survive in the wild.
The DNR says the adipose fin is a small fin located behind the dorsal fin and is only present on several species of fish (e.g. salmon, trout, catfish), adding they usually have coded tags embedded in their snouts.
Anglers who catch fish with clips in their adipose fins are asked to drop off their heads at one of these locations.
“We have creel clerks at some ports, but there are several areas where we don’t have staff, including on river systems with unique fisheries, such as Atlantic salmon or steelhead,” says Lake Huron Basin Coordinator Randy Claramunt. “To get enough tag returns to learn about these species, we need the help of our anglers to voluntarily turn in heads.”
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