Marquette State Fish Hatchery stocks more than 340k fish in 2023

CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) - Thanks to the Marquette State Fish Hatchery, Michigan anglers will have plenty of fish to catch.

This year the Marquette State Fish Hatchery stocked more than 340,000 fish in the state of Michigan.

Tony Beck, Marquette State Fish Hatchery hatchery biologist, said there were roughly 26,000 fall fingerling brook trout, 112,000 lake trout and 170,000 splake stocked throughout the year. There were also around 1,200 adult brook trout released following the spawning operation.

Most of the brook trout will be stocked in the Upper Peninsula. Lake trout will be stocked downstate and splake will be a mix of both.

Beck said they stock fish so there is enough for anglers to catch.

“It’s very important because a lot of areas may not have enough natural reproduction to sustain a fishery out there, some areas have no natural reproduction, so we need to supplement those every year to ensure that there’s a fishery there for anglers throughout the state,” said the biologist.

The fish are all released in Michigan public waters so anglers can have access to them.

The Marquette State Fish Hatchery is open to the public at no charge on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you’d like to schedule a group tour, call 906-249-1611, extension 324.

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