The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will adjust its 2027 stocking plan for Lake Michigan to ensure anglers continue to have access to healthy, sizeable fish populations for years to come.

The modifications will also allow DNR hatcheries to stock larger winter-run steelhead yearlings in the spring and create space to raise an additional 20,000 fall fingerling Skamania steelhead.

“With these stocking changes, we are hoping to stave off any further decrease to baitfish populations and maintain a strong and stable salmon fishery into the future,” said Ben Dickinson, Indiana DNR’s Lake Michigan fisheries biologist.

Biologists with DNR observed an increase in salmon population across Lake Michigan along with a reduction in salmon size and baitfish populations. This raised concerns about the balance of predators and prey in the ecosystem. To address these trends, DNR will be reducing the 2027 Chinook salmon stock from 275,000 to 200,000. This will result in approximately 67,000 salmon placed at each of the stocking locations in East Chicago, Portage and Michigan City.

Lake Michigan managers have adjusted stocking levels several times in the last 20 years to keep salmon and baitfish populations in balance. For Indiana, the 2027 update amounts to an 11 percent reduction in fish stocked compared to 2026. This work continues the successful management of sportfish in the state.

Brown County State Park added to national register

On Sept. 15, a small group gathered at the Brown County State Park Nature Center to dedicate a sign that’s been years in the making. In December 2020, the entire park was listed as an historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, truly a worthy honor for a well-loved park steeped in so much history.

Now, nearly six years later, the park has finally been able to raise a marker telling the story of the park’s significance and why it has received such a high honor.

The event featured a handful of speakers, including Indiana Landmark’s Mark Dollase, who played a key role in nominating the park to the national register. Other speakers included Vivian Wolff, president of Peaceful Valley Heritage, a local nonprofit who paid for the sign, and Scott Crossley, manager at Brown County State Park.

“We are honored to be added to the National Register of Historic Places,” Crossley said. “This listing is more than looking backward; it’s also a promise to the future that the historical integrity of this park will continue for generations. We appreciate all the hard work done by Peaceful Valley Heritage and especially the efforts of Vivian Wolff. Without their efforts, we would not have received this recognition.”

Indiana Lake and River Enhancement grants

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is accepting 2027 grant applications for the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program through Dec. 31. This date is earlier than in previous years to ensure a more efficient review and grant allocation process.

The LARE program supports projects protecting and enhancing aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife while maintaining access to Indiana’s public lakes, rivers and streams for a variety of uses. It provides technical and financial assistance to qualifying local projects improving water quality by reducing nonpoint sediment and nutrient pollution. LARE funding comes from the annual fees paid by boat owners when registering watercraft with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Qualifying projects include aquatic invasive species management, sediment removal and planning, logjam removal, diagnostic and feasibility studies, engineering design and construction. A full list of eligible project types and program details are available at lare.dnr.IN.gov.

‘till next time, 

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication or e-mail Jack at jackspaulding1971@outlook.com  Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.