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Public meetings set on whether salmon stocking in Lake Michigan should be reduced

Posted at 9:22 AM, Aug 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-23 09:22:33-04

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — State officials have scheduled two public meetings to discuss salmon stocking in Lake Michigan.

The Department of Natural Resources is considering a reduction in Chinook salmon next spring and is reviewing Lake Michigan’s lake trout population.

Meetings will be held Sept. 7 in Ludington and Sept. 13 in South Haven.

The Chinook salmon population has been decreasing, mainly due to a decline in alewife, a primary food source. Lake trout also like alewife.

A committee with representatives from states along Lake Michigan is recommending a 61 percent reduction in Chinook salmon stocking, starting next year.

Regulators hope the alewife population can rebound with fewer salmon.