How DNR fish hatcheries monitor for disease

ALMENA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The Department of Natural Resources is keeping a close watch on the fish at its hatcheries after more than 31,000 Atlantic Salmon had to be euthanized in May at a site near Cadillac.

The fish became sick with bacterial kidney disease.

The Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery near Kalamazoo has a variety of procedures in place to monitor for disease. The care of the fish requires around-the-clock attention.

Hatchery Manager Matt Hughes said with the passion and dedication the workers put into the job, keeping the fish protected from disease is a priority.

“We have all separate equipment … you’re only coming in one door and you are going out one door. When you’re coming in that one door we have a couple different foot baths… and its got a disinfectant in it,” Hughes said.

When the hatchery heard about the fish that had to be euthanized at the Harrietta State Fish Hatchery near Cadillac earlier this year, they understood how difficult that would be for the workers.

“Very tough,” Hughes said. “That staff up there at Harrietta’s put essentially a year of work into those fish so not only is it, you know, financially a pretty decent hit but … it just crushes morale when you have to bury a lot of fish. Nobody likes to see that.”

Having to euthanize a lot of fish is only something Hughes has seen a few times in his career.

“It’s rare. Usually we have, we have ways to battle these pathogens. We have certain chemical treatments that typically will do the job but this time it was a little out of our hands,” Hughes said.

In addition to the precautions the hatcheries take to prevent disease transmission, workers monitor and send samples to a lab at Michigan State University for testing throughout the year.

“About a month to two months prior to us wanting to stock these fish out, we’ll submit another sample of fish,” Hughes said.

Hughes said stocking lakes and rivers in the state helps keep a healthier fish population.

“With climate change and water temperatures rising, especially in southwest Michigan and in southern Michigan, a lot of these fisheries wouldn’t be there without us stocking fish,” Hughes said.

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