Harrisville Looks to Bring Back Fish Population
The fishing industry on Lake Huron is a crucial contributor to coastal tourism; providing substantial economic contribution, employment opportunities, tax revenue, and small business support.
In Harrisville, some fishermen have high hopes of bringing the fish population back to the harbor.
According to the United States Geological Survey, there were wide declines in the fish population that began in the early to mid 1990’s. “When we lost our salmon fishery, it had a cascading effect on businesses and tourism,” said Jeff Gehring, mayor of Harrisville. “We’re trying to reestablish that, but with a different brand of salmon, and reinvent our area to have people say, ‘Hey, we want to come to Harrisville, we want to go to Alcona County, to fish Lake Huron again’.”
The mayor has been working with fishermen in Harrisville to increase the fishing tourism industry in Lake Huron by introducing a new breed of salmon into the lake. “When we had the Coho salmon release this spring, we had a large portion of the community come out,” said Gehring. “When the truck came down, there was applause. There were no parking places left. It’s a very important role.”
Local anglers like Tim Slezsak, say it is downright depressing to recall the old days. “So I started fishing out of Harrisville when I was five years old with my dad in 1978.” he said. Growing up, I remember seeing boats lined out to the intersection of Main Street and U.S. 23, waiting to get into the harbor at 5:00 in the morning.”
Efforts are underway to introduce fingerlings to fish raceways, currently being revamped, from the 1970’s. The fingerlings go into the creek and experience natal homing; the process by which some adult animals that have migrated away from their juvenile habitats return back to their birthplace to reproduce.
Once this process has occurred the salmon will always return to Harrisville and the process will then start all over again; building up the salmon numbers and, by default, increasing tourism and boosting the local economy.
Officials are in the process of forming a committee to oversee the introduction of the fish.
