Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. — In the mid-1970s, two friends had an idea for a collaboration that they believed would promote tourism in the Upper Peninsula, strengthen academic offerings at Lake Superior State University and reinforce the already strong community ties of Edison Sault Electric Company, now Cloverland Electric Cooperative.
Their idea, which also included the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a partner, grew into the LSSU Aquatic Research Laboratory, which has been housed in the Edison/Cloverland powerhouse on the St. Mary’s River since its beginning. Prof. Gale Gleason Ph.D., head of the lab and LSSU’s Dept. of Biology and Chemistry back then, and William Gregory, former president of Edison Sault Electric, saw the lab grow from a small research facility into a full-blown hatchery operation that this year will mark its 25th anniversary of releasing Atlantic salmon into the river.
To celebrate the occasion, LSSU will name this year’s “class” of yearling salmon after Gleason and Gregory.
The lab has released between 25,000 and 60,000 Atlantics annually since its first stocking in 1987. This year, the lab will release more than 30,000 yearlings.
“Dr. Gleason and Bill had a vision of strengthening a university-community partnership that continues to thrive to this day,” said LSSU President Tony McLain. “The Aquatic Research Lab is a great example of what partnerships can create. The lab is an important and vital part of the university and the community that started with the generosity of Edison Sault Electric Company and is continuing through Cloverland Electric Cooperative. We hope for many more years of working together for the community.”
Cloverland Electric Cooperative General Manager Dan Dasho agreed, saying, “Cloverland is a proud partner in this important project and looks forward to continuing that partnership.”
In its early years, funding for the lab came from a variety of sources, including an early grant from the Michigan Fish Producers Association for whitefish research. Organizations such as the National Fisheries Institute donated money to fund student research projects at the lab. These grants strengthened the lab’s function as a student training tool, which has been a primary focus of the lab since it was established. Hundreds of LSSU students have worked at the lab to conduct research projects in fisheries, habitat, water quality and more.
In the mid-1980s, under the leadership of Prof. David Behmer Ph.D., the lab secured funding from the state’s Research Excellence and Economic Development Fund, allowing it to embark upon its Atlantic salmon rearing project. In the early stages of the project, LSSU and the MDNR purchased eggs from the state of Maine and over the years supplemented those eggs with those from Atlantics that return to the river to spawn. Since 2004, lab staff have been able to use their own brood stock to supply eggs for the hatchery.
The salmon program has been a great success, and much of the credit goes to Behmer, who was director of the lab and taught at LSSU from 1967-1996. Fishermen come from throughout North America and beyond to fish the St. Mary’s River for Atlantic salmon. While most of the fish are caught in the river and northern Lake Huron, LSSU’s Atlantic salmon have been caught in all of the Great Lakes.
“The unique DNR-LSSU cooperative Atlantic salmon program has yielded large benefits to both of us,” said Gary Whelan, DNR Fisheries Division Fish Production Manager. “The DNR has benefited by ensuring the continuation of a special fishing opportunity in the St. Mary’s River and other Michigan locations, and from the continued development of Atlantic salmon rearing techniques and a feral broodstock for future program needs, along with the hands-on training of aspiring fisheries biologists, many of whom have gone on to work for our department. LSSU has benefited by having a real-life training opportunity for its students and many new learning and research opportunities for both students and faculty. It has been an amazing partnership that we are very proud of and excited about its future potential.”
“It has been quite interesting to see the lab grow through the years,” said Roger Greil, lab manager, who started out as a student in the lab in the mid-1980s and has been involved with every Atlantic salmon stocking since the first in 1987. “What is most satisfying, however, is seeing the experience that our students get and watching them expand their knowledge to become comfortable in their lab work and highly competent researchers.”
While Atlantic salmon have been the lab’s mainstay for many years, early work included rainbow trout, Arctic grayling, brook trout and whitefish. Currently, lab staff, under the direction of co-directors Ashley Moerke Ph.D. and Geoffrey Steinhart Ph.D., work on diverse fishery and water quality issues, including sport fish management, imperiled and introduced aquatic species, and water pollution with numerous academic, government and non-governmental agencies. Also, Jun Li Ph.D., recently joined LSSU to teach classes in LSSU’s new fish health major and manage the new Fish Disease Laboratory housed in the lab.
In addition to MDNR, the lab has worked with a number of government and private organizations and service clubs including, but not limited to, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Hiawatha Sportsmen’s Club, Soo Area Sportsmen’s Club and area Native American tribes. The lab is an important part of Sault Ste. Marie’s Kids Fishing Pond, which provides fishing opportunities for young anglers in the city’s Rotary Park.
The lab is also home to LSSU’s popular “fishcam,” which is one of the best places to monitor fish activity, including the Atlantic salmon that return to the place where they were raised in the St. Mary’s River. Visit the fishcam and get more information on LSSU‘s Aquatic Research Laboratory at lssu.edu/arl.