As we mark the end of 2024, Michigan Sea Grant honors the memory of two major partners in the Great Lakes fisheries community who passed away this year.
Chris Vandergoot
Dr. Christopher Vandergoot was a well-respected Great Lakes research scientist who approached every project with a creativity and innovation that is not often seen in the field. His passion and competence in fisheries management and remote sensing will have lasting effects on future developments in these areas. Yet despite all of this great work, Chris remained a humble and down-to-earth person, always willing to sit and chat with colleagues and answer questions or troubleshoot.
He served as associate professor in the Michigan State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and as the director of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) since 2019. He passed away suddenly in September 2024. Read more about Chris in his obituary. Chris had been leading a Michigan Sea Grant-funded research project to identify walleye spawning sites and their relative contributions in Saginaw Bay. The work will continue under Travis Brenden, professor and director of the Quantitative Fisheries Center at Michigan State University.
As Chris’s loved ones shared on a GoFundMe page: “His innovative approach and contribution to the field of fisheries management has made global impacts and his research is highly valued by scientists and anglers alike. Great Lakes anglers distinctly know more about the fish that they chase because of the work that Dr. Vandergoot so passionately pursued.”
Randy Terrian
Randy Terrian was a U.S. Navy veteran and avid outdoorsman who served the Saginaw Bay fishing community throughout his life. He was heavily involved in Michigan fish hatchery programs and served as vice-chair of the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee. In 2020, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division awarded Randy their Outstanding Partnership Award to recognize his dedication to the state’s recreational fisheries.
As loved ones wrote in Randy’s obituary, “The opportunity for friends and families to create memories while fishing is what fueled his passion for the fisheries, and his efforts will be felt for generations.” Randy passed away in October 2024.
Michigan Sea Grant Extension educators Brandon Schroeder and Meaghan Gass worked extensively with Randy on public events from spring fisheries workshops to summer 4-H youth fishing camps, riverside lake sturgeon releases, and more. “He has been a true friend and positive advocate for our Lake Huron fisheries work and our Michigan Sea Grant team in general,” said Brandon. “The entire Lake Huron community will miss his positivity and many contributions to bettering the Lake Huron fisheries and those who benefit from them.”
