Fisheries Workshops

Spring fishery workshops offer current research and information related to the status of the Great Lakes fishery.

Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension, in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, USGS Great Lakes Science Center, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and local fishery organizations annually offer evening regional workshops to provide valuable information for anglers, charter captains, resource professionals, and interested community members.

Workshops include information and status updates on topics such as fish populations and angler catch data, forage or prey fish surveys, offshore fisheries and open water fisheries, as well as updates on fisheries management activities, citizen science opportunities for anglers, and a variety of other topics of interest based on specific regions.

2026 Workshops

Lake Erie/Lake St. Clair
April 9, 2026, 6–8pm
MSU Extension Macomb County office
(in-person and online via Zoom)
Registration

Lake Michigan: Ludington
April 13, 2026, 6–8pm
West Shore Community College, 3000 N. Stiles Rd. Scottville, MI 49454
(In-person and online via Zoom)
Registration

Lake Huron: Open Water
Date: April 14, 2026, 6–8pm
(Online via Zoom only)
Registration

Lake Michigan: South Haven
April 16, 2026, 7–9pm
American Legion Hall, 129 Michigan Ave., South Haven, MI 49090
(In-person only, no registration required)

Lake Huron: Saginaw Bay
April 21, 2026, 6–8pm
Bay County Community Center, Small Gym
800 John F Kennedy Dr, Bay City, MI 48706
(In-person and online via Zoom)
Registration

Lake Huron: Les Cheneaux Islands & St Marys River
April 28, 2026, 6–8pm
Cedarville, Clark Twp Community Center
(In-person and online via Zoom)
Registration

2024 Workshop Videos

Lake Michigan and Huron Fishery Workshop, MDNR Management Updates
Randy Claramunt

Southeast Michigan Fishery Workshop Detroit River Fish Community
Kristen Towne, USFWS

Ludington Fishery Workshop 2024 USGS Prey Fish Monitoring
Ralph Tingley, USGS

2024 Ludington Regional Fishery Workshop, Michigan Sea Grant update
Dan O’Keefe, Michigan Sea Grant

Find more workshop videos on Michigan Sea Grant’s Youtube playlist.

Resources

A number of resources and opportunities were mentioned throughout the workshops.

• The Life of the Lakes, Fourth Edition
• Huron-Michigan Diet Study Facebook
• Instructions for Huron-Michigan Diet Study, GL Angler Diary, and bait ball reporting
• Ciscoes of the Laurentian Great Lakes Monograph (PDF)
• Sea Grant Salmon and Trout Identification
• Saginaw Bay Coreyon Reef Restoration
• The Coreyon Reef Documentary
• Saginaw Bay Sturgeon Restoration
• Michigan Fishing Guide
• Michigan Department of Health Eat Safe Fish Guide