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Michigan DNR to track fish stocking using 23andMe-style gene testing
The pilot found 24 of 25 fish in Lake Emily were related to stocked parents, while only two of 147 in Hagerman Lake were.
- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has implemented parentage-based genetic testing to evaluate fish-stocking operations, which spent over $11 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year.
- Jen Johnson, senior fisheries management biologist for the DNR, told the Michigan Natural Resources Commission on Wednesday that genetic testing replaces problematic physical tagging methods prone to reporting errors.
- Pilot research in the Upper Peninsula revealed mixed results: 24 of 25 fish in Lake Emily matched stocked parents, while only two of 147 caught in Hagerman Lake were related.
- Following these findings, the department will discontinue stocking Hagerman Lake after genetic analysis showed recent walleye efforts were ineffective compared to successful 1980s programs using Lake Gogebic stock.
- Fisheries chief Randy Claramunt plans to expand the initiative to 500 samples statewide next fiscal year, aiming to optimize stocking decisions and potentially apply the tool to other species.
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Leaning Left10Leaning Right2Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Left
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources lean Left
59% Left
L 59%
C 29%
12%
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