Indiana signs onto Lake Michigan salmon stocking cuts

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana has signed onto a multi-state plan to improve Lake Michigan's ecosystem by reducing the amount of Chinook salmon stocked in the lake.

The plan calls for Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin to cut the number of salmon the four states release annually into the lake from 3.3 million to 1.7 million.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will cut its annual Chinook salmon stocking by 25,000 fish, or 11 percent, under the cuts announced this week by the Lake Michigan Committee.

DNR fisheries biologist Brian Breidert says the agency hopes the reduction will benefit both the lake's ecosystem and the state's fish hatcheries. Fishing experts say the reductions are needed to maintain a balance between sport fish and their food sources and to protect the lake's multi-billion-dollar fishing industry.