Commercial fishers are catching fewer whitefish in parts of the Great Lakes – and the Anishinaabe people are trying to figure out why. The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians is looking into low reproduction rates for the fish.
Great Lakes whitefish are pretty popular. Whether it’s smoked whitefish spread or an old-fashioned fish boil, it’s something of a tradition for some folks. But, whitefish has been important to Native Americans for a long, long time.
“It’s been an essential staple food for generations, for thousands of years,” said Kevin Donner, Great Lakes fisheries manager for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.