Scientists are weighing what they call a “Noah’s Ark” strategy to save Michigan’s collapsing whitefish populations. Once abundant in lakes Michigan and Huron, whitefish have plummeted as invasive zebra and quagga mussels have transformed the lakes. Quagga mussels now blanket the lakebed, filter out the plankton that young whitefish depend on, and leave behind water so clear that sunlight penetrates deeper, disrupting the food chain from the bottom up. In some areas, almost no whitefish hatchlings have survived to adulthood in nearly two decades.

Whitefish are more than just another species — they are a cultural touchstone for Native communities, a staple of Great Lakes fisheries, and a keystone species in the food web. Their decline threatens not only local fishing traditions and economies, but also the broader ecological balance of the lakes.

The “Noah’s Ark” plan would move some whitefish into inland ponds, where they could survive and reproduce in safer conditions until the big lakes can once again sustain them. Unlike crowded hatcheries, ponds allow fish to feed naturally, adapt to weather, and develop stronger survival skills. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has already experimented with rearing whitefish this way, releasing young fish into the lakes once they’re large enough to better fend for themselves. Expanding that approach into a full refuge system would mean raising generations of whitefish in ponds — preserving their genetic diversity and keeping bloodlines alive until conditions in the Great Lakes improve.

The effort won’t be simple: scaling up will require millions of dollars and coordination among tribes, state agencies, and federal partners. But advocates say the urgency is clear — without intervention, Michigan risks losing an iconic species central to the Great Lakes ecosystem, the fishing economy, and centuries of cultural tradition.

There’s extensive coverage of this issue and the rescue plan in an article at BridgeMI. A prior version of this article appeared on wvbi.net