For 1996, US Fish & Wildlife Service reports Lake Huron received 1,014,000 lake trout; Lake Michigan 2,030,000; and the Minnesota and Michigan waters of Lake Superior received 482,000. Earlier this year Wisconsin announced the successful restoration of lake trout in its Lake Superior waters and are no longer planting lakers there. Even so, Michigan will continue to plant lakers in its waters of Lake Superior.

All fish planted were in the new 10-12 per pound size for 1996. Previously the planting standard was 20 per pound. However, a new Sea Grant study could have serious implications on this new planting project.

The New York Sea Grant Study of contaminants in fish tissue and the uptake of PCBs in relation to stocking size found that by changing certain fisheries managemnet practices, PCB's can be reduced in fish tissue.

USFWS expects at least 6 million lake trout will be available for use in the astroturf stocking project on Lake Michigan in the fall of 1996. Green Bay's FWS office is preparing to stock all 6 million in cooperation with the State of Wisconsin.

With the acknowledged agreement of operating by consensus, the Lake Michigan Committee has not agreed to the continuation of the astroturf project, but Wisconsin and the feds are going ahead with it anyway.