Something Spectacular

My Great Lakes Salmon Story

Howard A. Tanner

• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN:
  9781628953473
• Print ISBN:
  9781611865059
  9781611863031
• Subtopic: Science & Technology Biographies

As the new chief of the Michigan Department of Conservation's Fish Division in 1964, Howard A. Tanner was challenged to "do something . . . spectacular." He met that challenge by leading the successful introduction of coho salmon into the Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. This volume illustrates how Tanner was able to accomplish this feat: from a detailed account of his personal and professional background that provided a foundation for success; the historical and contemporary context in which the Fish Division undertook this bold step to reorient the state's fishery from commercial to sport; the challenges, such as resistance from existing government institutions and finding funding, that he and his colleagues faced; the risks they took by introducing a nonnative species; the surprises they experienced in the first season's catch; to, finally, the success they achieved in establishing a world-renowned, biologically and financially beneficial sport fishery in the Great Lakes. Tanner provides an engaging history of successfully introducing Pacific salmon into the lakes from the perspective of an ultimate insider.
 

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Developing a Firm Foundation
• The Great Lakes Context
• Michigan Matters
• Fishes of the Great Lakes
• Introducing Coho
• Preparing to Launch
• The First Release
• Promise Fulfilled
• Further Developments
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Index