What’s Going On? Dead Fish Keep Piling Up On Lake Michigan Shoreline

People walking along the Lake Michigan shoreline from Muskegon all the way north to Cross village are seeing a bizarre sight.

Tons of dead fish are washing ashore in a larger than normal seasonal die-off.

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Is there something in the water that's causing this?
The Michigan DNR has some answers to explain exactly what's going on.

Massive Amounts of Dead Fish Are Washing Up On The Lake Michigan Shoreline

The Michigan DNR says that the massive amount of dead fish being found on the Lake Michigan shoreline are Alewife fish.

What Are Alewife Fish

Alewife fish are not native to Michigan, According to the Michigan DNR alewife fish migrated from the Atlantic Ocean into the Great Lakes through the Welland Canal in the 1920s.

Alewife fish spend most of the year in deep, cold waters. In the spring and summer, they migrate to nearshore areas to spawn and search for food. Some alewife come out of winter in a weakened state and don’t tolerate changing conditions such as large temperature swings. The combination of poor over-winter conditions, temperature changes, and spawning stress causes the die-off.

What Should You Do If You See A Bunch Of Dead Alewife Fish

The Michigan DNR asks that you report die-offs that are believed to be caused by unnatural conditions to their nearest DNR office or by calling Michigan’s Pollution Emergency Alert System at 800-292-4706.