Turning in tagged fish could be rewarding
Next time you catch a trout or salmon, remember to check for a clip on the adipose fin – that small, fleshy fin behind the dorsal fin. It could be worth $100.
Through mass marking assistance by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Great Lakes states, including Michigan, mark popular game fish like steelhead, Chinook salmon, Atlantic salmon, brown trout and lake trout.
Most trout and salmon with an adipose fin clip also have a coded-wire tag in their snout. The tag is small, like the tip of a lead pencil, so it must be removed by lab technicians. Anyone catching and wanting to keep an adipose fin clipped fish should turn the head into a local drop-off station in Michigan.