The Grayling Fish Hatchery has big news to share and Manager/ Program Director Mitchell Salhaney II is ready to passionately tell you all about it when you visit.
After a few years of rough waters, the hatchery is making big waves in conservation and education- and are now home to the once extinct in Michigan legendary Grayling fish. Officially named Articus Thymallus, the Grayling is the original native fish of the AuSable and Manistee Rivers. This sensitive, easily scared fish thrives in cold, and quick moving water with temperatures around 4-6 degrees celsius.
The hatchery watches water quality and temperature closely for these fish. When water temps rose as they did this spring when we had extremely warm days, the hatchery adjusts water flow to the Grayling raceway to work to create an optimal environment for their survival. Visitors will see that nets cover their habitat protecting them from hungry osprey and eager to fish eagles.
This summer marks the first in over 100 years that the fish has lived in Grayling and the best way to see them is to bring a pair of sunglasses to the hatchery Friday through Sunday. Mitch and intern Jacob Ziegler will direct you to their raceway as well as others.
The Grayling specifically were given to the hatchery to house and research by the Marquette State Fish Hatchery this year, and will live at the hatchery year round. At this time, the Grayling would be unlikely to survive release to AuSable, but hope prevails that one day perhaps they will.
When the lumber boom came to Grayling, riverbanks were degraded, sending logs down the river and sand and sediment began to fill the once shady gravel riverbeds that the fish thrived in. Combined with loss of habitat, easy fishing, and a delicious taste, the Grayling population was quickly decimated.
Realizing the impact of logging on the area, Rassmen Hansen sold stock in his own company to fund the Grayling Fish Hatchery in 1912. The hatchery has moved through several hands including the State of Michigan in the 1960’s, private ownership for a number of years, and is now under direction of an independent board of volunteer directors. They oversee hatchery operations and have created a forward vision that supports awareness, and education for future generations to come with a sharp eye toward making sure the AuSable’s pristine integrity is maintained.
The hatchery is home to trails winding around and over Grayling and trout raceways and the AuSable River. It has a catch and release pond for children with two docks and more than a few turtles including a massive snapper. There are also two ponds that wild trout come and go freely from, and a newly developed bug station to learn about what the fish eat.
The hatchery is experiencing a new lease on life as a non-profit with the generous support of community members’ involvement and donations. Local conservation groups such as the Anglers of the AuSable, and educational groups such as the AuSable Institute, bring educational opportunities to local school children and visitors from near and far.
It is the intention of the hatchery to be accessible for all and is a great place for residents to step into their backyard to experience a slice of the peace that the AuSable offers without having to leave town.
The hatchery hopes that visitors will be captivated and become inspired to get involved with our rivers and to realize that they can create a lasting impression on future generations.
The concept that everyone is a public landowner and has responsibility in such, and that we can learn about and contribute to a better river future, is embodied at the Grayling Fish Hatchery.
You can see and feed the historic Grayling, sit and watch the trout swim by and enjoy the call of the birds while fishing with your children for free every weekend through the summer before the fish (with the exception of the Grayling) are dispersed to Howe’s Lake in the fall.
Learn more about the hatchery in person, on their Facebook page, on Instagram, or their website www.graylingfishhatchery.org
Truly an understated gem of Crawford County and Northern Michigan, the Grayling Fish Hatchery’s progress in creating a space and future for outdoor education and in creating a viable habitat for the storied Grayling fish are not to be missed.
A visit to the hatchery this summer holds the promise of a once in a lifetime, or at least once in 100 years, experience that you won’t soon forget.
