It happens every spring. Thousands of young Atlantic salmon, raised by hand inside a U.P. university’s hatchery, make their way into the St. Marys River for the first time.
Most people drive right past without ever knowing it’s happening.
Tomorrow, that changes. Lake Superior State University is throwing open the doors for a free public celebration of 40 years of one of the Upper Peninsula’s most quietly impressive conservation programs — and you don’t need a ticket to show up.
Four Decades of Doing It Right
LSSU’s aquatic research lab in Sault Ste. Marie traces back to 1977, tucked into a working hydroelectric plant on the St. Marys River. It wasn’t glamorous, but it became something special: one of the only places in the country where university students run a real fish hatchery that releases fish into public waters, learning hands-on fisheries management while they do it.
The Atlantic salmon program itself launched in the mid-1980s, a partnership between the university, the local electric cooperative, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Roughly 30,000 young salmon a year have been raised and released into the St. Marys ever since — and four decades later, that effort has helped build a world-class fishery that draws anglers from far beyond the U.P.
What started as a small operation inside a power plant turned into a genuine point of pride for the eastern U.P. — and a training ground that’s launched countless careers in fisheries and wildlife management.
What’s Happening Tomorrow
The celebration kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 4 at the Richard and Theresa Barch Center for Freshwater Research and Education in Sault Ste. Marie, right next to the Cloverland hydroelectric plant on the riverfront.
There will be remarks, a formal proclamation honoring the 40-year milestone, and the 2026 Atlantic Salmon class will be officially named in recognition of the four-decade partnership between LSSU, Cloverland Electric Cooperative, and the Michigan DNR.
After the ceremony comes the good stuff: hatchery tours, a visit to the Dr. Constance Baker Great Lakes Discovery Center, refreshments on the riverfront, and — at 6 p.m. — the public Atlantic Salmon release itself, carried out by the DNR.
It’s free. It’s family-friendly. And it’s the kind of thing you’ll wish you’d known about sooner.
Worth Showing Up For
There aren’t many places in the world where a university, a power company, and a state wildlife agency have kept a conservation partnership going for 40 straight years. The St. Marys River is better for it — and so is the U.P.
If you go, bring the kids. Watching thousands of salmon hit the water for the first time is one of those moments that’s hard to explain and easy to remember.
Thursday, June 4 | 4:30 p.m. | Barch Center for Freshwater Research and Education, Sault Ste. Marie Free and open to the public. Salmon release begins at 6 p.m.
Know somebody in the Soo who’d love this? Tag them — and if you make it out, tell us how the release was. 🐟
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