Karen J Murchie, Ph.D.

Once considered 'junk,' native rough fish soon could see new catch limits, protections For more than a century, native rough fish like redhorse, bowfin and buffalo were lumped in with invasive species like common carp — and not considered worthy of protection or management. But there’s ...

Once considered 'junk,' native rough fish soon could see new catch limits, protections www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0... @mprnews.org @kirstimarohn.bsky.social

I had the best time connecting with students, faculty and staff at MSU last week. Thank you for your hospitality Department of Fisheries and Wildlife 🐟💙

TONIGHT on Detroit PBS!

Sort fish, harvest wild rice and learn about what a drifting buoy revealed about winter on the lakes.

Read about "Sorting Fish and Breakaway Buoys" and catch the episode at 7:30 PM ET: www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/01/26/s...

Thank you @natrevbiodiv.nature.com for sharing our article here!

What a great way to start 2026 - working towards greater conservation of migratory freshwater fishes with amazing people.

I was happy to co-author this blog post for the inaugural United Nations World Lake Day! Today and every day we should celebrate our freshwater ecosystems not only for the myriad of ecosystem services they provide us but also because of the amazing creatures that call those waterbodies home!

A calm tree-lined lake under a clear blue sky.

Lake webinars! MILP just upcated their list. Some new ones:
8/21: How zebra mussels are changing fish contaminants
8/26: How wake boats impact lakes
9/25: Starry stonewort and manoomin (wild rice)
10/2: When the forst burns, what's in the water?

Full list: www.canr.msu.edu/michiganlake...

The Stream Daily water news across the globe

Wildlife officials have identified new colonies of invasive zebra mussels in northern stretches of the Colorado River.

The Stream newsletter gives you access to the latest global water news: www.circleofblue.org/stream/
#CircleofBlue #WaterNews #TheStream #GlobalWaterNews

Detroit River becoming a crucible for boundary organization experimentation The Detroit River has a long history of human use and abuse, resulting in public outcry over water pollution and resource degradation. This public out…

Detroit River becoming a crucible for boundary organization experimentation

#GreatLakes 🧪

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Decline of whitefish in Lake Michigan sparks fears that the fish might disappear State regulators say the commercial harvest of lake whitefish in Lake Michigan has reached its lowest level since 1990, and some fisheries biologists fear the species might largely disappear in parts ...

Decline of whitefish in Lake Michigan sparks fears that the fish might disappear

The commercial harvest of the fish has declined nearly 90 percent since 1999

#GreatLakes

www.wpr.org/news/decline...

Lake Tahoe workshop launches key global conservation initiatives for freshwater fish INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Scientists, policy leaders and conservation experts from five continents have advanced several major initiatives to protect migratory freshwater fish and their habitats followi...

I am grateful to have been a part of the workshop that happened last week focusing on key global conservation initiatives for migratory freshwater fishes. These species need our attention.

www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/lake-ta...

Wishing all ICFT 2025 attendees safe travels to Traverse City, MI. See you on Sunday June 8!

I love the work your lab does also.

Congratulations to Mikayla Ford (University of Brussels), for being selected as our other student travel award winner for ICFT 2025. Her project is on “Linking Activity States to Habitat Preference of Wels Catfish (Silurus glanis) in a Freshwater Reservoir” 🐟

Ah my Fish Creek sucker friends! Awesome video Titus!

Large female sucker in shallow, rocky area.

Man in stream, probably fish in close proximity

Not all dorsal fins sticking out of the water are sharks, some are suckers in shallow water

Had some white sucker stream time this morning.

Still here and still spawning.

#GreatLakes

We are excited to be hosting a screening of the film All Too Clear for our conference attendees and the general public in Traverse City on June 9. All attendees are signed up automatically but if you live in TVC, please reserve a free ticket here: www.cityoperahouse.org/node/648

Congratulations to Sophia Costa (Florida International University) for being chosen as a recipient of one of the ICFT 2025 student travel awards! Sophia's project is on "Integrating Habitat Suitability and Connectivity of Juvenile Goliath Grouper into Fisheries Management Using Acoustic Telemetry" 🐟

Keeping the $5.5 billion Great Lakes fishery afloat The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station is based in a building that was constructed in 1917, originally as a federal fish hatchery. It wasn’t the first on this site. An earlier hatchery was built in 1894. The U.S. government was trying to replenish the fish population. Lake trout, whitefish, and walleye were not reproducing at rates fast enough to keep up with the demand of commercial fishing.

Keeping the $5.5 billion Great Lakes fishery afloat

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station is based in a building that was constructed in 1917, originally as a federal fish hatchery. It wasn’t the first on this site. An earlier hatchery was built in…

EU science agency issues a drought warning for Europe, which could again hurt shipping along the Rhine this summer.

The Stream newsletter gives you access to the latest global water news: www.circleofblue.org/stream/
#CircleofBlue #WaterNews #TheStream #GlobalWaterNews

We are in the last couple of days to register for the ICFT in Traverse City. Registration closes end of day May 7. The room block and rate for the hotel also has a deadline of May 7. All of the remaining planning for the program, excursions, catering etc hinges on the final # registered. Thank you 🐟

After a record 30-day mission, SG Goot is back on deck from Lake Ontario. This glider braved the shoulder season to capture important temperature data. Looking forward to working with our partners on the data analysis… stay tuned 👀 🌊 @efdtoronto.bsky.social

Had a blast communing with longnose suckers this week in Wisconsin with @karenjmurchie.bsky.social, whose long-running study of these quietly charismatic fish has done much to reveal the extent and phenology of their spawning runs. A herd of aquatic bison fertilizing a liquid prairie.

Registration for the 7th ICFT is now open. The deadline for registration is May 7, 2025. Please visit the conference website to register: event.fourwaves.com/7thicft/regi...

I think this is my favourite report cover of all time. Any others?

Trump firings hit Great Lakes sea lamprey program, Michigan forestry workers | Great Lakes Now Fish and wildlife officials tasked with holding back a species that would otherwise decimate the Great Lakes fishery were among those caught up in a mass purge of federal workers.

Dozens of workers focused on lamprey control were among scores of Michigan federal workers fired without notice in the past week

Story by @bridgemi.com: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/trum...

Do you know someone who goes above and beyond to communicate their science to other groups?

Consider nominating them for the Award for Excellence in Public Outreach!

Additional nomination criteria and submission portal linked in our bio.

Deadline for submission is April 1.

The viral Czech beaver story is terrific because it’s a perfect distillation of the grand beaver narrative: the world’s most ingenious rodents, acting without our awareness or authorization, engineering wetlands whose ecological value far exceeds anything humans could dream up. We don’t deserve ‘em.

If you submitted an abstract for consideration at the 7th ICFT in Traverse City, you should have received an email confirmation of abstract acceptance & format. Please check your spam filter if you don't see a message in your inbox. Reach out to icft@glfc.org with any issues.