The Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT) was established in 1996 as a result of the settlement agreement with the Ludington Pump Storage Plant. The focus of the Trust is embodied in its mission statement:

The mission of the Great Lakes Fishery Trust is to provide funding to enhance, protect, and rehabilitate Great Lakes fishery resources. The Trust will manage its resources to compensate for lost use and enjoyment of the Lake Michigan fishery resulting from operation of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant (from the GLFT Strategic Plan 2000).

Funding objectives include:

  • Research projects designed to increase the benefits tied to fishery resources of the Great Lakes
  • Rehabilitating populations of lake trout, lake sturgeon and other sport fishes
  • Protecting and enhancing habitat for Great Lakes fishes including wetlands
  • Public education on Great Lakes fisheries
  • Acquiring property to protect and enhance the fishery
  • Broadening public access and other efforts which support these objectives and meet the goals of the GLFT

These objectives are being directed towards one Lake Michigan tributary to serve as a model for a holistic watershed approach to enhance Great Lakes fisheries. Designated as the GLFT River Initiative, this effort will focus on concentrating funding towards habitat restoration, fisheries research, species rehabilitation and fisheries education over the next three to five years. Presently, the Muskegon River watershed has been targeted for this initiative to maximaize support opportunities for achieving measurable fisheries improvements and to develop a model for enhancement efforts transferable to other Great Lakes tributary systems.

For more information, visit the GLFT website at www.glft.org.