The Spencer F. Baird arrived in Cheboygan,Michigan on July 20th. - FWS Photo

The pride of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Lake Trout Restoration Program, the M/V Spencer F. Baird, arrived at the U.S. Geological Survey dock in Cheboygan, Michigan, July 20. 

This new vessel was built in Morgan City, Louisiana by Conrad Industries over the course of 19 months at a cost approaching 7.5 million dollars.  Funding came from the Service's base budget, so offices from across the country had a hand in making this happen. 

This boat will replace the aging M/V Togue, the condition of which has been in steady decline for quite some time, despite significant investments in maintenance and repairs. 

Safety is of the utmost importance, and the Togue just wasn’t as safe it needed to be.  Due to its poor condition, Captain Mike Perry had to be very conservative in making determinations regarding whether to make offshore stocking runs if even moderately inclement weather was forecast.

The Baird was constructed according to U.S. Coast Guard safety specifications, so it will be able to safely handle higher seas than the Togue.  The Baird is slightly larger and will haul roughly 25% more fish.  It will also be used extensively by offices in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Alpena, Michigan, for offshore fisheries assessment work.  This will involve the deployment and retrieval of large gill nets, trawl nets, and trap nets.

Although some might expect the new boat to have been delivered to Michigan via the Mississippi River, because some of the Baird’s radar and radio equipment is too tall to pass under some bridges spanning the Mississippi, it had to be delivered via the Atlantic Ocean. The new acquisition travelled 4,200 miles over the course of 20 days, with stops in Florida, Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.

The Spencer F. Baird will be officially dedicated on September 7, 2006 in Traverse City, Michigan.