Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery (NFH) raised 201,241 fall fingerling lake trout for stocking into Lake Huron during fiscal year 2011. The lake trout were from the Seneca Lake Wild strain, and when stocked, weighed more than 6,000 pounds in total. All the fingerlings had coded wire tags (CWT) inserted into their snouts and adipose fin clips. The CWT contains information such as which hatchery the fish were stocked from, which agency stocked them, and what strain of lake trout they were. The adipose fin clip alerts fishers and researchers that the fish contains the CWT.

These fall fingerlings are one-of-a-kind in that they were destined to be stocked out into the Lake Huron basin using the M.V. Spencer F. Baird; instead of just shore stocked. Their long day of travel on October 5 started at 3:30 a.m. with the lights being turned on in the raceway building, and all staff waiting to hear the outcome of the weather call from Captain Mike Perry. The weather call was a “go”, so staff started loading the fingerlings onto three large fish distribution trucks, one from Pendills Creek NFH, one from Iron River NFH, and one from Jordan River NFH. The trucks traveled over the Mackinac Bridge and to Alpena to meet the M.V. Spencer F. Baird and off load the lake trout from the trucks and into the fish tanks on the deck of the boat. Their destination was Yankee Reef in Lake Huron, but the infamous Great Lakes weather again reared its windy head causing five foot waves, and the fish had to be released earlier than planned – but were healthy and swimming.

Drivers of the fish trucks for the journey were John Shuman, James Anderson, and Denise Johnston; Randy Obermiller rode along and assisted the Baird crew during sailing.