The Great Lakes region includes Lake Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Erie. Seafood from the Great Lakes region includes a variety of fish, both wild caught and farm raised.
The walleye or yellow pickerel is an important species, especially in Lake Ontario. Walleye can weigh 10 pounds or more.
The lake trout is another large species of commercial importance. Lake trout are landed in New York and Ontario.
The lake whitefish is one of the most popular fish in the Great Lakes due to its exceptional flavor and uniform size. This shy member of the trout-salmon family is known for its habit of schooling which allows fishermen to harvest the species with little or no bycatch.
The yellow perch is also very popular in the region. This small colorful fish yield high quality fillets and its often featured at fish frys and local festivals. Yellow perch is the most valuable Great Lakes fish in terms of price per pound.
Other commercially harvested species include lake herring, channel catfish, bullhead, buffalo, carp, sheepshead, quillback, chubs, white bass, white perch, American eel, and smelt.
In addition to wild stocks, aquaculture operations in the Great Lakes region produce high quality, farm raised yellow perch.
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