MILWAUKEE — Visitors to the Lake Michigan shoreline in southeast Wisconsin have been welcomed over the past week by the unmistakable scent of dead fish.
Called Alewife, Brad Eggold with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it’s quite common for them to wash up this time of year.
“Alewife is not native to Lake Michigan,” said Eggold. “It’s Atlantic fish, so it’s a salt water fish. They have trouble osmo-regulating water in their system.”
Eggold said that the rapidly fluctuating water and air temperatures along with spawning activity adds a lot of what's often fatal stress on the fish.
“At the same time, they’re an invasive species, they’re also a benefit and a food resource to the salmon and trout fishery and a tremendous sport fish to Lake Michigan going on 50 plus years now.”
While birds are feasting over the dead Alewife, Eggold said they’re not a hazard. He’s said this is expected to go on for a couple more weeks. Then the beaches will be back to normal.
Athen’s resident Lori Lenhard spent Tuesday afternoon at Bradford Beach. The beach was a spot Lenhard and her mother enjoyed spending time together. This past February her mother passed away.
“It didn’t matter what the weather was,” said Lenhard. “Winter, raining, we’d walk the beach.”
While the weather wasn’t an issue for her visit, the dead fish made looking for seashells and rocks a bit difficult. The fish makes Lenhard’s wonder what her mother would think of it if she was there.
“I think she’d still find joy in it but she’d still comment on it,” said Lenhard. “I think hearing the water and waves would override the smell.”
The DNR said it’s up to local government to deicide how to remove the dead fish. Spectrum News reached out to Milwaukee County but has not heard back.