The future proposal, dubbed “Save Great Lakes Fish Act of 2025,” would direct sustained funding over ten years for research, control methods, and restoration strategies.

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Whitefish are far more than a menu staple – they anchor tribal fishing rights, drive the Great Lakes’ commercial harvest, and remain a cultural touchstone across the region. But invasive zebra and quagga mussels have effectively stripped the lakes of food. By filtering massive volumes of water, the mussels devour the tiny plants and animals (plankton) that fuel the entire food web. They may look harmless, even pretty, but their impact is anything but: whitefish are now struggling to find enough food to survive.

Not a quick fix.

The yet-to-be-introduced legislation would modify a similar 1956 program used to combat sea lamprey, a parasitic, eel-like fish that invaded the Great Lakes through man-made canals in the early 1900s. That campaign, decades long and still ongoing, shows just how persistent invasive species can be. In other words: this is not a one-and-done fishing trip. It’s a generational restoration effort.

The line in the water.

Commercial fishers say catches are thinning. Tribal nations say their fishing rights only matter if the fish still exist. And state officials warn that losing whitefish would reverberate through the state’s ecosystems and economy.

This is one of those rare bipartisan Michigan issues – because everyone agrees that once the fish are gone, no amount of policy speeches will bring them back. The legislation is being championed by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton). Dingell told Bridge Michigan that the investment is needed or that the “fish we take for granted are going to just disappear.” The media outlet has been extensively reporting on the whitefish problem in the Great Lakes and the urgent need to find a solution.

If the whitefish proposal is passed, the funding would mark a major federal investment aimed specifically at restoring whitefish in the state. It won’t produce overnight results, but lawmakers and fisheries experts say it could finally give scientists and tribal partners the tools they’ve needed for years. The question now is whether Congress is willing to cast the line before the whitefish vanish for good.