Traditional Markets

For years, explains Williams, dressed lake whitefish from Michigan was packed on ice in 50-pound boxes and shipped to Detroit, New York and Chicago. But, he says, these traditional markets have become less profitable in recent years for many reasons. Williams notes that strong commercial fishing competition within and outside of the state has resulted in an abundance of fillets on the market, causing depressed prices.

Lake Huron commercial fisherman John Gauthier agrees. "I'm getting about the same amount per pound of whitefish as we were about 40 to 50 years ago but my expenses are higher," says Gauthier of Gauthier & Spaulding Fisheries in Rogers City. Gauthier attributes the competition to Canadian wholesalers and distributors that market a high-volume and benefit from a favorable exchange rate.

Others cite changing markets as a significant factor. Historically, a substantial amount of lake whitefish from Michigan was sold at the Fulton Fish Market in New York, several blocks from the site of the World Trade Center. After the events of September 11, 2001, the market temporarily closed, and some say it has never fully recovered.

Other industry experts cite the availability of farm-raised species such as salmon and talapia from places as far away as Norway and the Mediterranean. These fish alternatives may be competing with lake whitefish.

This combination of issues presents a challenge for those in the industry—how to increase the public’s knowledge of lake whitefish, create new markets outside of the Great Lakes region and raise market value.

“We have to move away from lake whitefish as a commodity and move toward lake whitefish as a brand,” says Michigan Sea Grant Extension Agent Chuck Pistis. “We need to create a marketplace identity for Great Lakes whitefish—a brand image that differentiates Great Lakes whitefish from other products.”