Matt Herbert
@matteherbert.bsky.social
Conservation Scientist @nature.org in Michigan; Great Lakes, conservation, fish, freshwater, biodiversity, nature, ecology, sustainability; Views expressed here are my own, and not of my employer or any other organization I'm associated with
Lake Michigan tops list of best #fishing lakes in the U.S. Lake Erie is #2. #GreatLakes #lakes #LakeMichigan www.jsonline.com/story/news/e...
Lake Michigan lands first place in 2026 best US fishing lake rankings
Lake Michigan has been named the best fishing lake in the United States for 2026 by FishingBooker, a website that helps people book fishing trips.
jsonline.com
"Rescinding the Roadless Rule would diminish protections for rivers, and may compromise drinking water quality and affordability, reduce recreational opportunities, and threaten freshwater #biodiversity." #Conservation #freshwater #recreation #GetOutdoors journals.plos.org/water/articl...
Assessing the value of the U.S. Roadless Rule for people and nature
For more than a century, forest policy in the United States has recognized the importance of protecting forested watersheds to safeguard water resources. The 2001 U.S. Forest Service Roadless Area Con...
journals.plos.org
A recent study suggests that native Freshwater Drum predation on invasive Dreissenid mussels in Lake Erie exceeds the total predation on mussels by Round Goby, and is helping to reduce mussel densities in Lake Erie. #GreatLakes www.canr.msu.edu/news/freshwa...
Study: Indigenous practices are a source of resilience for helping respond to climate change, but Indigenous people are already experiencing impacts from climate change and their traditions, as well as their lands and waters, are threatened by #ClimateChange. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems and practices for climate survival - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications - Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems and practices for climate survival
nature.com
In two new publications, scientists call for an approach for using conservation genomics with ethical deliberation, in consultation with Indigenous peoples and with the goal of holistically supporting #ecosystems. #Conservation #Indigenous #genomics phys.org/news/2026-07...
Conservation genomics faces growing calls to center Indigenous knowledge and data rights
Throughout human ecological history, we have played a variety of roles within ecosystems around the world. In this so-called Anthropocene era, genomic innovations have given us new and powerful ways t...
phys.org
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in fish fillets of the Minnesota portion of the Lake Superior basin #GreatLakes 🧪 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... "PFAS in fish in this region are low relative to average national levels"
sciencedirect.com
Harnessing Great Lakes waves to power an island? #GreatLakes #Energy share.google/JfeP8uajnvlQ...
Michigan island needs reliable power. Can Great Lakes waves provide it? - Bridge Michigan
University of Michigan researchers are this week testing a prototype that turns wave energy into electricity for the remote Beaver Island.
share.google
Go fishing. It's fun, you can come home with good food, and it helps fund the conservation of Michigan's rivers, inland lakes, and #GreatLakes. The gear is an investment, but a license to fish all year is ridiculously cheap. #PureMichigan #Fishing #conservation www.canr.msu.edu/news/recreat...
Ohio DNR is working to restore Sauger in Lake Erie. #GreatLakes #Fisheries www.cleveland.com/outdoors/202...
Ohio is trying to bring back a fish that nearly vanished from Lake Erie over 60 years ago: NE Ohio fishing report
Ohio is restocking sauger in Lake Erie and rivers, aiming to revive populations and enhance fishing alongside current walleye success.
cleveland.com
Saginaw Bay's walleye population (and angler catches) continues to boom. #GreatLakes #Fisheries #SaginawBay #LakeHuron www.sooleader.com/local-news/s...
Saginaw Bay walleye boom drives record harvest and fishing trips
Walleye now most harvested species in Michigan waters of Great Lakes
sooleader.com
Old low-head dams block fish passage and alter ecological functions in rivers. But they are also dangerous and kill people. It is smart to invest in removing these structures. #Rivers #Dams #PublicSafety #Fish #Indiana www.creators.com/read/bonnie-...
Albert "Big Abe" LeBlanc changed fishing in the Great Lakes forever #GreatLakes #Fisheries #Indigenous www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-np...
America 250: Albert "Big Abe" LeBlanc changed fishing in the Great Lakes forever
Fifty years ago, one man triggered a legal fight that changed commercial fishing in the Great Lakes. Decades later, another legal battle is taking shape over the Great Lakes tribes indigenous rights.
iowapublicradio.org
Thanks to tireless work by tribal communities, manoomin (wild rice) is coming back to the Detroit River: buff.ly/QT5JB5g
Our forests are changing as the climate warms. #Forests #ClimateChange #GreatLakes www.michiganpublic.org/environment-...
UM study finds climate warming directly affects the makeup of plant communities
Dominant plant species in Michigan are changing as the climate becomes more suitable for warm-loving plants. That could let some invasive species move north.
michiganpublic.org
Study: Indigenous Lands Protect Wildlife Better Than Many Government Parks #Indigenous #Conservation #Parks #Wildlife a-z-animals.com/articles/ind...
Indigenous Lands Protect Wildlife Better Than Many Government Parks, Research Says
New research analyzing 111 conservation studies found that Indigenous lands could be used as a model for conservation efforts elsewhere.
a-z-animals.com
I can say from experience (as a private, non-profit scientist) that the loss of federal scientists & the resulting chaos is impacting every single project I work on. And every American is impacted in multiple ways. #Science #STEM #PublicService esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Federal scientists, a great American invention: a letter to our federal colleagues
Click on the article title to read more.
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
In the lower #GreatLakes, whitefish numbers have been declining in part due to invasive mussels - now a bill under consideration in the Michigan state Senate would allocate funding to the state's DNR for a rearing/stocking program to support whitefish recovery www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/05/05/m...
Michigan lawmakers may fund last-ditch effort to save whitefish - Great Lakes Now
Lawmakers move to restock the iconic fish that are disappearing from the lower Great Lakes.
greatlakesnow.org
Two hundred years of historical spawning and nursery data for ciscoes and whitefishes in the #GreatLakes. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Two hundred years of historical spawning and nursery data for coregonine fishes in the Laurentian Great Lakes - Scientific Data
Scientific Data - Two hundred years of historical spawning and nursery data for coregonine fishes in the Laurentian Great Lakes
nature.com
Are the #GreatLakes at the beginning of an invasive Pink Salmon problem? Great Lakes scientists think so. www.noaa.gov/stories/pink...
Pink salmon invasion in Great Lakes has lessons for North Atlantic, Arctic communities
New NOAA-led research on the history of the rise of pink salmon in the Great Lakes may help fishery managers and communities on the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans tackle the recent rapid growth of t...
noaa.gov
Why Some Lakes Resist Invasive Species Better Than Others #InvasiveSpecies #GreatLakes www.worldatlas.com/lakes/why-so...
Why Some Lakes Resist Invasive Species Better Than Others
Across North America, some lakes are far more vulnerable to invasive species than others. This article looks at what separates them.
worldatlas.com
With waters rising around Northern Michigan, the risk of flooding and dam failure is affecting people across the region. @grist.org and @iprnews.bsky.social published a guide to prepare for more flooding: www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/04/20/h...
Here's how to prepare, as more rain falls on northern Michigan - Great Lakes Now
A guide to go-bags, staying safe, evacuating, documenting damage and more.
greatlakesnow.org
Wow. What an incredible honor for @kellyhouse.bsky.social. Extremely well deserved. Her series on the decline of Lake Whitefish in the #GreatLakes was outstanding and incredibly important. We need more of this kind of deep-dive investigative journalism. Kudos to Bridge Michigan for providing it!
Bridge Michigan@bridgemi.com · 4mo agoFlood waters are understandably alarming, but our rivers and many fish species depend on seasonal flooding. #Flooding #Rivers #Fish #Fisheries www.wzzm13.com/article/news...
Why seasonal flooding along the Grand River is helpful for fish
Fish and other aquatic organisms can benefit from flooding, in a way that people can’t see.
wzzm13.com
Spring means warmer temperatures and the start of fish spawning. One of the earliest spawning fish in Wisconsin is the Northern Pike. Pike arrive right after ice out and use flooded areas. This gives their offspring a long first year growing season. #GreatLakes
Our Tributary Whitefish Restoration Team has been spending nights on the Jordan River evaluating the success of the latest Lake Whitefish egg stocking effort. Kudos to Little Traverse Bay Band for leading this, and all of the partner agencies for contributing. #GreatLakes #PureMichigan #fisheries
Stoneflies would be a perfect Michigan state insect. They love healthy, high quality rivers, and are known for their association with trout (which also love high quality rivers). #PureMichigan #Michigan #Rivers greatlakesecho.org/2026/03/27/s...
Stoneflies or leafhoppers: Which could become the official state insect?
By Justin Fox Clausen Two insects are under consideration as Michigan's official state insect: the stonefly and, more recently, the Huron River leafhopper. The state is one of two in the country with...
greatlakesecho.org
Lakes with the most native species in North America. #GreatLakes #LakeErie www.worldatlas.com/animals/the-...
The Lakes With the Most Native Fish Species in North America
North American lakes host diverse native fish, influencing ecology, recreation, and indicating watershed health across various climates.
worldatlas.com
Latest on restoration of tributary-spawning Lake Whitefish. #GreatLakes #PureMichigan www.mlive.com/galleries/XV...
Whitefish have declined because of invasive species and climate change-fueled loss of winter ice cover on the Great Lakes. Now scientists are testing whether rivers can serve as spawning refuges, incl...
Whitefish have declined because of invasive species and climate change-fueled loss of winter ice cover on the Great Lakes. Now scientists are testing whether rivers can serve as spawning refuges, incl...
mlive.com
