Saving Ships, Saving Fish traces the history of the Hammond Bay Station near Rogers City, Michigan, from its beginnings as a nineteenth-century U.S. Life-Saving Service station rescuing ships and sailors on Lake Huron to its modern role in protecting Great Lakes fisheries. The article highlights how the station evolved into a center for pioneering sea lamprey research and control, helping reverse one of the most devastating invasive species impacts in Great Lakes history and contributing to the restoration of a fishery now valued at more than $5 billion annually.
This article was first published in Michigan History Magazine (April/May 2024) by the Michigan History Society in partnership with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. We gratefully acknowledge authors Beach B. Hall, Andrea J. Miehls, and Lauren A.C. Holbrook for documenting the unique legacy of a site that has spent nearly 150 years safeguarding both people and fish across the Great Lakes.
