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August 24, 2026
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources honors the memory of Dr. Howard A. Tanner, former DNR director and Fisheries Division chief, who passed away Aug. 16 at the age of 102. Dr. Tanner is remembered for his conservation and fisheries management work, which has left an indelible mark on the state and created new fishing opportunities for Michigan anglers.
Dr. Tanner served as the chief of the Fisheries Division of the DNR (then known as the Michigan Department of Conservation) from 1964 to 1966. He was then the director of the Natural Resources program at the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources until his return to the DNR in 1975 as the agency’s director.
Perhaps best known for his contribution to the recreational Pacific salmon fishery on the Great Lakes, Dr. Tanner, as chief of the Fisheries Division, was charged with addressing the issue of alewife — an invasive species that was washing up on shore in droves, making beaches unusable and throwing Great Lakes ecosystems out of balance. In response, he determined to stock coho salmon and acquired surplus eggs from Oregon. The first of these coho salmon were stocked in the Platte River and its tributaries in 1966, resulting in the start of the “something spectacular” that gives title to Dr. Tanner’s memoir: a Great Lakes recreational salmon fishery that exists to this day.
“Dr. Howard Tanner had the vision and courage to imagine a different future for the Great Lakes when few others could,” said Randy Claramunt, DNR Fisheries Division chief. “His decision to introduce Pacific salmon transformed Michigan’s fisheries, created a world-class recreational fishery, and changed the way we think about managing the Great Lakes. "We are the beneficiaries of his bold leadership today, and his legacy will continue to influence fisheries management for generations to come."
Additionally, Dr. Tanner was instrumental in addressing mercury contamination in Michigan waters and influential in the Milliken administration’s ban on the manufacture and sale of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), toxic industrial chemicals that are harmful to human health, in the state in 1976.
In 2016, the DNR named one of its Great Lakes research vessels after Dr. Tanner, the RV Tanner out of Alpena. He was inducted into the Michigan Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2019 and was honored by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission with the Thomas L. Washington Lifetime Conservation Award in 2022.
To learn more about Dr. Tanner’s life and legacy or to share a memory or condolence, visit the Lansing State Journal.
Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.
Contact: DNR-Fisheries@Michigan.gov
Here are a few of this week's stories from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Tree planting in the Upper Peninsula’s Breitung Charter Township, street tree maintenance and planting in Benton Harbor and tree planting in Three Rivers are among the community projects across Michigan sharing in nearly $650,000 in grants.
Following the tours, hatchery-reared sturgeon fingerlings will be released into the Black River and Mullett Lake.
Officials express gratitude for advocates’ support for Michigan’s conservation heritage
Marquette community collaborations focus of Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund 50th anniversary event
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will lower the water level of Tomahawk Creek Flooding, a popular fishing destination in Presque Isle and Montmorency counties, following a state inspection that identified concerns with the dam that creates the impoundment.
Among the wildest of Michigan’s wild places, the rugged Michigamme Highlands has some of the most important natural geography in the Great Lakes region. Made up of vast forests, sparkling lakes, winding trout streams and granite outcroppings, the landscape is truly spectacular. Now, thanks entirely to grant funding, over 73,000 acres of this beautiful landscape has been protected and is available for everyone to enjoy.
