Howard Allen Tanner

Howard Allen Tanner, a pioneering fisheries biologist, educator and conservation leader whose work forever changed the Great Lakes, passed away on August 16, 2026, at the age of 102.Howard was born September 4, 1923, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the son of Howard Everett Tanner and Maud Tanner.His appreciation for Michigan's natural resources began early.Growing up in northern Michigan, he fished the Jordan River and surrounding waters with his father from the time he was a young boy, beginning a lifelong connection to the outdoors that would ultimately shape not only his career, but the future of fishing throughout the Great Lakes.Howard served in the United States Army during World War II before returning home and pursuing his education.He attended Michigan State College, now Michigan State University, and went on to earn his PhD in fisheries science from Michigan State University in 1952.His career took him to Colorado, where he worked as a professor at Colorado State University and in fisheries research and management for the Colorado Department of Game, Fish and Parks.In 1964, Howard returned to Michigan to become chief of the Fisheries Division of the Michigan Department of Conservation, which later became the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.He arrived at a challenging time for the Great Lakes.Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush populations had declined dramatically, invasive alewives had multiplied in enormous numbers, and massive fish die-offs were creating serious ecological and recreational problems.Howard saw possibility where others saw a problem.Drawing upon his experience in the western United States, he championed the introduction of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. to the Great Lakes.In 1966, Michigan began releasing Coho Salmon O. kisutch into tributaries of Lake Michigan.The program was extraordinarily successful, with the salmon thriving on the abundant Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus population and creating a recreational fishery that attracted anglers from throughout the country.Howard's vision helped transform the ecology, recreation and economy of the Great Lakes region and earned him recognition as the "father of the Great Lakes salmon fishery."What began as an innovative and, at the time, uncertain experiment became one of the most significant fisheries management achievements in North America.His career of public service extended well beyond the salmon program.