“Fish Guts” makes a splash on the big screen

January 30, 2018

An informational video about the Huron-Michigan Diet Study was recently screened at the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary International Film Festival.

As invasive species shift the Great Lakes food web, predators are changing their feeding habits. An MSU-led Huron-Michigan Diet Study is encouraging anglers (through the 2019 fishing season) to contribute stomachs from all types of predatory fish caught in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. In order to teach proper procedures, Extension educator Dan O’Keefe and MSU senior and filmmaker Zachary Barnes created an information video on the study. Recently, the video (renamed “Fish Guts”) was screened as part of the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary International Film Festival.

“It was great to have our film screened and to get the message out about the study to such a diverse audience,” O’Keefe said. Each year the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary bring the world of cinema to Alpena. Films include some of the most impressive ocean and Great Lakes films from around the world. Film screenings are complemented by social events, educational activities, and opportunities to meet filmmakers. “I got to see some of the greatest environmental films from the past year including one produced by Patagonia,” said Barnes.

Want to be a part of this project? Here are two ways to participate: Collect fish stomachs (watch the video) … or contribute to the fund to help hire students to analyze the data!