Swimming deep under Lake Superior’s surface, emaciated lake trout nicknamed zombie fish, are turning up in greater numbers and scientists want to know why.
Researchers and fish pathologists from Michigan State University will head to the deepest point of Lake Superior this summer, the Superior Maximus, to investigate siscowet lake trout, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced on Monday, June 8.
Officials say the zombie fish were observed only in the deepest part of the Great Lake inhabited by few species due to very low productivity and extreme conditions.
“The overall incidence of zombie siscowet in deep water has risen from approximately 3% in 2015 to about 20% in 2024 and 2025,” a news release from the Michigan DNR reads. “At Superior Maximus, 37% (11 fish) of siscowet captured in the 2024 survey were zombies; in 2025, 54% (15 fish) of those captured fell into this category.”
And although the siscowet lake trout have adapted to live in waters with low food resources, DNR researchers say the expedition will help answer important questions about the increase of thin fish in water around 600 to 1,320 feet in Lake Superior.
Officials did not give a specific date when the exploration is scheduled but did say it will take place sometime this summer.
Where is Superior Maximus?
The point lies 34 miles offshore and more than 1,300 feet beneath the surface of Lake Superior, the deepest point in the largest freshwater lake on Earth by surface area, the DNR said.
No sunlight reaches the extreme environment, where pressure is more than 40 times greater than at the surface.
The ill-fated Edmund Fitzerald, by contrast, lies a little more than 500 feet below the surface.
Where is Lake Superior?
Lake Superior borders Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the south, along with the nearby states of Wisconsin and Minnesota to the west, and the province of Ontario, Canada, to the north.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ‘Zombies’ are deep under Lake Superior. Researchers want to know why
Reporting by Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
