Isle Royale

The 85,000-gallon Isle Royale exhibit contains fish found in Lake Superior near Isle Royale. This exhibit is a two story tank divided into 3 sections.

The largest of the tanks features native fish found swimming in colder, deeper waters such as coaster brook trout, lake trout, lake sturgeon, burbot, long nose suckers, and walleye, as well as introduced species such as Kamloops and Steelhead rainbow trout, brown trout, and salmon.

Just around the corner is a warmer tank where you will find muskies, carp, and bass alongside fish that can survive in both cold and warm waters.

The final tank is our forage tank and holds Lake Superior’s smaller open water fish, such as schooling rainbow smelt, lake whitefish, and lake herring.

Species You’ll See:

Lake TroutLake Trout
Native to Lake Superior

WhitefishWhitefish
Renowned for its flavor

Lake SturgeonLake Sturgeon
Longest living fish in the Great Lakes

Rainbow TroutRainbow Trout
Can survive several spawning cycles

WalleyeWalleye
The state fish of Minnesota

Longnose SuckerLongnose Sucker
Lives in Asia as well as North America

BurbotBurbot
Only Cod family member in the Great Lakes

Did U Know?

  • We often have scuba divers feeding fish in this tank. Call 218-740-3474 to see if there will be divers when you plan to visit.
  • Isle Royale National Park is the site of the longest running mammal study in history. You can read about it at www.isleroyalewolf.org.