In the 1960s and 1970s, Pacific salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes as a way to control invasive species and increase sport fishing opportunities. The most common species of salmon found in the Great Lakes are Chinook salmon, also known as King salmon, and Coho salmon.

Chinook salmon were purposefully introduced into the Great Lakes by the Michigan Department of Conservation in 1966. The primary reason was to control the exploding population of alewives, an invasive, oily fish that was dying off in massive numbers and rotting on beaches. State biologists, led by Howard Tanner, realized that a large Pacific predator could both solve the alewife problem and create a world-class recreational fishery. After the initial Michigan stocking, other states and Ontario followed suit. While Chinook salmon were not native to these freshwater "inland seas," they thrived on the abundant alewife food source. Today, while some natural reproduction occurs in cold-water tributaries, the population is maintained largely through extensive hatchery programs. In 2026, the Chinook remains the "king" of the Great Lakes sportfishing industry, contributing billions to the regional economy, although biologists must carefully balance stocking levels with the fluctuating health of the alewife "prey base" to prevent a total ecosystem collapse.