News photo by Josh Jambor Workers erect a large event tent Tuesday, in preparation for the Brown Trout Festival along the Alpena Marina waterfront. The annual celebration brings fishing tournaments, vendors, and community activities to the marina area.

ALPENA – As the Brown Trout Festival kicks off this week along the Alpena Marina, Harbormaster Kevin Fisher says the local marina is steadily rebounding from a delayed opening caused by winter ice conditions, setting the stage for what has already been a busy shipping and tourism season on Lake Huron.

The annual festival, drawing visitors to the waterfront with fishing tournaments, food vendors and family events, coincides with increasing boat traffic at the city-owned Alpena Marina. Fisher, who also serves as parks coordinator, said harbor operations are now in full swing after a slow start, with improvements underway to better serve recreational boaters, commercial vessels, and researchers.

“Typically, weather controls what we do. After winter is over, we prefer getting as much of a head start as we can on re-opening the marina,” Fisher said. “Basically, there is always a lot of infrastructure repair and maintenance work to be done before we open for the season.”

This year’s ice storm pushed back preparations, leaving the marina to play catch-up. While the facility officially opens to recreational and transient boaters from May 15 to Oct. 15, seasonal operations begin as soon as the ice melts. As of early July, some boats remained in the parking lot, Fisher noted, contrasting with quicker occupancy in his first year on the job.

“I think my first year here (2024), most of the slips were occupied by May 31, this year we still had quite a few boats parked through mid-June,” Fisher said. “We typically have a lot more boats launched by the first week of June or so, with the goal of having the parking lot empty of stored boats by July 1 of each year; but this year’s spring weather delayed a lot of the launches.”

The Alpena Marina operates as a Grant-In-Aid facility, city-owned and managed since 2021, but closely partnered with the Department of Natural Resources and Waterways Commission. Those ties make it eligible for state grants supporting upgrades while serving a mix of users including NOAA research vessels, charter boats, cruise lines, the Alpena Youth Sailing Club, and military training operations.

Fisher highlighted the marina’s role as part of a broader network.

“The Alpena Marina/Harbor is a single cog in a large gear,” he said. “We work a lot, in-tandem with NOAA, the Alpena Shipwreck Tours, in-town charters, out-of-town charters, private contractors, the Combat Readiness Training Center, and other branches of the U.S. and state militaries, and recreational boaters.”

Overall, commercial traffic is expected to rise this season.

“Definitely increased,” Fisher said. “We have a new cruise company operating on the Great Lakes this year, American Cruise Lines. I have also noticed an uptick in transient boaters reserving slips at the Alpena Marina as well.”

Recent infrastructure upgrades include 12 new floating docks, upgraded fuel lines and a new top-of-the-line pump-out station. Future plans call for a complete remodel of the boaters’ lounge and restroom facilities. Those enhancements, funded in part by state grants, aim to improve the visitor experience as Alpena positions itself as a key Great Lakes destination.

The marina’s multifaceted role, blending recreation, research, commerce, and education, underscores its value to the local economy. With the Brown Trout Festival underway this week, visitors can expect to see the waterfront bustling with boats, tours and events that highlight Alpena’s connection to the water.

As the season progresses, Fisher and his team continue balancing maintenance with growing demand.

Josh Jambor can be reached at jjambor@thealpenanews.com.