DULUTH -- A warmer Lake Superior could improve the chances of catching salmon and other species as well as provide benefits for the Great Lakes shipping industry.

The average surface water temperature for the entire lake hit 68 and a half degrees Fahrenheit.

University of Minnesota Duluth researchers have found that summer surface temperatures in Lake Superior have increased by 5 degrees over the past 30 years.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Lake Superior area fisheries supervisor Cory Goldsworthy says warmer surface water could also result in a more productive fishery for species such as salmon and brook trout.

Less ice cover could also benefit the shipping industry. Record ice cover in 2014 delayed the start of the shipping season and damaged ships.

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