By collapse, you mean all dead & extinct in the lake? As in, there is 0% chance of them returning from the dead like the eggs that are laid which is start growing once there is new food source?
If the zebra mussel are all dead, would it be possible to transplant a family of fish from some other lake, so they can start a life in Lake Michigan and bring it back to life?
For the last 3 summers, my family and I have gone salmon fishing with a charter company [1] in Lake Michigan near Algoma, WI. Each year we've caught ~15-20 fish. From my limited experience I have to agree with you.
