TOPIC:

Great Lakes Salmon Initiative
September 6 at 12:03pm
Not that anyone needs any reminding, but the first of two public hearings are taking place starting tomorrow in Ludington regarding Chinook stocking levels for 2017.

The meetings will be held Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ludington City Hall community room, 400 S. Harrison Street, and Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the South Haven Moose Lodge, 1025 Wells Street.

The meetings will be an opportunity for anglers and business owners to present their views and positions on the impact of a strong chinook salmon fishery now and in the future.

Board members from the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative will be present at both meetings, please feel free to engage them and learn about our organization. At the Ludington meeting, Gary Smith and Glen Buehner will be available. At the South Haven meeting Grayson Wilson and Steve Collins will be available.

Membership forms will be at each meeting for interested businesses and individuals.

We look forward to your support, and look forward to supporting you back in the future!

As a reminder, neither of these two meetings would have even taken place if it were not for GLSI president Glen Buehner contacting state senator Darwin Booher who requested that Fisheries officials hold these meetings to allow you to voice your opinions directly to them.

Please make the most of this opportunity and do not be afraid to speak, even if your opinion has already been stated by someone previously at the meeting. A public record of each meeting is being taken, and every single voice in support of stocking cuts and in opposition to stocking cuts will be noted. Your voice will not be heard if you do not stand up and speak, please do so!

Thank you Lickety-Split!
Anyone here what came out of the Ludington meeting last night?

Sounds like a packed house, with standing room only. I heard that it was well run, and alot of items were brought forward. No decisions as other meeting still are scheduled. Everyone conducted themselves professionally. I will do my best to attend the South Haven meeting on sept. 13th, and would encourage others to do the same.

Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the South Haven Moose Lodge, 1025 Wells Street. Hope to see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish I could be there! I am stuck up in Petoskey

Ed if yoy make it let us know how it goes. Im stuck in Madison for work today.

I'll try to take good notes Tim, Donna is taking a half day so we can get there early, I am figureing it will be like Ludington with standing room only.

Looks like it might have been a larger group then the Ludington meeting. They had seating for 200+ and there was a few standing in the back. Was proud to stand along side these fellas. I'll update in the morning. Sure was alot of bad feelings about lake trout numbers.

Thanks ed. Looking forward to hearing what you have for us.

Meeting was opened by Jay Wesley. First speaker was
the politician from the Grand Rapids area. Senator Hilldenbrandt said he was standing with the fishermen, and was not in favor of any cuts. The Dnr showed their usual slides, many which had no data after 2012, and then opened the meeting for questions. And questions there was. Most of the questions centered around the amount of forage, and the amount of lake trout. Dnr said that they are still considering getting rid of closed seasons and lifting the daily laker quota to 3 and possibly 5.
Fishermen asked to have trawls done at different areas and at different times of the year. Fishermen felt that they are seeing more bait then what is being recorded by the Trawl surveys. Lake Trout consumed alot of the time for questions. Seems that all are trying to understand why all the laketrout and why they were not cut last time around along with the Kings. Some concern also about steelhead, charts showed that they are eating close to the same amount of alewife as the lakers.
Good news was that there has been a very large hatch of 2015 ale's. Some surveys showing in areas that the hatch is very significant lake wide. This is the part were my notes start to be rather poor as I got a chance to get into the discussion.
Meeting was well run and most fishermen held themselves back and acted proffessionally. Channel 8 news which is a local station live video broadcast of the meeting. I heard many of the same thoughts and sediments at this meeting and was happy to meet others with the same passion and concerns. The group asked that all help support the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative.
others were GREATLAKESSALMON.ORG(FACEBOOK.COM/GREATLAKESALMON)