TOPIC:

We received this message from Jim Dexter this morning.  There is a link to the draft of the new decree at the bottom.  We wanted to get this out to you quickly, it is 127 pages long.  We are currently go through this to evaluate it.  Here is the message and link to read complete draft of the decree. 

Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee,
 
The Department and Executive Office of the Governor have been working towards negotiating a new Great Lakes Consent Decree with the U.S. government and with Michigan’s tribal governments that have rights reserved under the 1836 Treaty of Washington.  After more than three years of negotiations, a new proposed decree was submitted to the U.S. District Court Sunday and is now a public document.  Six of the seven parties in this negotiation were able to reach agreement on this proposed decree. The Sault Tribe is not supporting the document and has asked the court to be allowed to self-regulate and not be bound by any Great Lakes decree.  U.S. District Court Judge Paul Maloney will be holding a hearing and status conference with all Parties on Dec. 16.  The Department will learn more about next steps at that time. 
 
Right now, the 2000 Consent Decree remains in effect without a firm expiration date.  The proposed Decree that is now public, is NOT in effect, and will not be unless and until it is ordered by the court. 
 
I am sure that this document will create substantial interest from the members of the Advisory Committee, given that the state has been bound by confidentiality and silent on this process for 3-plus years.  If you have any questions related to the Decree, please direct them to Dave Caroffino, Tribal Coordination Unit Manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) .  Upon implementation of a new decree, we will schedule a meeting with any or all the Great Lakes Advisory Committee’s at your next scheduled meeting to explain the content of the document and answer questions.

Jim Dexter
DNR Fisheries Chief
Constitution Hall
525 W. Allegan Street
Lansing, MI  48933

Link here:
acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aa...97-936b-6dca585d5592

Update on proposed consent decree court proceedings today:
An update hearing was held at Federal Court in Kalamazoo today. As this was a public hearing we had a member of our board attend to collect some first hand information. Also we wanted to show public support for The Coalition to Protect Michigan Resources who have been fighting for the interests of recreational anglers in these negotiations when they are allowed.
The main reason for the hearing was to set dates to submit objections to the proposed decree which has been set for Jan 20 2023. However there were some interesting takeaways from the meeting.
#1 For the first time the lawyer for the CPMR was allowed to sit amongst the other lawyers instead of in the gallery and was able to address the judge during the hearings. This hopefully shows a future willingness to give weight to the CPMR's concerns without having to run them through the state.
#2 The Sault tribe continues to put forth that they do not consent to the decree. Their position is that the 2000 decree has expired and they are no longer held to any obligations associated with it. Their desire is to regulate themselves and to fish without any regulations brought by the State of Michigan or other tribes. They have filed 1 motion and will be filing another by Dec 27 detailing these legal arguments. Objections to those motions by the other parties will also be heard on Jan 20.
GLSI will continue to attend any public court proceedings and update our membership as they happen.