Great Lakes Salmon Initiative
Great Lakes sport anglers fishing the Great Lakes, are you afraid for the future of your salmon fishery? If you are not, you should be and we are going to tell you the real reason why!
The GLSI feels the future is extremely positive. The changed/invasive food web is starting to demonstrate a balance. Rising water levels, energy input from increased river flows, drought from 2009-2012 is over, bait are expanding tremendously even though the USGS is not allowed to prove that. Fish are healthy of all species, fat, depth, girth, length. The states dnrs are listening to anglers and responding in a positive manner. So whats the problem?
The Feds, the native only agenda!! States are reducing their orders of Lake Trout to be planted in Lakes Michigan and Huron. This is causing a gap in hatchery use and reduced monies needed to maintain the hatchery space and jobs. What is their solution? Cisco! Plant Cisco and it will add another bait fish to feed the salmon---this is not true. Michigan waters have 2 strains of Cisco, Michigan/Huron strain and Lake Superior strain, 2 distinctly different feeding habits. Michigan/Huron are primarily zooplankton and bug eaters, Superior are predators and will compete with salmonids for food, alewives, smelt etc. As anglers we are told the lake cannot afford more mouths to feed but obviously, NOAA, USFWS, USGS feels different and the Sea Grant programs that bring info to the public. They want to maintain their financial status and windfall and try to control our states fisheries management directives. Say NO to Cisco!!
Oct 1st in Hammond Indiana and 10/15 in Michigan City there are public informative meetings being held. Wed Oct 25th an article was written by Mike McKee an Outdoor Columnist in Indiana promoting the meetings and the federal agenda using words like the failing alewife population?? Monday 10/23 Keith Matheny of the Free Press wrote an article about the precarious future of Chinook salmon. Make no mistake this isn't about science this is about a native only agenda and the Great Lakes are NOT a native only ecosystem, even with chinook, Coho, Steelhead and Browns removed! It is an invasive system w/183 invasive species and with introduced species that contributes to the balance of todays ecosystem, economy and socio dynamics. Federal agencies are using scare tactics to promote their agenda. We are asking you not to be fooled or lulled into believing this cherry picked science to defend their agenda and paychecks. What about our stakeholder paychecks, your love of salmon fishing? They don't care about that or you!! Their goal is a fish tank, look but don't touch!
After the last political adversity we have all experienced with Trump/Hillary I hate to sound political; but this is in our garages, basements, and bedrooms. If you own a boat and fishing gear this political agenda is stepping directly into our homes and pocket books. We have to fight this cisco agenda, attend the meetings ask questions, these people aren't gods they work for us.
