TOPIC:

Great Lakes Salmon Inititative
57 mins ·
Sorry for not doing a post for a couple of weeks. There has been a major issue on Lake Michigan fish stocking for 2019 in Michigan waters and several meetings have occurred to discuss this issue and several others. As you read this there are solutions to the problem and a couple of groups are working at solving the issue.WE would also like to remind everyone that the GLSI name states Great Lakes Salmon Initiative---Plural Lakes, we are not just a Lake Michigan Initiative and represent anglers on all lakes and have members from all the surrounding states!

The problem: After a solid year of working with the MDNR to increase Chinook plants in L. Michigan, Michigan is facing cuts next year due equivalency issues and the tribes refusing to work with the MDNR and agreeing to slight cuts in Lake Trout plants. We achieved this years increase by cutting some Lake Trout and reducing Browns by 150,000.

Last week the LMCFAC (L. Mich. Citizens Fish Advisory Committee) met and discussed this issue and voted on a solution. Solutions are to cut Kings, Coho, Brown Trout, a combination of all three, do nothing-remain status quo or cut kings on Lake Huron. Why make cuts to Lake Huron? Because 95% of Chinook planted there move over to Lake Michigan to feed and live before returning to Huron at maturity to spawn because of the lack of food to support a King population. The vote by the LMCFAC weighed heavily in favor of: Do nothing-remain at status quo or Cut plants in Lake Huron.

Also a NEW committee has been developed and met twice called the Lake Huron Salmon/Trout Sub-Committee. This group is made up of MDNR, LHCFAC members, MCBA representative, Sport angler Groups, and the GLSI. This group is working on improving the salmon/trout fishery on Lake Huron by establishing a balanced, sustainable lake wide fishery recognizing the need for angler satisfaction and economic impact to coastal communities along the coast of the main basin. We met in Gaylord yesterday for 5hrs and this group is a hard working collection of individuals that are very knowledgeable and we accomplished a lot. We are only in discussion phase at this time. Establishing a Mission statement, Goals, Criteria, Actions, Justifications. First fish community discussion was on Chinook in Lake Huron and we got as far as Atlantics before we ran out of time. We had a vote on Chinook to get a feel for what possibilities there are for this fishery--the vote was for understanding what ideas are on the table not what is going to occur. The vote weighed heavily on 2 points, cutting stocking numbers of Chinook and moving existing stocks between Northern, Central and Southern waters of the main basin. Also making up for stocking numbers by increasing equivalents in other species like Coho and or Atlantics. Please remember that at this point that this is the discussion phase to talk about options not what is going to happen BUT in all areas of the conversation I felt extremely positive that we were working to improve the resources throughout the entire system, to provide access and opportunity to anglers and communities!!