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I've seen this now on a couple different sites..very disturbing if true, thanks Michigan.

In a truly egregious act of mis-management, it has been confirmed that MDNR Fisheries Chief Jim Dexter has decided to accept an additional 400,000 Federal Lake Trout to be stocked in Michigan waters of Lake Michigan in 2017. The additional 400,000 Lake Trout are the fish that were slated to be stocked by Wisconsin but rejected by Wisconsin fisheries managers in their proposed stocking changes this past fall.

Wisconsin has officially declared an "emergency" status with regards to Lake Trout in Lake Michigan, and is taking "emergency measures" to dramatically reduce Lake Trout stocking and to increase Lake Trout harvest immediately. How can a Lake Trout emergency exist in Wisconsin and not 40 miles away in Michigan, where the majority of Lake Trout are being stocked in Lake Michigan?

As a result, this will keep the Lake Michigan total Federal Lake Trout stocking for 2017 at nearly 3 million fish, with the majority of them now being stocked in Michigan waters. This comes at a time of reported all time low baitfish biomass of bloater, shiner, stickelback, smelt and alewife. It also comes at a time where Michigan refuses to stock anything more than a paltry 330,000 chinook salmon.

Wisconsin had called the US Fish & Wildlife service in the fall of 2016 to "cancel" half of their Lake Trout stocking order (716,000) for 2017, instead favoring to keep chinook stocking numbers at current levels to provide a robust and economically viable fishery for sportsmen and businesses in their state.

As a result of Wisconsin's actions, Jim Dexter has taken it upon himself to punitively act towards Michigan sportsmen and businesses by recklessly forging forward with his Lake Trout restoration agenda despite clearly mandated directives by State Senators and biological data that supports the reduction of ALL predators in Lake Michigan, particularly long living Lake Trout.

As a result of past actions, misleading intentions, false narratives and failure to negotiate in good faith with sportsmen and businesses in the state of Michigan, the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative is formally calling for the resignation and/or termination of Jim Dexter as Fisheries Chief of Michigan effective immediately.

The Great Lakes Salmon Initiative will vigorously pursue the removal of Jim Dexter from his office, and will fight to restore a balanced and diversified sportfishery on Lake Michigan.

www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/...out-browns/97144162/

Thanks for posting Reelfun,

it appears it is true. A big F you to the state of Michigan Fishermen. Nobody wanted the 400,00 lakers destroyed, rather they could of gone to Lake superior. Michigan DNR had meetings last year, I went to some. The number one issue that everyone agreed on was no more lake trout. So it appears that this is a reaction to Wisconsin breaking away from Michigans strangle hold. Michigan has been telling everyone that they are about a balanced fishery. Hard to believe that statement when actions are what speaks. I send money to the Wisconsin group, and the Michigan group that are fighting for fishermen. I would love to send money to Indiana groups but, they fell silent thru the fighting and meetings. We might have the smallest amount of water as the State of Indiana, but what takes place in the lake affects us all. The silver fish are the fish we want. Not lake trout that eat alewife before they eat anything else. Michigan is always out there preaching about the forage base as they continue to stuff the lake with lakers. It has to come to a stop. Michigan will stock these fish out on the outer reef just a few miles from the Wisconsin waters. If this makes you mad then please join the GLSI, Great Lakes Salmon Iniative, they are truly meeting with politicians, DNR officials, and working for a true balance in predator and prey. This laker program has been going on for a very long time. Why do we stand for reductions in one predator only to get another that we do not want?

The number of lake trout planned to be stocked has not changed... all that is being done is they are being moved a couple miles from the WI side of the reef to the MI side. I believe it was a critical part of the whole deal for Wisconsin to keep their chinooks, politically.

I am not sure why there is suddenly a ton of outrage over this, the total number of fish stocked was announced a long time ago, and this is not some new change or an increase to lake trout stocking. The total numbers of lake trout stocked in 2017 are as announced months ago. The lake trout reductions are on track for 2018. Nobody wants to dump a bunch of year-old fish. Just think of the precedent there, and imagine if these were year-old steelhead or coho.

I know it sounds really tempting to say "oh just go dump them in Lake Superior" but that's just not how it's done. For one, they have their own plan and are executing it, and it doesn't include putting a bunch of trout strains intended for LM being put in Superior. Secondly, it's an international body of water, so you'd have to loop not only Ontario but also Minnesota.

Ben I don't want this to seem as I am argueing with you, as I actually have alot of respect for you. I believe if you were given a chance to move up that you truely would work with the fishermen.

Those 400,000 lakers are lakers that Wisconsin said no to correct?

If correct, then why did Michigan take them, why couldn't they have gone to the Michigan side of Huron? Huron is already pretty much just a laker lake now.
I mentioned that I didn't want to see them destroyed and I understand how the feds run there orders and timing. But ,,,,,,,, well I'll just leave it there.

The reason why fishermen are getting upset is pretty easy to understand.

No problem Ed, I don't take things as arguing as long as it is a civil conversation. Something that I really appreciate about most Indiana anglers is that while there are often disagreements with DNR actions or even among fishermen, at the meetings there is (mostly) civil discussion, which I think helps everybody involved.

I'll repeat what I said above though - this is all part of the transition plan agreed to by the lake committee to reduced predation thru a combination of brown trout, lake trout, and chinook reductions by 2018. The plan was announced months ago, with angler input. What I struggle to understand is that why NOW, people are getting upset at a plan that was announced months ago, that differed specifically because of angler input. And how moving some lake trout 2 miles across an imaginary line in the middle of the lake is causing so much consternation. Functionally/ecologically, this will have zero impact.

With regards to putting them in Lake Huron, how would Lake Michigan anglers feel if the Lake Huron Committee decided to put a bunch of lake trout intended for Lake Huron in Lake Michigan?

Lake Huron is going through a lake trout reduction as well. In fact, from what I hear from USFWS people is that there's approximately 1 million lake trout being reduced between Huron and Michigan. It sounds like that space is being looked hard at for rehabilitation of ciscoes, which are a native baitfish. Although there are some genetic/strain issues to investigate before that gets ramped up, it's something that is pretty exciting in my opinion.

Here's what the LMC chair said in response on another forum "Since other species are going through a transition period in 2017, it made most since to continue with where the Lake Michigan Committee planned to stock them. Mid-lake reef has received 600,000 for many years. It will receive 600,000 again in 2017 with 300,000 in Wisconsin and 300,000 about two miles east across the state line. In 2018, the Midlake reef lake trout stocking will be cut in half with 300,000 stocked in Wisconsin waters. "

Just donate them to the many fishing shows around the state for the trout ponds or if they have any size, sell them to the supermarkets and get some money back. Mike