TOPIC:

Great Lakes Salmon Initiative 12/11/18

The first part to solving a problem is to admit there is a problem.
House Bill 1145 allowing the State Commercially Licensed Fishing Industry the opportunity to harvest bycatch of Lake Trout in Lakes Michigan and Superior has created an enormous amount of dialogue. Accusations that it is being railroaded thru a lame duck session is accurate but so are 100 plus other bills, dozens of which will affect the fisheries and wildlife divisions of the MDNR and anglers and hunters in the future.

The GLSI has stood alone in support of the HB 1145 in support of a lawful, recognized user of our fisheries resource, understanding this would not be entirely popular. The mdnr supports the commercial fishery and despite many wishes from the recreational angler and charter community they are not going to go away. We have to work with them to insure that the laws that are passed work for all parties involved. No party is going to get everything they want, this is how negotiations work.

So what is the real problem and how do we fix it?

February 2017 the MDNR presented a written draft of the Commercial fishing statutes. This identified the rules, regulations the commercial industry had to operate under. Explained the responsibilities of the MDNR to manage the industry. Then this process had to be supported by a legislator and passed thru the Senate and the House and then signed into law by the Governor. The entire process failed because of the words BYCATCH FOR WALLEYE. Fear from the public that this would lead to the commercial industry WANTING TO TARGET WALLEYE shut the rewrite of commercial statutes down. The GLSI stood alone then in support of the rewrite. The MDNR failed in the rewrite process by doing this in a backdoor fashion----they didn't involve anglers! Anglers are represented by Organizations like the GLSI, MCBA, Michigan Steelheaders among others and we should have been involved and the MDNR learned that lesson! The recreational, Charter and commercial industries need to learn to work together and negotiate for each other. We have to get our house in order, in order for the MDNR and State of Michigan to represent our wishes and needs in the Consent Decree process from a position of strength. Getting the rewrite of the Commercial Statutes and passed into law should have been the first part of the process but HB 1145 has the print. All of the organizations representing anglers should have been pushing the MDNR and our legislators to complete this process first and HB 1145 would not be as big of an issue. Many failures by many entities including the GLSI not making sure step 1 was completed should be the real dialogue.

The GLSI has always been on the cutting edge to represent the majority for lake wide fisheries management not a port, region and self interests.
*Saving the Salmon fishery over the Native Only Agenda, we withstood a tremendous amount of criticism.
*Zonal MGMT. Using environmental, geographical portions of L. Mich. to properly manage species based on the habitat preferences
*Coho movement for increased access and fisheries to other ports
*Reductions in Lake Trout plants
*Against Cisco rehabilitation and restoration because of the documented agenda to eliminate and eradicate alewives and rainbow smelt
*Fight for MDNR to maintain management control of our resources over the USFWS and GLFC
*Proper management of the L. Huron fishery by pushing for predator prey models and movement of salmon to allow better access and economic development
*Coho plants and Chinook reductions in Lake Huron for better diversity and angling opportunity, at the same time reducing predator impact on the existing baitfish population in order to increase salmon plants in the future

This list are just some of the items the GLSI has accomplished for the long term benefits of lakes wide management and angler access. All of these items have received a tremendous amount of criticism and resistance during the process. HB 1145 is another example of the GLSI foresight recognizing the long term benefits over the short term negatives. The GLSI is going to work for anglers throughout the Great Lakes and bringing issues to the public or supporting issues that are not entirely popular for the overall benefit of many over a few has always been what we have been about.