Great Lakes Salmon Initiative
As we get into the fishing season we as anglers have great expectations This week the
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GLSI attended the GLFC meeting in Ypsilanti, a meeting involving all the Great Lakes. Those in attendance are the "whose who" of researchers and biologists that collect data to determine the future of our fisheries. Also included in attendance are the States Basin Coordinators, decision makers and managers of the lakes. Basically this meeting is a quick informational compilation of data collected from the year before and delivered to attendees to quickly run through the research and results. These meetings take place over 5 days Monday through Friday and include all 5 Great Lakes.
It was a great opportunity for us as the GLSI to meet and communicate with some of the researchers from the supporting agencies like the USFWS, USGS and Universities that research the Great Lakes. It was an awesome opportunity to represent our members and the fishing community to further provide a continual fishery for the future and instill the social and economic benefit our Great Lakes provide. Presentations provided on Monday and Tuesday included Sturgeon rehabilitation, trends for lower trophic levels in L. Michigan, L. trout restoration, Predator/Prey ratio updates, evaluation of piscivore diets in Huron & Michigan, Grt Lakes marking and tagging updates, Lamprey control among others.
Why is this post so difficult to put forth?? We as the GLSI have worked so hard to fight for your fishery, a balanced fishery! As anglers we are out on the lakes almost every day and have seen tremendous improvements in bait, quality of fish and when we go fishing want to be successful. Yet we continually hear that mussels are destroying the productivity, the lakes will not support the prey thus not support the predators, the fish we want to target like Chinook, Steelhead, Coho but it will support Lake Trout. As I expressed to several people you manage fish but DO NOT manage for a fishery, for angler access, or economic benefit. Bureaucracy and politics seem to rule the industry instead of science, the same science we are expected to trust.
We have a lot of information to share with you(hundreds of pages) but have to take time to review and introduce it in professional manner. We are still waiting on one critical piece of information, the Predator/Prey ratio or Chinook vs Alewife ratio in L. Michigan to see what the future possibility of increases may hold. Data shows that prey biomass DID increase for a 3rd year in a row, alewife did increase, smelt and bloaters are up also in L. Michigan. Bloater production is up in Huron but phytoplankton remains low in Huron. What balance can be achieved or expected, what increases can we fight for??
As we get more information, talk to managers and researchers, we will provide our members with the expectations of the future. This meeting was a great opportunity for face time, an opportunity to meet and speak directly with researchers and managers. An opportunity to represent our members and for supporting agencies to understand what the GLSI truly represents.
