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Your help is desperately needed now! If you are a Michigan resident, it is time to contact your State Representatives and Senators in the Michigan Legislature to advocate for the use of additional rods when trolling for salmon on the Great Lakes. The MDNR Fisheries Dept is moving forward with a proposal to the legislature in the upcoming lame duck session to increase license fees. We are extremely disappointed that allowing more rods when trolling the Great Lakes or an optional trolling license is not part of this initial request, in spite of the overwhelming support from Great Lakes anglers for our proposal.  The GLSI has been told this could be part of a phase 2 but it really should be part of any license fee increase immediately. Here are the details of the Michigan DNR proposal and their list of benefits.
 
 Michigan DNR Proposed Fishing License Fee Increase Summary
• Resident all species license goes from $26 to $38 plus $2 for Michigan Wildlife Council funding for a total of $40
• Nonresident all species license goes from $76 to $88 plus $2 for Michigan Wildlife Council funding for a total of $90
• 24-hour license goes from $10 to $15
• Establish a new nonresident 24-hour license for $20
• Reduce senior discount from 60% to 25%
• Reduce the age at which a fishing license is required from 17 to 16 o The national average is 15, so Michigan would still be higher than average
• Voluntary youth license will stay at $2
 
Outcomes if fishing license fees increase as drafted include the following. Note that the scale of positive outcomes will decrease if the total amount of the license fees decreases.
1. Increase staffing, mostly at the field level a. Addition of 22 Fisheries Technicians, 10 Fisheries Biologists, and 5 creel clerks
b. Addition of support staff in Lansing and at research stations
c. Only 6% of proposed new positions would be supervisory staff
 
2. Fish production increases a. Increased walleye production i. Bring some of the mothballed production ponds back into production
ii. Increased funding for forage (fish food) would allow for 100% increase in fall fingerling production within five years of the new fees going into effect
b. Increased muskellunge production i. Increased funding for forage (fish food) would allow for a 50% increase in fall fingerling production in the first year of increased funding
 
3. Improved services to constituents a. Biologists will have time freed up to analyze survey data because they are not serving as a member of field crew due to insufficient Fisheries Technician staffing
b. Improved turnaround time for the Status of the Fishery Reports and full survey reports
c. Increased availability of Biologists to attend and make presentations at constituent meetings
d. More timely and thorough EGLE permit review
 
4. Improved infrastructure management a. Dedicated capital outlay line item in the annual budget to address new and deferred maintenance needs
b. Staff will have appropriate equipment to maximize their efficiency
 
5. Increased Cormorant Management a. $400,000 allocated annually for lethal and nonlethal cormorant management
 
6. Augment research program to more adequately address inland fishery needs
 
That is the MDNR proposal. It needs to be voted into approval by the state legislature. The GLSI recognizes the impact of inflation to our everyday lives, and this has impacted the DNR’s budget too. While our proposal was to create a new optional license, we think if license fees are increased, then additional rods should be allowed for trolling the Great Lakes. We can support an overall license fee increase but feel very strongly that anglers should get improved opportunities to catch more fish as a result.

The DNR proposal indicates the fee increase will result in more walleyes and muskie being stocked for inland anglers. We think this is great, but we should also improve opportunities for Great Lakes anglers too. Pushing for the ability to run more rods as part of an overall fee increase may be our best opportunity to get this done. 

Any time bills go into the legislature, what goes in is in most cases not exactly what comes out. We can influence the outcome of the MDNR’s license fee increase to include the use of more rods when trolling by contacting our legislators now. The lame duck session of the Michigan Legislature begins on December 2nd.

The GLSI has been contacting legislators to push for our proposal, either as a new optional license or bundled in for an overall license fee increase. Your help in this effort is critical now in the next week before the Legislature resumes on December 2nd. Here is how you can do that. Below are links to the key legislators and committees. Go to each link and when you open it, there is a button to contact each Senator or Representative. It will open a form to send a message to that legislator. It is also good to contact the Senator or Representative from your own district, there is a link to find them below too. Let them know you support an optional trolling license and support a fishing license fee increase that improves opportunities for anglers in Michigan. You can craft your own message, but we are also providing a script you can use. Just copy and paste it into the contact form for each legislator. Here it is:

I am requesting your support for the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative’s proposal to establish an optional voluntary trolling license to allow anglers trolling the Great Lakes to use up to 3 additional rods while fishing. It has been established that this will not harm our Great Lakes fishery resources because creel limits that protect the resource will not change. It is a creative way to establish a new revenue stream for the Michigan DNR and improve opportunities for anglers. A win/win for all.
I also understand the DNR is moving ahead with a proposal to increase fishing license fees. As part of that proposal, they will increase walleye and muskellunge stocking for inland waters to improve opportunities for inland anglers. If license fees are going to increase, opportunities for Great Lakes anglers should be improved too. I support a license fee increase if opportunities for Great Lakes anglers can be enhanced by allowing the use of up to 3 additional rods when trolling as outlined in the GLSI proposal. I ask that you include this as part of any license fee increase.

Below are the links to contact your legislators. It is critical they hear from us before the legislature reconvenes on December 2nd. Please make some time this week to contact them as soon as possible. We as anglers typically do a poor job of advocating for our sport to the legislature.  We cannot continue to do so and watch our opportunities slowly fade away.  Legislators will not make us a priority unless we get their attention by a large volume of emails and calls now.  Let your voice be heard and make a difference!

Speaker Joe Tate (517)373-0857   housedems.com/joe-tate/  
Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (517)373-1801   senatedems.com/brinks/    
House Republican Leader Matt Hall (517) 373-1748   gophouse.org/member/repmatthall/about  
Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt(517) 373-0793   www.senatoraricnesbitt.com/        
House: Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Angela Witwer (517) 373-0822  housedems.com/angela-witwer/  
Senate  Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Sarah Anthony (517)373-6960  senatedems.com/anthony/   
 
Michigan House Appropriations Committee:  www.house.mi.gov/Committee/HAPPR
Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee:  senate.michigan.gov/Committees/details?C...APPROPS&sessionId=15
Michigan House Natural Resources Committee:  www.house.mi.gov/Committee/HNATU Michigan Senate Natural Resources Committee:  senate.michigan.gov/Committees/details?Code=NRAG&sessionId=15
Find my legislator:  www.michiganvotes.org/legislators
 
 
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