A pair of state House bills would allow commercial fisheries in Michigan to catch a greater variety of fish in the Great Lakes.
The bills would update decades-old state regulations, and, at the DNR’s discretion, let commercial fisheries catch walleye and lake trout. The two species are currently only available for recreational anglers to catch. House bills 5801 and 5802 were introduced by Reps. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, and Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor.
In a hearing last week, Prestin attributed the origin of the existing commercial fishing regulations to the introduction of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes, an invasive species attributed to harming fish populations.
“These regulations were designed to reduce commercial fishing during a time of needed rehabilitation,” Prestin said. “But now they place a disproportionate regulatory burden on the few family-owned commercial fishing businesses that are left.”
Michigan is currently home to eleven commercial fisheries, down from over 700 that existed as of the 1960s.
Lakon Williams, the operations manager for Bay Port Fish Company, said the outdated regulations are driving her out of business. Growing populations of lake trout and walleye in the Great Lakes are devastating the populations of fish they’re allowed to harvest, such as yellow perch and whitefish.
“We're all historic businesses who have been here since the early 1800s,” Williams said. “And we're all good, upstanding people who don't want to hurt the lake, just want to create a living that can be passed on like it used to be. We just want to be managed fairly.”
Williams said commercial operators have been pushing to change the regulations for decades but have seen no success.
“If something doesn't happen, a couple of us feel, and I think we're right, within five to 10 years, there won't be a Michigan state licensed fishery anymore,” Williams said.
The bills have been met with swift backlash from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and were written without the input from the DNR, according to officials.
"The impacts of these bills include the inability to manage for sustainable fishery, which in my opinion goes against the intention of the bills to help the commercial fisheries,” said DNR Fisheries Chief Randy Claramunt during the hearing. “It also increased litigation risks, conflicts with treaty obligations in our management systems, operational impracticalities, and significant biological enforcement concerns.”
Claramunt went on to say the bills would force the DNR to violate federal laws and tribal treaties, hinder conservation efforts and require more money than the DNR has.
The bills include a provision that imposes a 5% increase to the license fee on commercial fishing licenses for lake trout, walleye, and perch. The additional profits would be directed back to the DNR’s fisheries.
“This would cost Fish Division over $1,000,000 and the estimated revenue is less than 1/4 of a million,” Claramunt said. “It's important to recognize this be a huge cost to the division of which we do not have the resources nor would the bills provide the sustainable funding.”
Groups of recreational anglers also appeared at the hearing to oppose the legislation. Several anglers voiced their concerns of the impacts the expansion of commercial fishing would have on Michigan’s recreational fishermen.
According to Claramunt, the recreational fishing industry generates about $4 billion in economic benefits for the state and the commercial industry produces about $5 million.
Lawmakers said they would continue to work with the DNR to improve the bills. The bills are currently under review by the House’s Natural Resources and Tourism Committee.
