If two Michigan House bills become state law, recreational anglers targeting walleyes and lake trout in state waters will have to share those resources with commercial netters.
That’s the gist of state House Bills 5801 and 5802, courtesy of Reps. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) and Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor). Their introduction last month intends to provide new fish targets to state commercial netters who, for many previous decades, could only legally net lake whitefish and yellow perch.
Whitefish and perch numbers are now in drastic decline. About a dozen in-state commercial fishing operations want a bigger piece of the state’s gamefish resources — namely walleye and lake trout. And this pair of bills would significantly deregulate commercial fishing enough to open that door.
Anglers Voice Their Concerns
Public hearings on the proposed commercial netting expansion are currently underway. And to put it mildly, Michigan rod-and-reel anglers are frothing at the mouth with anger.
“It’s the dumbest frigging thing I’ve ever seen the idiots in Lansing try to do,” Dave Mull told Wired2fish.
Mull is a long-time native Michigan angler, and frequent state kayak tournament fisherman. His reaction to the netting proposals is common throughout the vast Michigan fishing community, which has battled similar netting proposals in recent years.
“The potential harm it could cause to not only the fish populations of our Great Lakes, but also the industry supporting sport fishing could impact Michigan for decades,” explained Richard Benson, president of the popular Lake St. Clair Walleye Association. “Thousands of anglers make Michigan a destination each and every weekend to fish our waters for the great opportunities available here.”
Benson added: “The restocking efforts, planting, rehabilitation etc. have all been paid for by funds from our sportsmen and women, the DNR [Department of Natural Resources], and private efforts. We urge all of our members to contact their state representatives and voice their opposition to these bills. I speak for our members in our opposition to any expansion of commercial fishing in the State of Michigan.”
Historical Precedent Feeds Future Worries
In the 1960s, reports indicate that as many as 700 commercial net fishing operations were in Michigan. Today, less than a dozen netters chiefly target whitefish and perch — which are in severe decline. Sport anglers are concerned that if netters turn their efforts to walleyes and lake trout, the same fish-stock collapse will occur for these valued gamefish.
On April 28, in the aftermath of the house bills’ introduction, Great Lakes Salmon Initiative took to Facebook to educate area anglers about what’s at stake, noting that its members are “especially concerned about walleye.”
“Opening these fisheries to commercial harvest risks undoing decades of progress. We’ve seen it before—overharvest helped wipe out lake trout populations in the Great Lakes. Around the world, poorly managed commercial fishing has repeatedly ruined fisheries,” the nonprofit organization wrote. “Today, Michigan has a relatively small number of commercial fishers—but more than ONE MILLION recreational anglers. These bills would shift access to a shared public resource away from the many and toward a select few, putting thousands of livelihoods at risk.”
According to Michigan DNR Fisheries Chief Randy Claramount, recreational fishing produces about 800 times the economic benefit to the state compared to commercial. Recreational fishing produces about $4 billion in revenue for Michigan, compared to commercial fishing’s $5 million.
Michigan’s Mark Sak vehemently opposes gamefish netting in Michigan. Sak’s 30 years of outdoor-industry experience include fishing competitively in national walleye tournaments. The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame inductee also previously hosted fishing seminars and both TV and radio programs.
“The effects that commercial netting have on recreational fisheries are dramatic,” he stated in an email to Wired2fish. “Netting can take as many fish in three days than recreational anglers can catch in a month.”
Netting’s Indiscriminate Catches Alarm Angler
Sak says the proposed Michigan bills would allow both gill nets and trawling.
“Gill nets kill many other species of fish like pike and musky,” he stated. “The fish swims into the net, and gets its gills stuck in the net and dies. There is no catch-and-release when using gill nets. Trawling is also indiscriminate, as nets are dragged in ways that corral fish and also do not discriminate species. This bill takes us back to the 1940s in Michigan when commercial anglers emptied the Great Lakes, especially Saginaw Bay.”
“It is insane to see lawmakers calling this the ‘modernization’ of commercial netting in Michigan when it actually takes it back to the dark ages. It shows how netters and Reps are trying to twist words to make others think this is a good thing. And that is the farthest thing from the actual truth,” Sak continued.
“Every [Michigan] Representative who has signed on to sponsor, co-sponsor, or support this bill should be ashamed. They are not good stewards of our wonderful resources in Michigan.”
