DNR welcomes comments on Lake Michigan management options through Sept. 16
DNR welcomes comments on Lake Michigan management options through Sept. 16
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with Wisconsin Sea Grant recently held a meeting of the Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum at Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland. At this meeting, the department identified potential options for future management of the Lake Michigan salmon and trout fishery.
The overall management ideas presented included:
- · Enhanced outreach: Expand outreach, education and marketing of the fishery;
- · Extended hatchery production: Explore the possibility of raising additional steelhead;
- · Increased net pen use: Allow additional ports to obtain permits and cooperative agreements for net pens to rear chinook salmon;
- · Alternative stocking times: Work with local groups that already operate net pens and have an interest in pursuing stocking at dusk/night;
- · Lake trout reductions: In addition to a reduction in the number of lake trout stocked by the federal government, increase the lake trout daily bag limit, open some refuges to fishing and open the season year-round; and
- · Chinook salmon: Consider four options for future stocking levels of this economically important species.
You can view the presentation at the Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum webpage.
DNR will continue to accept stakeholder comments until Sept. 16 and the department anticipates completing the 2017 stocking plans in late fall. Send comments to DNR Lake Michigan Planor to: Bradley T. Eggold, Wisconsin DNR, UWM-GLRF-SFS, 600 E. Greenfield Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53204.