State mulls cut to lake trout harvest limits
Trending
ALPENA -- A proposed change to fish harvesting rules could mean fewer anglers on Northeast Michigan shores and fewer tourism dollars this summer.
Local fish enthusiasts can tell the state what they think about a proposal to limit how many lake trout anglers can catch this fishing season.
A too-large trout harvest in 2021 in north Lake Huron means the state may scale back the daily trout allowance from three to two fish in the upper part of the lake, roughly from Rogers City north.
The state has to adjust this year's harvest regulations under the terms of an agreement made in compliance with a treaty that's under federal oversight.
But the fewer fish anglers can take home, the less chance they'll want to travel Up North for a fishing weekend, said Randall Claramunt, Michigan Department of Natural Resources facilitator for the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee.
That committee meets Tuesday to discuss fishing-related issues, including the possible lake trout allowance reduction and a counter-suggestion that could allow Alpena-area anglers to catch four lake trout a day instead of three.
Required by a 1836 treaty to split Lake Huron fish between tribal and non-tribal residents, the state in 2000 established regulations to keep either group from harvesting more than their allotted share.
In 2019, anglers in the north part of the lake could only take home two lake trout a day - down from their usual three - because of overfishing the previous season.
Another overfished season in 2021 - with state-licensed anglers reeling in about 68,000 pounds of fish instead of their allotted 57,000 pounds - means the state must, according to the terms of the 2000 regulation, scale back this year's catch.
DNR workers stationed at ports along the lake's shore each summer track the number and weight of fish caught, using that information to create an estimate of each summer's haul, Claramunt explained.
If either state or tribal anglers exceed their allotment by more than 15%, they face a penalty the following fishing season.
Lake trout have increased in popularity among anglers in recent years as once-plentiful whitefish and salmon fisheries diminished.
But, Claramunt said, if anglers have to motor out to trout-laden offshore waters, paying high gas prices to fill their boat engines, they may think twice if they know they won't return to shore with full coolers.
"If you've got to go six miles offshore to catch three lake trout, you'll do it," Claramunt said. "To catch two, you're going to think about it. To catch one, you're not going to go."
Anglers usually understand when the DNR has to adjust fishing regulations to protect a floundering species, but the proposed reduced catch limit is not a biological but an allocation issue, which anglers find "a little harder to swallow," Claramunt said.
The consent decree that regulates lake trout allocation expired in 2020 but is still in effect as officials renegotiate its terms.
When the state exceeded its catch limit in 2018, some suggested a daily limit increase in the lower portion of the lake to offset the reduced fish take in the north.
At the time, the DNR thought that was not necessary.
This year, the four-fish limit proposal is back on the table, Claramunt said.
The Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee will listen to comments about lake trout allocation at its meeting on Tuesday, which residents may attend via videoconference or in person.
Committee members and the public will also discuss stocking of several species and a decline of the Chinook salmon fishery near Rogers City, according to the meeting agenda.
If the Natural Resources Commission, acting on a possible recommendation from the advisory committee, decides to adjust the lake trout harvest limits, that change will go into effect on May 13.
Lake trout season opened Jan. 1 and runs through Sept. 30.
The inland trout season opens April 30.
To share your opinion
WHAT: Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee
WHY: To hear discussion of or comment on a possible lake trout catch limit reduction
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, with discussion of lake trout to begin around 1 p.m.
WHERE: In person at Jay's Sporting Goods, Clare MI or online via Zoom
To view a meeting agenda or register to attend visit https://tinyurl.com/yp3m5bpz. For more information, contact Brandon Schroeder at schroe45@msu.edu.
Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693 or jriddle@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jriddleX.