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Commercial fishermen warn Michigan lawmakers industry is shrinking amid regulations and stocking policies
Summary
Commercial fishing representatives and processors told a House committee that Michigan’s commercial fishery has shrunk to a small number of operators, blamed outdated DNR rules, lake-trout planting and onerous reporting for the decline, and asked legislators to update management rules so commercial and tribal fisheries can coexist.
Michigan commercial fishermen, processors and the Michigan Fish Producers Association told a House committee that long-standing administrative rules, recent quota changes and state stocking policies have pressured the commercial-fishing sector to the point that only a small number of full-time operators remain.
Scott Everett, a legislative consultant for the Michigan Fish Producers Association, told the committee that “In Michigan, there are 50 licenses, commercial fishing licenses owned by 13 businesses. And there are only 3 full time state licensed commercial fishermen left in this state.” He said commercial harvest in recent years has been concentrated in whitefish while perch and other species have declined in key areas.
Producers said multiple factors have reduced commercial output: 1960s-era emergency rules and later administrative rules governing which species may be commercially harvested, aggressive planting of…
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