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Board approves revised Whitefish quotas, cutting Lake Michigan allocation while Green Bay remains steady
Summary
After two catch‑at‑age models and stakeholder review, the Natural Resources Board approved 2026 quotas that reduce Lake Michigan’s whitefish harvest recommendation and hold Green Bay totals largely steady, citing recruitment shifts and mussel impacts on Lake Michigan.
The Natural Resources Board approved the department’s recommended 2026 total allowable catch for lake whitefish in Green Bay and Lake Michigan after a detailed presentation by fisheries biologist Scott Hansen.
Hansen described two separate catch‑at‑age models developed for Green Bay and Lake Michigan to reflect changing population dynamics: Lake Michigan has experienced a multidecade decline in recruitment (no strong year class since the early 2000s) while Green Bay has shown more recent year classes and remains comparatively productive. Hansen attributed much of Lake Michigan’s decline to changes in the food web linked to dreissenid mussels (zebra/quagga mussels), which reduce zooplankton…
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