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Board approves revised Whitefish quotas, cutting Lake Michigan allocation while Green Bay remains steady
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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 prey for juvenile fish. Green Bay’s greater productivity and partial insulation from mussel impacts helped sustain its commercial and recreational fishery.
The department’s recommended adjustment reduces Lake Michigan’s harvestable surplus and quota markedly (Hansen presented examples showing Lake Michigan quotas dropping from the prior year’s figures to roughly the mid‑500,000‑pound range in the proposal) while holding Green Bay’s total allowable catch roughly steady. The department also proposed dividing quotas by management zones so effort is distributed across northern and southern Green Bay and Lake Michigan zones.
Stakeholder input and turnout: Hansen said the Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board reviewed and supported the proposed quotas; Charlie Henrickson, a long‑time participant in the fishery, appeared in support and urged caution in over‑reducing quotas that would remove fishers’ data and local expertise from the system.
Board action: The board voted to approve the department’s quota recommendations for the 2026 fishing season (motion moved by Patty; second by Deb). The department said the quotas would be implemented for the 2026 commercial year and recommended more frequent model runs (every 1–2 years rather than the statutory minimum of three) given recent population trends.
Context and implications: Fisheries staff said these changes reflect long‑term shifts in recruitment and the growth of a recreational ice/guide fishery in Green Bay that has altered catch patterns. The reduced Lake Michigan quota reflects lower modeled abundance and a precautionary reduction in exploitation rate (Hansen reported a reduction in allowable exploitation from about 40% to around 35% on Lake Michigan), while remaining attentive to the economic structure of the commercial fishery (including individually transferable quotas and zone allocations). Hansen recommended more frequent review of the models as trends continue.
(Authorities and management references: chapter NR 2506 procedures for TAC recommendations; Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board review; department quota methodology.)
