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EdB

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  1. More info on the consent decree and the expansion of gill nets. A court order from the US District Court Western District of Michigan Northern Division was released on December 2, 2022 that confirms the 5 Tribes involved in the consent decree negotiations have pushed to expand gill nets in the Treaty of 1836 waters and the State of Michigan has agreed to the expansion. There is a long history of the use of gill nets for commercial fishing in the Great Lakes and it is not good. Commercial gill net fishing from the 1800’s up to the 1950’s wiped out lake trout, ciscoes, killed millions of sturgeons and severely depressed perch and walleye stocks. Overfishing by gill nets was a key factor in the extinction of blue pike (from the walleye family) in the Great Lakes. As soon as Indiana and Illinois banned commercial fishing with gill nets in their waters of Lake Michigan, perch populations started to recover. The main problem with gill nets is they kill every fish that gets into them regardless if they were the target species or not. A gill net set for lake trout will kill every salmon that swims into it. Gill nets are indiscriminate killers and have wiped out fisheries all over the world. One of the primary focuses and positive outcome of the Consent Decrees of 1985 and 2000 was to fairly share the fishery between the Tribes and sport anglers and bring about a huge reduction in gill nets by converting many tribal commercial fisheries to trap nets. The State of Michigan agreed to buy out state licensed commercial fishers so they stopped fishing and then provided, at a huge expense to taxpayers, all the boats, nets, and gear to the Tribes. Trap nets do not kill all fish that enter them like gill nets and non-target species like sturgeon can be released. Cooperative fisheries management agencies and processes, between the Tribes, Federal Government and the State of Michigan, were created to equally share in the fisheries resources and to ensure that fish stocks remained robust and healthy. There was a large focus on lake trout rehabilitation followed by efforts to restore sturgeon and cisco. Over the past 2 decades the 2000 decree worked well, minimized conflict and protected our resources for us and the Tribes. The impact of zebra and quagga mussels reduced the fertility of the Great Lakes and caused a major disruption to the food web. As a result, the sportfishing industry and state agencies reacted by reducing salmon stocking and imposing regulations to reduce lake trout harvest. These efforts were painful to 1000’s of small businesses and port communities that depend on sportfishing, but they worked. Salmon catch rates hit all-time lows, but the forage base began to recover and so have the salmon in recent years. It is ironic that in southern Lake Michigan outside of Treaty of 1836 waters and tribal commercial fishing, lake trout are naturally reproducing and are almost fully recovered there, to the point stocking is not needed and lake trout numbers are expanding and self-sufficient. In the northern treaty waters where there remains heavy tribal commercial fishing pressure and mortality, lake trout are not self-sufficient and require massive federal and state stocking programs. Whitefish stocks and catch rates are also depressed due to the mussels and the Tribes response has been to push for more gill nets that will only take more fish and continue their population decline. Expanding gill net fisheries in treaty waters will only further hurt recovery of lake trout, whtefish, cisco and sturgeon. They will have a negative impact on an improving salmon fishery. We have included the complete order released from the court at the end of this post. It is a long read but provides a lot of insight into the negotiations that have been hidden by the gag order imposed by the parties. We will break down key points that have come from this document. The first thing the court order does is say again that it has extended the current treaty from 2000 until complete agreement is reached among all parties. This is good but it is only temporary, and when you read the rest of the document, it confirms gill netting will be expanded in the new decree. The GLSI has always been concerned that the State will not represent sport anglers and not protect our Great Lakes resources for the future. The Coalition to Protect Michigan Resources, the primary group representing sport anglers in the negotiation, had been shut out by the State of Michigan recently while the State moves toward a new agreement that clearly looks like it is not protecting our Great Lakes resources. Expanding commercial gill netting has never resulted in improving fisheries resources. This exact statement on page 5 and 7 of the court order indicates what we have all feared, the State has agreed to allow more gill netting: “Under the 2000 Consent Decree, gill net fishing was not permitted in Grids 813 and 814. In negotiating the successor decree, the parties have agreed to open these Grids to gill net fishing” “Moreover, under the successor decree, the State is allowing thousands more feet of gill net effort per day to the other Tribes: the proposed decree would allow up to three licenses and a total of 12,000 feet of large mesh gill net effort by Little Traverse fishers and two licenses and a total of 12,000 feet of large mesh gill net effort by Sault Tribe fishers. Further, Little Traverse would be allowed to license two fishers each with up to 6,000 feet of net in Little Traverse Bay, and same for Little River Band within its Tribal zone. Finally, the proposed decree places no net effort limitations on Bay Mills fishers.” (see Page 7 of the court order. While this indicates the State of Michigan has agreed to expanded gill netting, there were still disputes between the State and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians over the amount of gill nets in Grand Traverse Bay, including permitting use of small mesh gill nets for perch and hook and line commercial fishing. Here are those differences as contained in the court order. “A. Permit Requirements for New Gill Net Fishers in Grids 813 & 814 GTB proposal: Permits will be required for Tribal commercial fishers using gill nets in newly opened areas for the first three years after the successor decree takes effect. State proposal: Permits will be required for Tribal commercial fishers using gill nets in newly opened areas until gill net fishing has occurred in the area for five consecutive years.” What is most concerning on this issue is that after this initial period requiring the Grand Traverse Band to issue permits for gill netting, once it is over, tribal permits won’t be needed and it could lead to a wide open unregulated tribal gill net fishery. This could be devastating to the Great Lakes resources in the area. “B. Net Effort Limitations in Grids 815 & 816 GTB proposal: Gill net effort will be limited to 4,500 feet of gill net in East and West Bay per day. State proposal: Gill net effort will be limited to 3,600 feet of gill net in East and West Bay per day.” “C. Small Mesh Gill Net Fishing in the North Half of Grid 616 GTB proposal: This area near Charlevoix will be open to perch fishing with small mesh gill nets year-round. State proposal: This area will remain closed to perch fishing with small mesh gill nets.” “D. Use of Hook-and-Line Gear for Commercial Fishing GTB proposal: Recreational hook-and-line fishing gear will be allowed for commercial fishing only within the Grand Traverse Tribal Zone, which includes all waters from Good Harbor Bay up to just south of Charlevoix and all of Grand Traverse Bay. State proposal: Recreational hook-and-line fishing gear (i.e., rod and reel) will not be allowed for commercial fishing anywhere within 1836 Treaty waters.” Per the court order released Friday, the presiding judge, Paul L. Maloney, agreed with the GTB proposals and ordered that these proposals will become part of the successor consent decree when it is finalized. There are more details in the full court order and we encourage you to read all of it but these key points confirm the 5 Tribes want more gill nets in the Great Lakes and the State of Michigan has agreed to it. There are still more negotiations that will take place before a new decree is finalized and released but this court order confirms that the new decree will allow miles of additional gill nets in the northern Great Lakes. Who knows what else will be included in the final decree but with what is known from this court order with the expansion of commercial gill netting, the future of our Great Lakes resources in Treaty of 1836 waters will be one of conflict and decline. The GLSI will be carefully following developments and exploring all options including legal action to oppose the expansion of gill nets. We will continue to support the Coalition to Protect Michigan Resources. We will keep you informed. What can you do to help in the fight to protect our Great Lake resources? We are beginning our annual 2023 membership campaign and your support is critical to allow the GLSI to fight for our sport fishery. Please consider renewing your membership and joining the GLSI if you’re not a member to help us in this fight. It only costs $20 dollars for a basic membership. You can join or renew at this link. https://glsalmon.org/great-lakes-salmon-initiative-memberships/ We also recommend supporting the Coalition to Protect Michigan Resources. Get involved with your local clubs that support the coalition. You can contribute to them here: https://protectmiresources.com/ Here is the complete court order released on Friday: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:78a3f345-e8fb-4302-b8b9-3488d8f90972
  2. Selling for a friend. 2 mag 10's, $225 each, 2 cannon manual riggers, $90 each. Rigger and holder mounting board with swivel bases $125. Lead weights, All for $700Rigger weights $10 each
  3. It's a great fishery. I'm done there for this season. Moved my boat to Ludington for the rest of this year. Fishing at Erie in Michigan waters will be good for a few weeks but it slow down later in July. It will pick back up in the fall. I think May/June is the best time to fish there.
  4. We fished north of Fermi in 19 to 21 FOW. Spoons and diver disc's back on 70 ft leads. Mid morning our bite slowed and we dropped them back to 80 ft leads and finished with our limit of 18. Same spoons from prior weeks, pic in last weeks post. Good luck!
  5. We fish Michigan waters from 12-16 FOW both days and got 18 each day. Spoons behind diver disc's with 18-25 ft leads. Same spoons as the prior week in Ohio waters. Good luck!
  6. We left Bolles Harbor and made a long run out near the Ohio/Canadian line between Sputnik and East Sister Island. Big school of fish there in 31 fow. It was fast action and we got our limit of 18 walleyes. All came on spoons behind diver disc's on 80 and 90 ft leads and on riggers 2-3 ft off the bottom. Picture of the spoons we ran below. Good luck!
  7. A half core and a full core, a 225 and a 300ft copper.
  8. Fished Ohio waters a few miles east of the Toledo shipping channel. Trolled spoons on diver disc's. Started with half spoons and half bandits but they wanted spoons so we switched everything over. Got our limit. Leads were 40-50 ft. Good luck!
  9. https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2018/10/11/help-prevent-spread-of-invasive-new-zealand-mudsnails/44407813/
  10. Fished the afternoon yesterday. Had a slow pick and could not find a steady bite to turn and go back over a spot. Started by the chalets and went couple miles south of the Cook plant. Got 12 coho, most on thin fins and boards with 50-80 ft lead same as our last trip. Got a couple on small orange dodgers and green coho flies on divers out 10 ft. We fished 7 to 30 fow. Had the closest call to a collision in my life. We were trolling along and see this boat running on a plane right at us. We think he is going to turn but he keeps coming. We start waving and screaming and punch up the speed. That made a difference, he never altered course and ran right off our stern between us and our starboard boards. He wiped out that side. Just missed the port side boards. The lines from our boat to the outside boards got caught in his standing poles in his holders and it ripped those boards into the air crashing into his rods before the lines snapped. He stopped a few hundred yards behind us after that. We cleared our spread and motored over to retrieve our gear. As we approached, the crew was very apologetic and said their Capt had a seizure. The crew did not realize what was happening. Our anger quickly turned to concern but they said he was coming out of it and ok. He needs to see his doctor, he should not be behind any steering wheel with that condition. We got all our gear back. Hope the guy is ok.
  11. 38 to 42 degrees at St Joe Sunday. Odd it was warmer farther north. The warmest water we found was south of the Cook plant and coldest near the pier
  12. Hard to say, there is a small craft advisory right now going all day. Winds are SE tomorrow, generally not good in early season, then more high winds and rain Wed and Thursday. Outlook for this week is not very good. Some stable westerly winds that are not raging is best to warm up in shore waters.
  13. Have not got out, the past weekend was a steady blow.
  14. Right around 2.3 mph.
  15. First troll of the year was good for us. Set up in 20 FOW and went on a south troll. We ran thin fins on boards staggered with 50 to 80 ft leads. Stinger orange spoons on divers out 15 ft. Fast action we trolled less than a mile and had 11, turned around and got our 20 in another half mile. Got into 7-8 fow, shallow was good. Good luck!
  16. https://www.koamnewsnow.com/tips-to-stop-spread-of-zebra-mussels-in-lakes/
  17. Here is some info https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2018/10/11/help-prevent-spread-of-invasive-new-zealand-mudsnails/44407813/
  18. Congratulations to the winners! Here are the winners of the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative tagged head reward program for 2021. We want to thank all anglers who participated and turned in micro tagged salmon and trout heads last year. Returns were way up this past season. There were 631 heads turned in during 2020 and this increased to 1517 heads in 2021. These returns provide important scientific data on stocking success, fish movement and growth rates. Mass marking returns also contribute to studies on natural reproduction. This research helps to better manage our Great Lakes fisheries. Special thanks go out to our sponsors who make these rewards possible. Each winner will receive one prize package with either $100 in Moonshine products or $100 gift cards. Please support these companies who make these rewards possible. Captain Chuck's II Inc., Moonshine Lures, Blood Run Tackle, Jay's Sporting Goods, Collins Design and Build. The family of Tom VanEtten also sponsored this in his memory. We also want to thank Vice Chairman of the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Randy Terrian and Jay Wesley from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Randy posted signs up and down the Lake Huron coast and encouraged anglers to turn in heads. There were a lot of entries and winners from Lake Huron. Jay has helped coordinate the program within the DNR and helped us administer the drawings. He even picked up a full freezer of heads from the UP. Thanks to the crew at the Charlevoix lab where all the heads are processed to recover the micro tags. Here are the 2021 Winners Michael C Oliver Atlantic salmon Smith from Mio MI Atlantic salmon Brynn L Carsters Atlantic salmon Harry J Barnhart Atlantic salmon Stanley J Czarnik Chinook Marie Czarnik Chinook Phillip Throop Chinook Brian Haffner Chinook David A Little Chinook Dave Nadalsky Chinook Trevor Dunn Chinook Scott M Kain Chinook Julie A Shafto Chinook Gregory S Frutiger Chinook Joseph A Cadorette Chinook Frank Krist Chinook Michael Behrendt Chinook Mickey Vance Chinook Gregory S Frutiger Chinook Mike Hickey Chinook David B Eck Rainbow trout Cathy Fry Rainbow trout Josh Kilbourn Steelhead Erich Franz Steelhead Mike Hickey Steelhead Josh A Kretchman Steelhead Tom G Andris Steelhead Jon R Reardon Skamania steelhead Jacob S Myers Skamania steelhead Earl Boyer Skamania steelhead Mark D Andrzejewski Skamania steelhead Sally J Wilson Skamania steelhead Matt D Kramer Skamania steelhead We will be shipping your prizes out soon via USPS. Please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery. If there are any problems with receipt, contact us at info@glsalmon.org We invite all anglers to join the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative and support our mission to advocate for King Salmon and improve our Great Lakes Fisheries. You can join us here: https://glsalmon.org/great-lakes-salmon-initiative-memberships/
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  19. Nice one!
  20. The offshore bite has been good for us. We have been fishing 350 and out to 450 fow, about 12 miles out. Got 10 each trip fishing the morning, we pulled lines at 10:30 today. Fast action losing more fish than we should but had cohos and jumping steelies in the mix. Bites have been on riggers down 80 and 100 with a double stack with a mag Moonshine carbon 14 with a regular MS carbon 14 10 ft above it and a double stack of mag and regular Moonshine sarge on the other rigger. A 10 inch Dreamweaver white slick spin doctor and pickled sunshine fly on a low diver out 150 to 170 and on a 450 copper has been taking a lot of hits. A 8in green bikini DW spin doctor and green crinkle spin doctor with the same pickled sunshine fly on high divers out 225 have been good. Dreamweaver SS rasta goose, double orange crush and fireball on 225 and 300 coppers were taking bites. Looking forward to next few days, the water is stable today.
  21. It will come down to ounces between this fish and one caught in a river off Lake Ontario for it to be the biggest king ever caught in any of the Great Lakes. Jay Wesley will confirm on Monday when he talks to officials there. It was caught on a Moonshine Raspberry Carbon 14 off Big Sable Point in Ludington by a 19 year old first time salmon fisherman with Icebreaker Charters. https://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/news/local/ortonville-teen-catches-great-lakes-record-chinook-salmon/article_b464f94a-acc6-5ac3-a147-2ad5d00e18d8.html Ortonville teen catches Great Lakes record Chinook salmon By David Bossick and Brian Mulherin Daily News Aug 7, 2021 Updated 11 hrs ago 1 of 2 Louis Martinez, 19, of Ortonville, smiles as he looks over to Icebreaker Charters Capt. Bobby Sullivan Saturday afternoon as Martinez holds a new Michigan state record Chinook salmon outside Captain Chuck's II in Ludington. Martinez and his family chartered with Sullivan and caught the 47.86-pound, 47 1/2-inch Chinook salmon off of Big Sable Point on Lake Michigan. David Bossick | Daily News Louis Martinez, 19, of Ortonville, left, and Captain Chuck's II Co-Owner Scott Keegstra lift up a new Michigan state record Chinook salmon out of a cooler Saturday afternoon outside Captain Chuck's II in Ludington. The fish broke a record from 1978, weighing in at 47.86 pounds and measuring 47 1/2 inches. Louis Martinez of Ortonville wasn’t quite sure. Icebreaker Charters Capt. Bobby Sullivan was starting to have doubts, too. Once Sullivan brought in Martinez and his family back to Ray’s Auto Marine weighed the Chinook salmon Martinez caught Saturday morning, the race was on to see just how big of a fish was caught off of Big Sable Point in Lake Michigam. A short time later, it was confirmed — Martinez pulled in a 47.86-pound, 47 1/2-inch Chinook salmon that set a new Michigan state record. The previous state record was 46.06 pounds and 43 1/2 inches caught in 1978 from snagging on the Grand River in Kent County. “The first 10 minutes were quite a fight,” Martinez said. “Around the 20s, 30s (minutes or so), he started jumping out of the water. That’s when we pulled it out and landed it in the boat. “The captain was so happy. (Sullivan) was screaming,” he said. Saturday was the first time Martinez went out salmon fishing, and he was with his mom Maria Lemaster, sister Ale Martinez and stepdad David Lemaster. “We come every year, my husband and I love to go fishing,” Maria Lemaster said. “Every time I invited them to come along, and this year, for some reason, they decided to go.” Good decision. “Try something new,” Martinez said. “It’s (my) first catching a salmon.” Around 7 a.m. is when the fish first struck the line. Lemaster said they knew they had a large fish on the line right away. “The reel started screaming,” she said. “It went a lot quicker than I was suspecting.” Sullivan said it took out about 350 feet of line, and he said he was starting to think that he didn’t have enough line. He did, though. “It took that one big run and then it turned around, and I don’t know it took a run once (Martinez) started gaining line,” Sullivan said. “The fish got into a couple of boards on the one side, but once we got that untangled, and we got it on-board, I just said, oh, man, this thing is a giant.” As Martinez was reeling in the fish, Sullivan said he slowed down his boat a little bit. Martinez said he felt a bit sore as he was reeling it in. “They were all screaming, and I was like, what did I do?’” Martinez said. “(Sullvan) said he was for sure more than 35 pounds. ‘I know it. I know it.’” There was lots of screaming, and videos and some pictures, too. But then the doubts started to creep in a bit. “When it hit the floor, I said, ‘This thing is big.’ And then I started second-guessing myself,” Sullivan said. “I thought it was pushing 40. I told (Martinez), ‘You don’t realize what you just caught.’ "Little did I know, when I weighed it at Ray’s, and I put it on the scale, and I was like…” Sullivan said that because the record-breaking fish was brought in around 7:30 a.m. or so, they stayed out and caught one more fish before heading back to Ray’s Auto Marine. “The whole time I’m thinking, I wish I had a scale, I wish I had a scale,” Sullivan said. There, on an uncertified scale, it tipped the scales at more than 47 pounds. They put the fish on plenty of ice, and Sullivan’s fellow charter boat captains began to congratulate him. “He was up at the cleaning station and he had it on the scale, and he said, that scale can’t be right,” said Doug Strzynski, captain of Pole Cat. “I said, ‘Bobby that’s a 47. I’ve caught 37s. I know. He hung up on scale again. I told him that scale is right. Bobby the girth in that is unbelievable.” Strzynski said the camaraderie between all of the captains where they are is really good. “Our dock is wonderful. Everyone is sharing in how each of us do. We don’t care who catches the most.” Sullivan runs 350-foot weighted steel line with a 30-pound monofiliment leader. The rod also had a couple hundred feet of 60-pound braided superline backing. It was on a Okuma-brand rod and reel. He fishes in 28 1/2-foot Baja Cruiser, and Sullivan estimated that the line was at around 60 to 65 feet deep in 200 feet of water near Big Sable Point.“ When I was running up there, I stayed to the outside (of the dozens of boats fishing there Saturday morning),” Sullivan said. “And I’m glad I did.” The record was caught with a Magnum Moonshine Raspberry Carbon Spoon. The lure is now Martinez’s. Sullivan is in his fifth season as a charter boat captain, and he splits his year between Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay and Lake Michigan. He said he typically spends July and August fishing for salmon along Lake Michigan. After getting to Ray’s Marina and measuring it, the family and charter headed to Captain Chuck’s II to get it weighed and see about getting it certified. “They called and said they have a 47-pound king salmon they wanted to weigh,” Captain Chuck’s II co-owner Scott Keegstra said. “We have a derby going on. It’s our first derby, and Bobby from Icebreaker is in that derby. When they said 47 pounds, you don’t know what to think.” Keegstra then was able to take a look at the catch. “The minute I saw it, I was like, holy crap, that’s huge,” he said. “We put it on the scale, and it flew past 47 (pounds), and instantly I knew it was uncharted territory. It’s a state record.” Keegstra made arrangements with Mike Krueger at Northside Market after talking to Jay Wesley, the Lake Michigan basin coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources, to weigh the fish on a certified scale — something needed when looking at setting a new state record. “(Krueger’s) scale, being certified, the official weight was 47.86 (pounds),” Keegstra said. “It was just unbelievable.” Wesley left his home in Kalamazoo Saturday, reviewed the paperwork and then certified the new state record fish. He announced it as a crowd of dozens watched and crowded in to get a glimpse of the new record. “I didn’t know if we’d ever see a new record, but we’ve been hitting 40 pounds or close in the last few years,” Wesley said. “I was working in my garage and told my wife, ‘I’m heading to Ludington. I’ve got to see this thing.’” Wesley said the Muskegon area has seen some Chinook salmon at 40-plus pounds. Wisconsin also is registering large fish, too. “Unbelievable to have 47 pounds,” Wesley said. “In fact, the last state record was in 1978, and it was snagged in the Grand River. To have this one to officially bite a lure, caught out in Lake Michigan and caught in the salmon capital of Michigan, Ludington, is pretty amazing.” The fish is likely a new record for Lake Michigan. Online records indicate fish less than 40 pounds caught in Indiana and Illinois while a 44-pound, 15-ounce Chinook salmon was caught near Door County off of Wisconsin on July 19, 1994. It very well might be a new record for the species in all of the Great Lakes. Records from Minnesota indicate a 33-pound, 4-ounce Chinook caught in Lake Superior off of St. Louis County. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters lists a Chinook salmon record of 46.38 pounds and 47 inches caught near Oakville, Ontario, in Lake Ontario. While getting everything in order to certify a new state record, word also quickly spread in the fishing community, too. At around 2 p.m., Captain Chuck’s II was crowded with those looking to sneak a peek at the record-breaking fish. The lot filled in with cars, trucks and trailers lined the driveways and dozens eventually crowded in as Martinez, Sullivan and Keegstra brought the fish out of its box and onto a scale. The dozens produced dozens of phones, trying to capture photos and videos of the new record. “The fishing community is a relatively small community. I figured we would have our normal fishermen and some of the other clients maybe,” Keegstra said. “The way that word spread and the draw from the people just blew my mind.“When you think about it, it was a record that was set in the ’70s that was broken today by a 19-year-old kid. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.” The original plan for the weekend for the Lemaster family was to come in on Friday, do some fishing on Saturday and then head home on Sunday. The whirlwind from catching what is a new state record? “This was not part of the original plan,” Lemaster said.
  22. We fished NW of West Sister Island Sunday and got our limit trolling Stinger and Dreamweaver spoons behind diver disc's with 90 to 100 leads . First time I fished there this season, we had been staying in MI waters all season doing great. I don't think we needed to make the long run. Boats in MI waters did great too. Good luck!
  23. Fished 18 to 21 fow straight out of Bolles. We trolled bandits 30 and 40 ft back and ran 1 crawler harness on rigger on the bottom. Got 4 on it and we got our limit with rest on bandits. Good luck!
  24. https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-86469-558947--,00.html Next time you catch a trout or salmon, remember to check for a clip on the adipose fin - that small, fleshy fin behind the dorsal fin. It could be worth $100. Through mass marking assistance by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Great Lakes states, including Michigan, mark popular game fish like steelhead, Chinook salmon, Atlantic salmon, brown trout and lake trout. Most trout and salmon with an adipose fin clip also have a coded-wire tag in their snout. The tag is small, like the tip of a lead pencil, so it must be removed by lab technicians. Anyone catching and wanting to keep an adipose fin clipped fish should turn the head into a local drop-off station in Michigan. Randy Claramunt, Lake Huron Basin coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said the DNR relies on the help of anglers to supplement the marked and tagged fish program. "We have creel clerks at some ports, but there are several areas that we don't have staff, including on river systems with unique fisheries, such as Atlantic salmon or steelhead," he said. "To get enough tag returns to learn about these species, we need the help of our anglers to voluntarily turn in heads." The Great Lakes Salmon Initiative recognized the need for community science and teamed up with Captain Chuck's II in Ludington, Moonshine Lures, Jay's Sporting Goods, Blood Run Tackle and Collins Design and Build to sponsor 33 rewards worth $100 each. Fish with tags submitted before Nov. 1, 2021, will be eligible for the rewards, which will be selected randomly from all entries received by that date. Additional details about the reward program: Each head with a tag that is turned in equals one drawing entry. Tagged fish must be submitted by Nov. 1, 2021. Eligible tagged fish include steelhead, brown trout and Chinook or Atlantic salmon. Your contact information (name, address, phone number) and catch data (date, location, body of water) must be included with each head. The drawing will occur around February 2022. The head must be left at a Michigan drop-off location. According to Jay Wesley, Lake Michigan Basin coordinator, fish tag returns help biologists understand survival, age and movements of important sport fish. "We are particularly interested in confirming the wild contribution of Chinook salmon to the fishery, movement and wild contribution of steelhead in lakes and rivers, and survival and movement of Atlantic salmon," Wesley said. "This reward program will help incentivize anglers to become community scientists and help us collect valuable data." For more information on how to recognize a tagged fish and how to fill out the proper information, visit Michigan.gov/TaggedFish.
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