As the winter fishing season gets under way, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that DNR staff again will be interviewing them about their fishing trips. The DNR appreciates anglers’ cooperation in obtaining these critical data for fisheries management.
Fisheries Division creel clerks will ask anglers, through brief interviews, about how long they fished, what species they targeted, what they caught, and where they live. In a few instances, the clerks will ask to measure or weigh fish and take scale samples to gather key biological information about anglers’ catches.
These efforts are part of the DNR’s Statewide Angler Survey Program, a long-term monitoring program designed to track recreational fisheries across Michigan waters of the Great Lakes and selected inland waters. These data are vital to the management of fisheries across the state and are used for determining management actions that include developing appropriate regulations, addressing habitat improvements and identifying fish stocking needs.
This winter, creel clerks will interview anglers fishing Saginaw Bay, the Les Cheneaux Islands, Munising, Au Train, Marquette, Keweenaw Bay, Mullett Lake, Wampler’s Lake and Little Bay de Noc. Starting April 1 and continuing into the fall, creel clerks will talk with anglers at a number of Great Lakes boating access sites, fishing piers and shorelines across the entire coastline to obtain estimates on the spring, summer and fall fisheries.
To see past creel results, visit Michigan.gov/fishing and click on Fishing in Michigan in the left toolbar.
