As this year’s open-water fishing season gets under way, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that fisheries personnel will be collecting data (about anglers’ fishing trips) at lakes, rivers and Great Lakes ports.
DNR creel clerks will be stationed at boat launches and piers, asking anglers questions as they return from their fishing trips. Information will be requested on trip length, target species and number and type of fish caught. In some cases, creel clerks may ask to measure or weigh fish and to take scale or other bony part samples for aging. These data are key information in managing the state’s fisheries resource.
“The DNR appreciates anglers’ cooperation with these interviews, and it will only take a couple of minutes to answer the questions,” said DNR fisheries biologist Tracy Kolb. “This program helps us gather information that is critical in managing the state’s fisheries and is used in every aspect of our management efforts.”
These efforts are part of the DNR’s Statewide Angler Survey Program, a long-term monitoring program designed to track recreational fisheries and harvest across Michigan’s waters. This is one of the most comprehensive angler survey programs in the country, with DNR creel clerks interviewing upwards of 50,000 anglers in most years.
Anglers interested in seeing the results from surveys of Great Lakes ports in previous years can find them online at dnr.state.mi.us/chartercreel/. Data on inland waters is also available online.
