Category: Fishing

Lame Duck Politics in Michigan

Legislative Roundup from MUCC

  • SB 1035 – Property tax exemption for charitable sportsmen’s clubs — Unfortunately, this was our biggest loss this session. When everything shook out, townships, municipalities and school districts were able to swing votes their way citing the unknown, potential loss of revenue. MUCC learned on Thursday morning that we were not going to have the votes in the House to get this to Gov. Snyder. This issue will continue to be a top priority for MUCC in 2019 as we look to rework the bill and make it feasible for all those involved. It will require reintroduction with a new bill number and must go through the process all over again.
  • HB 5321 – Moratorium on the sterilization of game species in Michigan — Gov. Snyder signed Rep. Cole’s bill into law earlier this week, and it was a bill that Michigan United Conservation Clubs helped to craft and get across the finish line. HB 5321 did meet resistance, but the compromise language provides a four-year moratorium preventing the DNR from issuing “research permits” that allow the sterilization of game species. After four years, it will be up to the DNR, NRC and stakeholders to decide if sterilization is an effective method of managing game species using the “research” outcomes gained in Ann Arbor during the city’s ongoing sterilization project. MUCC is optimistic that scientific research will not validate sterilization as an effective tool for the management of game species, and that hunters will continually be the primary managers of Michigan’s game species.
  • Michigan Pheasant Hunter Initiative — MUCC was informed early this morning that our request for supplemental funding did make it into the final budget bill, SB 601. The supplemental appropriations bill will now head to Gov. Snyder who will have the ability to sign, or line-item veto certain parts of the the legislation. This initiative was a 2017 MUCC resolution that passed unanimously through our Annual Convention. The initiative looks to create more pheasant hunting opportunities on state lands in Michigan.
  • SB 1211 —  Dubbed Casperson’s “wetland destruction act” — Initially, MUCC was opposed to this bill along with numerous other conservation groups throughout Michigan. In its final form after midnight today, MUCC, along with many of our partners who have worked tirelessly on this bill, stands neutral. Most of the language weakening wetland protections that raised flags throughout the environmental and conservation communities has been removed. MUCC Deputy Director Amy Trotter said, “Sportsmen and environmental organizations teamed up together on direct and grassroots advocacy to drain the ‘wetland destructions act.'” Currently, this bill is awaiting Gov. Snyder’s decision.
  • HB 5854-5855—Voluntary Wetland Restoration Program. Not to be confused with the above, this proactive legislation spearheaded by Ducks Unlimited, sponsored by Reps. Howell and Bellino and supported by MUCC heads to the Governor to create a program to streamline permits for voluntary wetland restoration work done by an agency or non-governmental organization.
  • SB 1145 — This bill would have allowed the harvest of lake trout by commercial fishermen, which has been prohibited since the 1960s. This Sen. Casperson bill, if passed, could have had serious ramifications for not only lake trout, but also could interfere with the upcoming tribal negotiations on the Great Lakes Consent Decree beginning next year. MUCC stood with the charter boat industry, Trout Unlimited, the Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fishermen’s Association, and Hammond Bay Area Anglers in opposition and stopped this bill from coming out of committee. We look forward to working together in 2019 on comprehensive updates to the commercial fishing law.
  • SB 1258-1259 — Unfortunately, the recreation passport opt-out was a late-introduced bill that never got legs in the House, after passing the Senate last week. This legislation would have every vehicle automatically pay for the recreation passport unless the owner opted out, potentially raising more funding for state and local parks operations and maintenance. MUCC will continue to look for long-term funding opportunities to ensure our parks and recreation infrastructure can be maintained into the future.
  • SJR O, SB 763, SB 931-932 — This package introduced by Sens. Casperson, Hansen and Booher, in its final version, was widely supported by the conservation and recreation community and made changes to capture the next rollover of the oil and gas revenues, currently going into the State Parks Endowment Fund (SPEF), to put them back into the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund once SPEF reaches is cap. SJR O will be a constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot to increase the flexibility of the funding to invest in both land acquisition and recreational development projects.
  • HB 6123— After yet another battle earlier this year over potentially dangerous changes to our water withdrawal law, this bill led by Michigan Trout Unlimited seeks to reauthorize the water use advisory council to make recommendations to the state on improvements that can be made on the use of data and models, and to the process for using the water withdrawal assessment tool. MUCC supports this legislation that was sent to the Governor this morning.
Fishing, Hunting

First Michigan waterways designated as state water trails

Eight waterways totaling 540-plus miles that flow through more than a dozen counties have been selected as the first state-designated water trails in Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday.

The DNR and the Office of the Great Lakes partnered on the effort to finalize this first round of designations, which includes:

  • Central River Raisin Water Trail, 11 miles in Monroe County.
  • Chain of Lakes Water Trail, more than 80 miles in Antrim and Kalkaska counties.
  • Huron River Water Trail, 104 miles in Livingston, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.
  • Island Loop Route, 10 miles in St. Clair County.
  • Flint River Trail, 72 miles in Genesee and Lapeer counties.
  • Middle Grand River Water Trail, 87 miles in Clinton, Eaton, Ingham and Ionia counties.
  • Shiawassee River Trail, 88 miles in Genesee, Oakland, Saginaw and Shiawassee counties.
  • Upper Grand River Water Trail, 91 miles in Eaton, Ingham and Jackson counties.

A water trail is a designated route on a navigable waterway such as a lake, river, canal or bay, that is designed and managed to create a positive outdoor recreation experience for the user. Water trails feature well-developed access points, often are near significant historical, environmental or cultural points of interest and often have nearby amenities like restaurants, hotels and campgrounds. Read more

Fishing

Illinois Calls on Michigan For Immediate Help in Funding Invasive Carp Battle

Michigan’s $8 million offer welcome, but should be put toward immediate efforts, not 10 years from now

CHICAGO — Gov. Bruce Rauner said today that Illinois is happy to accept $8 million from the State of Michigan to put toward the fight to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes — provided the funds can be used now to advance the effort. Unfortunately, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s current offer of financial assistance isn’t applicable until 2028.

Rauner sent a letter today to Snyder with a counterproposal to continue the fight against Asian carp. The Illinois governor said the best way to reduce the risk of Asian carp invasion is to enhance commercial fishing strategies in the Upper Illinois River and the Alton, LaGrange and Peoria pools today. Putting the $8 million to use on these ongoing efforts would dramatically reduce the risk prior to construction of a deterrent barrier at Brandon Road, which won’t begin until 2022. Read more

Fishing

USACE Releases Plan to Keep Asian Carp Out of Great Lakes

Ann Arbor, MI) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released its final draft plan to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. The draft chief’s report of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam includes both structural and nonstructural measures including an engineered lock fitted with an electric barrier, a bubble barrier, an acoustic barrier, and a flushing lock to stop aquatic invasive species like Asian carp, while maintaining navigation for shipping. The Brandon Road Lock and Dam is located just south of Chicago and is a critical chokepoint to help stop Asian carp from continuing to swim closer to Lake Michigan. The estimated cost of the project is $777.8 million, up from an earlier estimate of $275 million. A previous draft of the plan included water jets in place of the bubble barrier.

A summary of the final plan is available here: https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Protection-and-Restoration/GLMRIS-BrandonRoad/. Read more

Fishing

Red Tides Impact More Than Just Fish

Gulf of Mexico IEA Project

Scientists and fishermenNOAA Scientists and Fishermen at an Ecosystem workshop in the Gulf of Mexico during the Summer of 2018

Massive fish die-offs were just one of many concerns fishermen raised with NOAA scientists during workshops held in the summer of 2018. Fishermen described how the spread of toxic algae otherwise known as a “Red Tide” event along the west coast of Florida is impacting many parts of their lives including local business. This made it clear the issue was bigger than just fish die-offs and requires a solution that is bigger than just conserving fish populations. An ecosystem-wide approach can provide such a solution.

Red tide events occur when toxic algae (Karenia brevis) populations grow rapidly in the water. While these are naturally occurring events, the 2018 event is worse than usual, leading to massive die-offs of marine species and possible respiratory symptoms in humans.

Typically, the impacts of red tides are incorporated into the decision-making process through stock assessments. Stock assessments can estimate the amount of fish that will die as a result of this red tide event and provide an appropriate and sustainable level of fishing mortality, in light of these events. Read more

Fishing

New Video Highlights Recreation Industry’s Economic Impact

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) published a video this week recapping the release of the first-ever report on the outdoor industry’s economic impact, known as the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA). Click here to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWoTV31XB5A&feature=youtu.be

The ORSA report – which was produced by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis – was officially announced during a Capitol Hill briefing in September with key federal officials, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Bureau of Economic Analysis Director Brian Moyer, and Department of Interior Senior Advisor Rick May, and a video greeting from Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). Read more

Fishing

Amazing Encounter–Florida Biologists Look Back on Shark/Tarpon Encounter at Boca Grande

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Fishing for tarpon is always exciting, but on June 16, 2003, researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI)* witnessed a particularly amazing, and most likely , once-in-a-lifetime event.

For roughly eight weeks, FMRI biologists had been riding with charter boat captains in Boca Grande Pass. As part of a Catch-and-Release Mortality Study, the captains and their clients allowed the FMRI scientists to place a sonic tag on the first tarpon landed on their boats. Anglers from around the world know that Boca Grande Pass is a great place to land tarpon. During the peak of the tarpon season, as many as 100 boats at a time can crowd the pass. Sharks, major predators on tarpon, also know that Boca Grande Pass is a good place to hunt the fish.

The morning of June 16 was chaotic. Tarpon were biting everywhere. Anglers all over the pass were yelling, “Fish on,” as tarpon hit their lines. FMRI researchers were watching a 20 ft flats boat. At the center console, the captain expertly maneuvered the boat in the pass to allow his client in the fighting chair to land a tarpon. The angler hooked a tarpon, and the biologists watched as the silver king burst from the water into midair, clearing the water and the bow of the boat by as much as three feet! The angler, reeling furiously to land his prize, barely noticed that a 9 ft bull shark had followed the massive tarpon out of the water. The shark also flew through the air, clearing the boat by at least two feet.

In the ensuing seconds, the tarpon plunged into the water on the other side of the boat, but the shark came up short, landing on the boat instead of in the water! For one breathless moment, the shark lay curled in a half circle, its head resting on the platform near the angler’s chair and its tail against the captain’s console. Onlookers gasped as the shark flashed a toothy grin and bounced itself over the side of the boat and back into the water. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and nothing was broken. Everyone aboard the flats boat was understandably shaken, and all of the stunned onlookers took home an amazing fish tale. Read more

Fishing

Michigan: share your thoughts with the DNR at upcoming meetings

The Department of Natural Resources is committed to providing Michigan citizens the opportunity to share input and ideas on policy decisions, programs and other aspects of natural resource management and outdoor recreation opportunities. One important avenue for this input is at meetings of the public bodies that advise the DNR and, in some cases, also set policies for natural resource management.

The following boards, commissions, committees and councils will hold public meetings in November. The public is encouraged to attend. The links below will take you to the webpage for each group, where you will find specific meeting locations and, when finalized, meeting agendas. Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan: more than 21 million fish stocked in 2018 means great fishing opportunities

Rainbow trout, chinook salmon, steelhead and seven other species and one hybrid were among the 21,116,476 fish – weighing a combined 333 tons – stocked in Michigan’s public waters so far this year.

DNR staff made 381 trips to nearly 800 stocking sites including Great Lakes, inland lakes and rivers. Eighteen specialized trucks traveled 103,618 miles and 2,619 hours to deliver the valuable cargo.

The number and type of fish stocked varies depending on stocking requests, hatchery rearing assignments, and the source and temperature of each facility’s rearing water. Michigan has six state hatcheries and two cooperative hatcheries that together produce the species, strain and size of fish requested by fisheries managers. These fish are delivered at a specific time and location to ensure their survival and success. Read more

Fishing
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