Vice President Karl Burnside

Michigan house bill H.R. 5108, introduced last fall into the State legislature, will allow a 25% annual take of sport fish by commercial fish netting. While it’s fortunate this bill has not yet been passed into law, it is still being diligently worked on by those that proposed it, and those that will benefit from it. When reading into this legislative proposal, it quickly becomes clear that it does not in any way, make the millions of sport angler enthusiast in Michigan the winner if implemented.

Those that will benefit are a select few commercial net fishing businesses and potentially the elected officials who bought into such a disastrous proposal to further their own agenda. I view it as a wholesale slap in the face and fleecing of allocated state funds, from the millions of sport fishing enthusiasts and out-of-state guests, who purchase fishing licenses when visiting Michigan to enjoy our Great Lakes fishery.

Let’s take Saginaw Bay for example: The DNR has estimated the Walleye population in the past to be somewhere between six and seven million fish. If we average that number to 6.5 million, that is an annual take of over 1.6 million Walleye from Saginaw Bay alone if H.R. 5108 is passed. But let’s look at it from a different perspective, that being pounds of fish.

The commercial net fishers are not targeting smaller Walleye. They are targeting restaurant quality size fish, so it can be assumed they would be ideally targeting 18” to 24” fish. If we take the average weight of those fish in that range (I used numbers here from my personal catch records of size to weight) that is a 3.77-pound fish. If that number is multiplied by 1.6 million, we get an annual take just over         6 million pounds of Walleye from Saginaw Bay. I don’t think simple math has ever been done by any of the supporters of H.R. 5108. Maybe it has, and they don’t care? It’s clear their motives lie elsewhere.

The DNR likes to look at something they call angler effort. Nets have low angler effort with a high success rate, all but guaranteeing a successful catch when used. Angler effort is a completely different subject when it comes to hook-and-line sport fishing. There is no doubt in my mind sport fishing angler effort will suffer the very first year H.R. 5108 passes. It will continue to trend downwards in ensuing years, along with interest in sport fishing by the public.

In summary, Michigan house bill H.R. 5108 serves very few, but those it will serve, will be rewarded generously. There is a glimmer of hope. There is proposed legislation in the making as an alternate to

H.R. 5108. This proposed alternate legislation makes sound, logical and sustainable use of our Great Lakes resources based on fact and common sense.

The MCBA will send e-blasts when that legislation is ready to be introduced. We need all MCBA members, and anyone you can contact through family/friends/ associates, to let our elected officials know you support this alternate legislation over the disaster that is H.R. 5108.