Updated guidelines for co-management of fisheries resources in parts of Michigan’s Great Lakes are now in effect for the next 24 years. The new Great Lakes Fishing Decree was approved on August 24, 2023, by the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan. In the months since the law was signed, the State of Michigan and tribal governments have been preparing to implement the provisions of the document.
This order is necessary because five tribes – the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians – reserved fishing rights in the 1836 Treaty of Washington. Those rights were upheld by federal courts more than four decades ago, resulting in the need for a co-management framework that allows for fishery resource sharing. This order is the third since 1985, and each includes a fisheries management structure that dictates who can fish where, when and how, and what can be brought home or sold.
The latest iteration includes many updates, but the areas where tribal commercial fishers can fish and the reporting requirements for the fishing industry are notable provisions that have taken time to implement.
“Tribal fishing regulations need to be updated to ensure they are consistent with the changes outlined in the new ordinance,” said Dave Caroffino, manager of the DNR Fisheries Division Tribal Coordination Unit. “In addition, the state and the tribes are developing electronic reporting systems to improve data collection from commercial fishermen, wholesale fish sellers and charter captains.”
Information collected from fisheries is important to management and will be used by the state and tribes to monitor fish populations and establish future regulations.
For more than two decades, the 2000 Consent Decree has governed fishing in the 1836 Treaty waters of the Great Lakes, and recreational anglers and boaters have become accustomed to commercial fishing patterns that have resulted from regulations within that treaty. . The Great Lakes ecosystem has changed significantly since 2000. As fishing regulations have been amended in response to those changes, patterns within commercial fisheries are likely to change as well.
“Fishermen may find nets in locations they’re not used to,” said Nick Torsky, a supervisor within the DNR Great Lakes Enforcement Unit. “It is important to review the updated maps within the decree to understand where commercial fishing nets may be located. Being cautious and vigilant for commercial fishing nets while on the water is critical to public safety.”
Commercial fishing nets are marked with staff buoys that extend 4 feet above the water and an orange flag 16 inches by 16 inches in size. Fishermen and boaters who encounter nets must give them a wide berth and not interfere with commercial fishing activities.
To read the Great Lakes Fishing Decree and view related maps, visit the Great Lakes Co-management webpage.
This story was written by multiple EUP News staff or an outside source.
