Call Senators to Support Commercial Fishing Legislation

Michigan United Conservation Clubs needs your help to ensure that game fish are not allowed for commercial harvest and that more stringent regulations are placed on commercial anglers.

Senate Bill 0925 was introduced by Senator Michael Green (R-Mayville) on April 10 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. The hearing previously scheduled has been cancelled, so we need to call on the committee to take this bill up this fall!

SB 0925 does five vital things for Michigan’s sport fishery:

  • Lists all game fish (except black crappie) under Part 487— not allowing them to be caught under commercial harvest.
  • Establishes requirements for GPS locations of nets when lowered or lifted and creates a website to monitor that.
  • Includes a variety of improvements on reporting and daily record keeping.
  • Allows an issued permit to specify when gear can be in the water and when it has to be lifted.
  • Every three years the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will conduct a by-catch study, and using that, invested parties will be able to better understand the effects of commercial fishing on the entirety of the fishery.

One point that MUCC will continue to work on is creating more of a balance in terms of sportfishing and commercial fishing interests on the Commercial Fishery Advisory Group. As it stands, commercial fishing proponents hold a majority within the group.

MUCC urges you to call or email the committee members and voice your support for our state’s vital sport fishery; ask them to schedule a hearing and approve this legislation, and we would like to thank Senator Green for his leadership on this issue

Committee members include (Click on their name to receive additional contact information):

Senator Goeff Hansen (R) Committee Chair, 34th District: (517) 373-1635

Senator Dale Zorn (R) Vice Chair, 17th District: (517) 373-3543

Senator Wayne A.Schmidt (R) 37th District: (517) 373-2413

Senator Morris W Hood III (D) 3rd District: (517) 373-0990

Bill sponsor Senator Mike Green (R) 31st District: (517) 373-1777 (please thank him for his support and for spearheading the legislation)

1 Comment

  1. Andrew Augustine on June 9, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    How is a balance attained between commercial and sport fishing when I see no restrictions on sport fishermen? This looks one sided to me. Is Saginaw Bay tribal waters? After the commercial fishermen are legislated out of business (which is your ultimate goal) what gaurantee is there that tribal fishermen won’t fill the void? After there is nothing left for comm fishermen to make a living on, tell me what will the DNR study every three years? GPS locations for nets will be made public so vandals can find them easier. When will the sport fishermen be required to report lost gear including the location? Are sport fishermen required to report bilge pump outs thereby polluting the water? Are sport hook sizes going to be limited so as not to injure unintended catches?

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