Consent Decree status conference leads to extension

lschultz • June 10, 2021

The 2020 Consent Decree governing treaty and recreational fishing in the northern Great Lakes of Michigan was again extended June 4 after a status conference was held in federal court in Kalamazoo.

The parties gathered at the request of the court to provide an overview of their take on the negotiations thus far and their attitudes towards reaching a mutual agreement. 

At the end of the conference, the current governing document, the 2000 Consent Decree, was extended by U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney until the end of the year . The six-month extension comes about one month before the current extension , which was granted in December 2020, was set to expire. In addition to extending the decree, the judge also scheduled a follow-up status conference for September 10.

Attorneys from the State of Michigan, five sovereign Michigan tribes, the United States and the mediator in the negotiations, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael Cavanaugh, were in attendance . Representatives of the Coalition to Protect Michigan’s Resources (CPMR) and the Bays de Noc Sportfishermen, Inc. also attended the conference. Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) is a core member of CPMR, which is represented by Steve Schultz and Chris Patterson. Schultz has been involved with the treaty negotiations since the original 1985 Consent Decree. Both are attorneys at Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC.

Since 1985, a large portion of Michigan’s Great Lakes fishery has been shared under an agreement between five of Michigan’s sovereign tribes and the State of Michigan. This agreement was entered by the federal court in a “consent decree” that applied to what is known as the 1836 Treaty Waters. The treaty waters extend from the mouth of the Grand River in Lake Michigan to Alpena in Lake Huron and from Sault Ste. Marie to almost Marquette on Lake Superior.

The Consent Decree identifies the rules and areas where tribal commercial fishers, tribal subsistence fishers and recreational sport fishers may fish. Certain areas of the Great Lakes are mostly reserved for sportfishing, while others are shared or reserved mostly for commercial fishing by the tribes.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages the sport fishery under the decree, which also includes how available stocks are measured and what methods of take may be used by fishers. The DNR also determines creel limits, fishing methods and fisheries management for recreational anglers — who pay, through license dollars and excise taxes, to manage the fishery.

Since 1937, MUCC has united citizens to conserve, protect and enhance Michigan’s natural resources and outdoor heritage – and we do so from Lansing to Washington D.C. Please join us today: http://bit.ly/JoinMUCC

Recent Posts

The Legacy of Michigan Logging

By Olivia Triltsch • April 24, 2025
Historically, Michigan experienced a lumber era in which the state was a leading producer for 50 years starting in 1860.

MUCC celebrates a successful Clinton River Cleanup

By Katelyn Helsel • April 23, 2025
Rochester Hills, MI — On the Ground, MUCC’s volunteer stewardship program, celebrated its 250th habitat improvement project in Oakland County this past weekend. In partnership with Metro-West Steelheaders and the Clinton River Watershed Council , 62 volunteers removed more than 460 pounds of trash from the Clinton River watershed and surrounding areas, restoring more than 80 acres of fish and wildlife habitat. Volunteers focused on picking up trash and other debris in the river near Yates Park and along various walking trails near the Yates Cider Mill. Many different items were collected, including a couple of tires, fishing line, old cans, a sign, and even a car bumper. “We definitely wanted to clean up as much trash as possible because that's going to help the watershed as a whole, and it’s going to clean up the river for both humans aesthetically, and also the animals that live in it, and create safer drinking water” said Olivia Triltsch, MUCC’s Habitat Program and Partnerships Coordinator.

Mayflies, Stoneflies, and Caddisflies, Oh My!

By Olivia Triltsch • April 17, 2025
In addition to their impact on water quality, these three orders of insects are an important part of the diet of game fish, making anglers, especially fly fishermen, interested in the conservation of these small animals.
More Posts