Great Lakes Salmon Initiative
Lake Michigan salmon fisherman, I hate to sound dramatic but make no mistake we are in a war and are under attack again. Pictured here is the new MI state record cisco 6.3lbs. Does this look like a bait fish to you for Chinook, steelhead, browns, coho?
A few days ago we did a post on the federal agenda to stock cisco for rehabilitation in Lake Michigan and Huron, and how they are touting this as the new answer as an additional prey species. For a couple of years anglers were told that not enough baitfish could be raised and put into L. Michigan to feed the predators for a day. Make no mistake cisco are not strictly a prey species they are also a predator. They are also making a recovery on their own, expanding their range and spreading down the coast. They don't need federal help to do so, the state of Michigan has not agreed to the stocking of cisco except in Saginaw Bay, let the experiment happen there, but it looks like the USFWS and GLFC are trying to shove them down our throats and the other states surrounding L. Michigan! They blame the previous demise of cisco because of direct competition with alewives and smelt, with these numbers down cisco are making their own comeback and planting millions of cisco will only eradicate alewives and smelt!
Since Lake Trout orders by the states have been cut, USFWS has already converted their available hatchery space over to cisco without state agreement---they already spent the money, our tax dollars! This plan has been in the works for a while now!
Yesterday I reached out to a Tribal Biologist for his opinion on the cisco rehab program and why the feds are not trying to rehab whitefish which are truly in a near crash situation at this time and have been for years. He expressed his desire to see the feds put forth their efforts to raise and rehabilitate whitefish which have an existing sport and commercial fishery. The market value for cisco is lower than whitefish, Why are the feds trying to create a new industry? They have spoken to bait dealers already whom are at excited at the opportunity to be able to harvest bait for herring for meatrigs, (cisco is the name for L. Herring) but what they don't understand is they will not be able to harvest bait size cisco until the feds establish a rehabilitation. By then Chinook, alewives and rainbow smelt will be gone and there will be no need for meatrig baits! We need to work with tribal entities to get the feds to put their efforts and OUR TAX monies into whitefish not cisco!
Lake Michigan is in a delicate state at this time. It appears to be rebounding. Alewives, smelt and cisco are rebounding on their own in a natural balance without interference. States managers are listening to stakeholder requests to save chinook, cut lake trout for a predator balance and it appears to be working. But understand the feds are not stakeholders, they are supposed to be in a supporting role-NOT interjecting themselves into fisheries management decisions, controlling our fisheries for their interests and jobs only!!
Researchers, USFWS, GLFC are tweeting endlessly the last GLSI post and will tweet endlessly about this post also. They are claiming the GLSI is misinforming you. The feds have taken cisco to a couple public forums in Wisconsin and will in Indiana in Nov. and saying "so far the response has been positive and GLSI viewpoint is rare". They are even shocked because they feel that cisco restoration is to replenish and diversify the salmonine prey base. Remember if this was such an awesome endeavor the states would have brought this forward first! Michigan and the Tribes do not see this as a positive move and did not ask for it for Lake Michigan!!!! The feds are fighting for continued money to keep their hatcheries running and some are looking to retire with a LEGACY. They are not fighting to keep manufacturers, tackle shops, hotels, motels, in business or recreational anglers after their favorite fish, Chinook. Once again they are not stakeholders. How far down the rabbit hole are we going to go?? The feds pushed the Lake Trout on the entire lake, not just tribal treaty waters, they are pushing cisco but states did not ask for them, they threaten to quit Lamprey control programs if states don't do what they want.
The Sate of Michigan, Lake Michigan Strategic Plan states
#1 monitor the status of cisco and whitefish populations in L. Michigan
#2 Continue to monitor and explore the status of cisco stocks and harvest in L. Michigan
#3 Support projects defining the stock status and composition of cisco in L. Michigan and connected waterways
NO WHERE DOES IT MENTION STOCKING CISCO AT ALL
Anglers, Sport angling Organizations, Tribes and the States should get together to do a couple of things.
#1 we should get our federal tax dollars back to the state and manage the Sea Lamprey control program ourselves--22 million dollars.
#2 the states should get together and purchase our own Tagging/Marking trailers and not use the federal trailers.
Don't give the GLFC, USFWS any control, hold or reason to force themselves into states fisheries decisions.
As President of the GLSI, I welcome Dr. Kao or Titus Seilheimer to call me to discuss this issue openly. Capt Glen Buehner 989-289-9554.
