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Update on the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative Proposed Great Lakes Trolling License

The GLSI has been working with a group of angler representatives from a number of fishing organizations, the DNR and State Legislators in the House of Representatives to create a new fishing license restructure since January of this year. Our goal in this effort is to provide additional funding to the DNR fisheries division to offset the past cuts from inflation and to prevent future cuts to salmon trout, walleye and muskie stocking programs. A key part of the restructure would include the GLSI concept for trolling license to allow anglers to run additional rods that has been updated to a new and cheaper format. This proposed bill will resolve the budget crisis in the DNR’s fishery division and most importantly provide more opportunities for anglers fishing in Michigan, both in the Great Lakes and inland waterways. The bill is currently being drafted in the Legislative Service Bureau. We have legislators in the House of Representatives ready to sponsor our bill when ready. The process is moving slowly but steadily.

Here are some key points of this new legislation. First, did you know that for every fishing license sold, only 55% of the money raised goes to the Fisheries Division? The rest of the money is used in other areas of the DNR and does not enhance or improve our fishery. Our bill fixes that and ensures that fishing license revenue supports our fishery. The bill will include a very modest $2 increase for a fishing license, raising the price to $28. The GLSI proposed trolling license has been revised to become an additional $5 hatchery stamp that would be required to fish and keep species raised in hatcheries in Michigan. If you fish for salmon, trout, walleye, muskie, sturgeon and perhaps grayling in the future, you would need to buy this license and your total all species fishing license would cost $33. Fishing license revenue will not be shifted to hunting programs. The hatchery stamp would not be required to fish for bass, panfish or other species not raised in hatcheries.

Buying the hatchery stamp will provide many benefits to anglers. Anglers with a hatchery stamp will be able to fish unlimited rods when trolling on the Great Lakes only. You will be able to optimize your boats trolling spread every time you leave the dock to maximize your enjoyment when fishing the Great Lakes. There are also benefits for inland anglers. The funding from the hatchery stamp will allow the DNR to raise and stock 1 million more walleyes in inland waters and increase the number of inland trout stream stocking sites. It will also fund muskie stocking programs. There will be more inland lake and river surveys to allow biologists to write stocking prescriptions or make regulation changes like slot limits to improve fishing. Our bill was crafted by anglers for anglers. While it does raise license fees, the funding will be dedicated to improving our fishery across the entire state of Michigan and provide more opportunities for better fishing. There are also adjustments to senior fishing licenses, youth licenses, addressing inflation in the future and the creation of a Fisheries Oversight Committee made up by anglers to review and make recommendations on future funding for the DNR Fisheries Division. We are very anxious to share all details of our proposed bill once it is drafted and introduced in the State House of Representatives.

You may have heard that 2 bills to increase both hunting and fishing license fees have been introduced in the State Senate. They are Senate Bills 276 and 277. It raises hunting license fees and raises fishing licenses to $35. We are concerned that $5 from every fishing license will be earmarked to mostly hunting programs. It does not include any aspects of our hatchery stamp or trolling license. We are encouraging all the anglers and organizations that like our proposal for trolling the Great Lakes and improved inland fishing to hold your support for Senate Bills 276 and 277 until we introduce our bill in the House. At the point, negotiations will begin between the House and Senate bills, and we will need everyone to contact your Senators and Representatives to support our bill for fishing. 
We think there is a lot of room for compromise such as putting these bills together using the Senate bills to fund hunting programs and our House bill to fund the DNR Fisheries Division. Our bill that will be introduced in the House will provide many more benefits to anglers.
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Great Lakes Salmon Initiative
PO Box 189
Chelsea, MI 48118