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A while back I had mentioned that here in Indiana our state hatcheries run on a very tight budget. Spending time with the hatchery folks, I have asked where some of the problems are that they run into. Over the past few years there has been welcome help from Hoosier Coho club and Lake County Fish And Game Protective Agency. We have teams working with the hatcheries to help with projects like fin clipping, moving fish around the hatcheries, night stocking,net pens, and a general help were we can attitude. One of the last items I mentioned in the past was what would we do if the state of Indiana felt they had to cut our programs for Lake Michigan, what would we do???? I asked our fishermen to start thinking along those lines, just what would we do? Don't you think it would be to late to start looking for ways to keep what we have, if the state had already made that decision?
I just read where the state of Wisconsin, due to money issues, has made a decision to start cutting what that state does for their fishermen.
Wisconsin is cutting muskellunge stocking by 70% and closing some hatcheries this season after state budget issues. Overall fish stocking will be down 11%. That means 40,000 fewer muskies, and 300,000 fewer Walleye, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.
Michigan also is having issues and fishermen there have gotten behind House Bill 5093. It is time that we all start looking at the facts. Cost that we see in our general family living have not gotten less. They are up, electricty, food, gas etc. All cost are up. The hatcheries are also getting the same hit. It just might be time for our fishermen to really understand the road blocks that are out there. We can't hide from them anymore. Will Indiana fishermen have to get behind a house bill down the road to help secure funding our hatcheries to keep what we have? Mixsawbah alone will need 4 million to put in a new bio filter.