TOPIC:

Great Lakes Salmon Initiative

It has been very interesting to observe Lake Michigan's fishery so far this year. Starting out in the spring very good Coho and Chinook fishery in the southern portion, mostly in Illinois and Indiana waters. Southern Wisconsin got a crack at them for a while also. Central Michigan got a crack at Kings at end of May into mid June. Come July quite a few monster Kings are being caught over 30lbs. Captains Micah Schmidt and Adam Knudsen and crew on the Hiatus won the won the Ludington Offshore Classic with a monstrous box mixed with trout and Kings.

Sounds great but there are still problems out there that the GLSI has been working hard on. We pushed for Chinook increases, fully believing the lake could support more Chinook than the biologists or native only agendas were working for. We worked on coho movement to other ports and Huron to also support angler access and economic impact. Pushed for better Lake trout management, moving trout from rehabilitated areas of the lake to northern waters. Zonal management a better science based look at the lake, species, food, structure etc..

Lake Michigan does not need to be a Lake Huron and should be managed as such. There are different groups and people trying to push for an Atlantic program on L. Michigan. Sounds awesome, they are a really cool and desirable fish, but the focus needs to remain Chinook on Lake Michigan for now, for several reasons and here are a few.

*L. Huron has not met it's prescription for 180K atlantics since the inception of the program. L. Michigan will not receive a fish until it is met first and foremost.
*most expensive fish in the hatcheries
*not hardy in the hatchery system, hard to raise and easily acceptable to disease
*have to eliminate the Brown trout program to make room for further atlantic production if enough eggs are even available??
*Will not fix L Michigan fishery, reaching for straws

We need to focus on current objectives and opportunities for L. Michigan. The lake is getting a LAKE wide increase of 450K Chinook in 2020 and a further increase in 2021. Lake Huron should focus on being a Lake Trout, Walleye and Atlantic Lake! Michigan needs to continue focus on Chinook the economic driver of our fishery, a better balance of predators by reducing Lake Trout production. This has a 2 fold effect---reduces mouths on alewives and smelt and gobies that are feeling the predatory impact. Brings into a balance the negative impact on Whitefish for commercial and recreational harvest which do better under a heavily focused Silver fishery and not trout. Look at what the Lake Trout management plan has brought us---increased fish for intrinsic value and reduced opportunities at the same time for anglers through creel limit restrictions while we have a huge growing population of trout---this does not make sense.

Atlantics are not the answer, they are a grasp at unreality at this time!! Stay the course and increase Kings that bring anglers fishing on L. Michigan and Atlantics for Huron opportunities.