ANNUAL MEETING RETURNS TO GREAT WOLF LODGE

Traverse City, MI The 2018 Annual Michigan Charter Boat Association Business Conference will be held over the weekend of October 19, 20 and 21, 2018 at The Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City.

The Association has made arrangements with the hotel for a special room rate for those who wish to stay overnight for one or two nights. Call them at (231) 941-3600, and ask for the MCBA special rate ($95 per night) the address is 3575 U.S. Highway 31 S, Traverse City, MI 49684 www.greatwolf.com/traverse-city
Reservation Code: 1810MICH_001 (don’t forget the underscore)

Sign up for the conference online here

The fall conference is a great way to catch up on what’s going on and to enjoy a day or two away from the regular home routine. Bring your spouse or significant other, too. There are lots of things (shopping for the upcoming holidays) to do in the area.
The Annual Conference will begin on Friday evening with a social gathering in the hospitality room (6: PM – till?). This informal gathering will provide an evening long opportunity to mix with MCBA officers and board members; maybe some DNR personnel or Sea Grant staff, and of course, other captains from all over the state. There will be FREE snacks, pizza, pop and adult drinks.
Of course, attendance at this event is strictly optional, but it is a great way to start your weekend at the MCBA conference. And you might get a chance to talk to someone in the DNR who needs to hear your issue. However, you don’t need to attend the Friday evening session to enjoy the conference main event.

The main event will begin early Saturday morning, with coffee and Complete Deluxe Buffet Breakfast (included with your registration) during registration. The program begins at 9:00 AM. Various Speakers and panels will present information about issues of interest to our captains. There are question and answer sessions at the end of each presentation.
On Saturday evening we will have a dinner at the hotel, followed by a short program including the Annual MCBA Awards and our honored dinner speaker (to be announced). After the short program, there is a spirited tackle raffle, usually raffling off some of the best current tackle from the best companies.

For those who stay over and we encourage you to do so, Sunday morning brings the official annual business meeting after coffee, juice, and BREAKFAST BUFFET (Free to all members & spouse). The meeting will cover all the current business of the Association and will end following the election of officers. Normally, the meeting is over by 10:30 AM or so, and folks begin to check out to travel home or take in local events.

We offer our annual business meeting as a benefit to our members for the sake of working together. We hope you will attend to learn more from your Association and what we have to offer your charter business. Why not take a little time off from your normal schedule and take in an interesting, informative and relaxing weekend for fun and camaraderie with fellow captains.

Sign up for the conference online here

DNR Fisheries News
Email: wesanderd@michigan.gov
Phone: 231-547-2914, ext 223.
ALERT – BIG Changes for Charter Reporting start in 2018 & 2019!

Listen to presentation to MCBA Board

The DNR Fisheries Division charter reporting program will be going through some significant changes.

• Spring 2018: Rollout & Testing a new online reporting system.
• Spring 2018: Different reporting requirement for Lake St Clair, Detroit River, and St. Clair River Trips.
•  Season 2019: Online reporting will be mandatory – no paper charter report forms.
• Spring 2018: Rollout & Testing a new online reporting system.

DNR Fisheries Division will be replacing the current online reporting system with a new system. The entire system is being restructured and will include new features such as entering charter trips via smartphone and the ability to record more fish species. For those reporters using the current online system, your account will be moved into the new system for you. We will provide more detailed information when the roll-out of the new system approaches.

I would appreciate your input and suggestions while the new system is under construction; please consider being a volunteer tester and help make this reporting system the best it can be for yourself and fellow charter captains. My contact info is at top of this article. If youare willing to assist, please contact me by January 8th. No computer knowledge is required to be a volunteer tester, but it will require you to have a computer, a smartphone, or both. We want to know how this system will work for all reporters.
Spring 2018: Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, and St. Clair River Charters. In the past, operators fishing in southeast Michigan were only asked to report those charter trips with fishing activity in State of Michigan waters. Starting with 2018 fishing season, when a charter boat departs from within the state of Michigan, reporting of all trips will be required for Michigan and Canadian waters. This will allow fisheries managers, charter businesses, potential charter customers, and others a much more accurate representation of the charter fishing activity on these specific waters; especially as it relates to the musky and smallmouth bass fishery. FYI, the new online reporting system will allow for recording of lake sturgeon charter trips.
2019 – Mandatory Online Reporting

I have been saying for the last couple years that Fisheries Division will be implementing mandatory online charter reporting. That action is set for the year 2019. For those of you who have concerns about using online reporting, we want to work with you. We will be exploring options to get you the help tools and information you need to use the new system; some thoughts are to meet with charter businesses in various areas of the state and YouTube help videos. I am interested in hearing your suggestions on how DNR Fisheries can help charter businesses transition to online reporting.

Remember: The charter data you submit is an integral part of the data used to help guide fisheries management actions in Michigan. The goal is to provide a diverse and healthy fishery to all anglers; this includes you and your clients. Please think about the significance of your data and the importance of accurate reporting when you are filling out your monthly charter reports.
Wishing you joyous holidays!

by Captain Eric Andersen, President
The Pistis Award is given in honor of Chuck Pistis, former Michigan Sea Grant Program Director. It honors an individual or organization outside MCBA who is a defender of our Great Lakes and natural resources.
This year the Michigan Charter Boat Association proudly presented the Annual Pistis Award at our fall awards banquet to Dr. Daniel O’Keefe, Michigan Sea Grant Program Director. He has been a great asset to our Association, providing fisheries related information such as aquatic nuisance species here in the Great Lakes, charter-fishing economics and industry updates that effects our charter business on a daily basis.
Dr. O’Keefe’s list of academic accomplishments include a B.S. Degree from Michigan State University, a Master’s Degree from Central Michigan University and a PHD from Mississippi State University. Currently, Dr. O’Keefe’ represents Michigan Sea Grant on the Lake Michigan Citizens Advisory Committee and the Great Lakes Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee.
In addition, a noteworthy thing for our membership is, Dr. O’Keefe is one of our first Michigan State University Fisheries students to receive the Michigan Charter Boat Association “Denny Grinold” Scholarship Award. These scholarships are awarded each year to two students in April by MCBA.
Dr. O’Keefe is certainly an individual worthy of our annual Pistis Award.

by Capt. Terry R. Walsh  A few years ago, a Michigan State University fisheries student spent an entire summer on commercial fishing boats in Saginaw Bay. His objective was to determine the amount of walleye caught as “by-catch” (non-targeted species) in commercial small mesh trap nets. The results estimated that between 23,500 and 102,000 walleye are easily killed in commercial nets during the course of a given season.

So why is the DNR even thinking of allowing commercial netters to keep five pounds of walleye “by- catch” per net each time nets are pulled when annually such a large number of walleye are killed each season? Under the proposed new law a netter with 20 or more nets listed on his license would be al- lowed up to 100 pounds per license whether or not he actually had that many nets set. If all the current licenses in Saginaw Bay were active and fished, up to 680 pounds of walleye can be kept each day the nets are lifted. Instead, the emphasis should be placed on compensating the commercial netters and removing as many small mesh trap nets as possible from the bay.

For the last three years the DNR has been telling the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) its “goal is to is to get all the commercial nets out of Saginaw Bay to speed the recovery of yellow perch”. Allowing the commercial fishers to keep walleye will merely increase the value of the licenses and encourage the continued use of the nets instead. Walleyes are currently classified as a sport fish and are not approved for commercial harvest. This was decided in the State courts several years ago when commercial netters were trying to take advantage of a growing walleye population in Saginaw Bay. Over the last six years, however, negotiations without public input have been occurring to allow the commercial “by-catch” of walleyes.

The two main by-catch species in Michigan’s commercial fishery are: lake trout & walleye. Walleye and lake trout are two of the most important sport species in the Great Lakes yet they are not listed as sport or commercial species in the pro- posed commercial fishing Statute. The Director would have the authority to designate any species as commercial if it is not on the sport fishery list, and this leaves the potential that both walleye and lake trout could become commercial species in the future.A major concern of boaters and anglers in Saginaw Bay and other Great Lakes waters is knowing the exact locations of commercial nets so they can avoid them. Providing GPS coordinates of net locations online and/or ports when the nets are set or moved would greatly reduce accidental encounters between boaters and commercial nets. This is an important safety concern that needs to be included in the Statute.

Another concern is allowing the commercial fishers to have their own committee representation to negotiate future regulations with the DNR. Currently, each Great Lake has its own Citizens Fishery Advisor Committee, which acts as a liaison between the DNR and the angling public. Sport fishing groups, chambers of commerce and commercial fishers all have a seat on the committee and a vote in all fisheries matters. Common goals are set for the good of all who use the Great Lakes. To allow the commercial fishers their own unique committee to do business with the DNR is a real mistake. If all special interest groups were allowed to do that, lake wide management would become impossible. The two main by catch species in Michigan’s commercial fishery are: lake trout & walleye.

Finally, the DNR has been negotiating a deal with the commercial fishers behind closed doors for the past six years. The Great Lakes Citizens Fishery Advisory Committees have not been involved nor will they be involved in any discussions leading up to the draft Statute that will be shared with the Legislature. Fisheries Chief Jim Dexter has been quoted as say ing, “Unfortunately this is an issue that could not wait for spring Advisory meetings as they are too far out on the schedule.” I have talked to a couple fisheries biologists who knew nothing about the pro posed draft until a week ago! Developing a new commercial fishing Statute impacts both the sport and commercial fishery, and the DNR has the responsibility to ensue the Lake Committees and general public have plenty of opportunity to participate in discussions and help determine the final version of the Statute. It’s critical that captains and mates call Fisheries Chief Jim Dexter in Lansing (517/ 284-5836) and tell him this proposed Draft Legislation is badly flawed and needs the input of sportsmen throughout the State. ?

March 24, 2017 -Contacts:
Canada: Rich Drouin: 519-873-4611
USA: Marc Gaden: 734-669-3012

YPSILANTI, MI—Fishery managers from Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania—the five jurisdictions that manage the Lake Erie fishery—agreed to a total allowable catch (TAC) of 10.375 million pounds of yellow perch and 5.924 million walleye for 2017. (Yellow perch are allocated in pounds and walleye are allocated by number of fish.) These TAC recommendations represent a 13% increase for yellow perch and a 20% increase for walleye. Specific allocations of both species are presented below by jurisdiction.

The Lake Erie Committee’s TAC recommendations are produced after extensive, lakewide biological assessments, analyses, discussions, and consultations with stakeholders. The recommendations are consistent with the status of Lake Erie’s fish populations, taking into the account the goal of stable harvest.

Overall, the Lake Erie Committee believes that yellow perch populations are stable, though stock status varies by basin and, thus, the TAC varies across management units. In contrast, walleye populations are managed as a single stock and are increasing lakewide. These conditions support the recommended increases to the yellow perch and walleye TACs. The individual provincial and state governments adhere to and implement the TAC recommendations consistent with their respective regulations and management objectives.

The Lake Erie Committee operates by consensus and relies on biological assessments to inform their TAC recommendations. The Lake Erie Committee also supports the Lake Erie Percid Management Advisory Group, or LEPMAG, a structured process that engages commercial and recreational fishers. LEPMAG, which has existed since 2010, reflects the committee’s interest in involving the fishing community in actions related to management of Lake Erie’s percid fisheries.

http://www.glfc.org/pressrel/LEC%20news%20release%202017%203-24-17.pdf

YELLOW PERCH

The proposed yellow perch TAC is the result of deliberations among the jurisdictions and with stakeholders through the LEPMAG process. Based on science and those deliberations, the Lake Erie Committee today recommended a 2017 TAC of 10.375 million pounds of yellow perch, a 13% increase from last year’s allocation of 9.208 million pounds.

The five jurisdictions on the lake share Lake Erie’s yellow perch under an area-based formula. Pursuant to the 2017 TAC recommendation, Ontario will receive 4.868 million pounds, Ohio 4.525 million pounds, Michigan 0.279 million pounds, New York 0.093 million pounds, and Pennsylvania 0.611 million pounds.
The yellow perch fishery is divided into “management units,” which generally correspond to the eastern, central, and western basins of Lake Erie. The Lake Erie Committee has strived to maintain harvest stability while still responding to changing trends in each management unit. The proposed TAC represents nuances among the management units in abundance and biomass.

WALLEYE

The Lake Erie Committee today set a 2017 walleye TAC of 5.924 million fish, a 20% increase over the 2016 TAC of 4.937 million fish. The increased TAC recommendation reflects the strength of the walleye population and the committee’s goal to manage the lakewide fish stock sustainably while integrating stakeholder input into the process. Positive recruitment during the previous few years will translate into increasing walleye abundance over the coming years. Consistent with the committee’s Walleye Management Plan, this optimistic outlook for walleye allows for the maximum increase in the TAC for 2017.

The Province of Ontario and the states of Ohio and Michigan share the TAC based on a formula of walleye habitat within each jurisdiction in the western and central basins of the lake. Under a 2017 TAC of 5.924 million fish, Ohio will be entitled to 3.028 million fish, Ontario 2.551 million fish, and Michigan 0.345 million fish. Jurisdictions in the eastern end of the lake are outside of the TAC area and harvest limits there are set consistent with lakewide conditions and objectives.

As with yellow perch, the walleye TAC recommendation is the result of extensive discussions among scientists, managers, and stakeholders. Scientists and field biologists from all Lake Erie jurisdictions, meeting as the Walleye Task Group, share data and reach consensus on biological conditions. The task group’s walleye abundance estimates, which incorporate suggestions from LEPMAG, serve as the foundation for the Lake Erie Committee’s discussions and TAC recommendations. Also like yellow perch, each Lake Erie jurisdiction is responsible for implementing its portion of the TAC.

THE LAKE ERIE PERCID MANAGEMENT ADVISORY GROUP (LEPMAG)

The Lake Erie Percid Management Advisory Group was first convened in 2010 and serves as the primary method to incorporate stakeholder needs and objectives into the Lake Erie yellow perch and walleye decision-making process. LEPMAG consists of senior representatives from all provincial and state jurisdictions on the lake, recreational fishers, commercial fishers, and other interested organizations. Through LEPMAG, fishery managers and stakeholders work together to identify the harvest policies for Lake Erie percids that meet the needs of all stakeholders while maintaining stability in the percid fishery. Michigan State University’s Quantitative Fisheries Center facilitates the LEPMAG process. Walleye are now being managed under the Walleye Management Plan, which was developed through LEPMAG and formally adopted by the Lake Erie Committee in December, 2015. LEPMAG members are in the process of developing population objectives and harvest strategies for yellow perch in Lake Erie. The objectives and harvest strategies are expected to be completed in the coming years.

THE LAKE ERIE COMMITTEE AND TACs

The Lake Erie Committee comprises fishery managers from Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania. The committee’s work is facilitated by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canadian and U.S. agency on the Great Lakes. Each year the committee recommends a TAC for walleye and yellow perch. The TAC represents the number or weight of fish recommended to be caught by sport and commercial fishers without putting the fisheries at risk. The individual agencies implement the recommended total allowable catch.

Two new apps have been published to allow people to visualize acoustic fish density time series and coarse-scale (stat district level) spatial patterns for data from 2004 to 2015. David Warner, Research Fisheries Biologist U.S.G.S. Great Lakes Science Center said they will be adding 2016 data as soon as the reports are through USGS review process.  
 
Although some of had hoped this would have bottom trawl data as well, Warners said they did not have time to work on that because the plots and maps need to be a fair bit different.  Perhaps that will be a goal to soon.
 
Feel free to share this with the LMTC, LHTC, LHC, or the public.
 
The link to the GLSC web site that has the Shiny link (along with two others) is below.  The app with acoustic data is the third link in the list.
 
Direct link to Shiny app for acoustic survey data…
https://dmwarnerusgsglsc.shinyapps.io/AppDraft/
 
Link to GLSC page with two other Shiny apps (one with lamprey data by Jean Adams)…
https://www.glsc.usgs.gov/shiny-apps-0