WHEREAS, the Lake Michigan fishery, specifically including Lake Trout has a substantial social, recreational and economic impact on the State of Wisconsin and its citizens.
WHEREAS, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation has a longstanding history for supporting sport fishing on the Great Lakes, and in 2010 and 2016, the Federation passed resolutions calling for the unbalanced and unfair sporting subsidy of the Great Lakes Commercial fishery; and
WHEREAS, the value of sport fishing in Lake Michigan greatly outweighs the economic impact of commercial fishing with the estimated annual economic impact of sportfishing in Green Bay alone being $275 million dollars; and
WHEREAS, opening Lake Michigan to commercial Lake Trout harvest will lead to incidental catch of non-targeted game fish species; and
WHEREAS, opening Lake Michigan to commercial Lake Trout harvest would be a negative precedent which could lead to potential future commercial harvesting of other game species such as walleyes, salmon and other game fish; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation at its Annual Meeting on April 19th and 20th in Wisconsin Rapids calls on the Natural Resources Board and the Department of Natural Resources to do a detailed study and consider the negative impact of a Lake Michigan commercial Lake Trout harvest on sport fishing and the major economic impact that it would have on local communities and the state as a whole; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the Natural Resources Board and the Department of Natural Resources use their inherent authority to create advisory boards to create a Lake Michigan sport fishing stakeholder board to advise the Natural Resources Board and the Department on Lake Michigan sporting fishing issues including the impact of commercial fishing on Lake Michigan sportfishing.
Respectfully submitted by Keith Pamperin the WWF Great Lakes Committee