Lake Michigan Whitefish Scope Statement Virtual Public Hearing June 11

Lake Michigan Whitefish Scope Statement Virtual Public Hearing June 11

Public Hearing Juun 11 on Lake Michigan Whitefish Management

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will hold a virtual preliminary public hearing next week relating to future permanent rules for Lake Michigan whitefish management and Great Lakes commercial harvest reporting.

The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11. Due to COVID-19, the public can participate in the hearing online via Skype or by calling 1-866-715-6499 and entering passcode 8227536094#. Participant pre-registration is strongly encouraged.

This preliminary hearing will allow the public to comment on the topics within the scope statement that could become the subject of future rules, including:

• A change to whitefish quotas;
• Gear used to harvest whitefish;
• Whitefish commercial fishing zones;
• Standardization of commercial harvest reporting requirements for Lake Michigan, Green Bay and Lake Superior; and
• Other management regulations.“The scope statement is one of the first steps toward rule-making,” said Brad Eggold, DNR Great Lakes District fisheries supervisor. “Based on the input gathered during this preliminary public hearing, and if the scope statement is approved, the department will work with commercial and sport fishers, the Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board and the public on any future regulation changes related to lake whitefish management or reporting requirements.”
• Information on Lake Michigan commercial fishing can be found on the DNR’s fisheries webpage.

The Natural Resources Board must approve this scope statement prior to the development of rule proposals. As such, specific rule proposals have not been developed and will not be presented at the June 11 preliminary hearing.

“The scope statement is one of the first steps toward rule-making,” said Brad Eggold, DNR Great Lakes District fisheries supervisor. “Based on the input gathered during this preliminary public hearing, and if the scope statement is approved, the department will work with commercial and sport fishers, the Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board and the public on any future regulation changes related to lake whitefish management or reporting requirements.”

Information on Lake Michigan commercial fishing can be found on the DNR’s fisheries webpage.