DNR reconsiders commercial whitefish rule
Responding to strong public opposition, the Department of Natural Resources has shelved a proposal that would have increased commercial fishing for whitefish and potentially increased mortality of walleyes and other popular sportfish in southern Green Bay.
Instead, DNR representatives said Friday the agency plans to hold meetings in January to bring stakeholders to the table to discuss options.
"In our mind, this isn’t an issue that is solely a commercial, sport or guide issue," said Todd Kalish, DNR deputy fisheries director. "It's a fishery issue and we want to bring them all together in an effort to find a solution that everybody can live with going forward."
In May, the DNR held a meeting in Sturgeon Bay to present information on a proposal to allow commercial fishers to use unfilled Lake Michigan (Zones 2 and 3) whitefish quotas in the waters of southern Green Bay (Zone 1).
At the time, some commercial fishermen also expressed a desire to keep and sell walleyes and other "by-catch" landed in the bay.
No commercial fishing is now allowed for walleyes in Wisconsin, and the species is a valuable sportfish on Green Bay. The bay also has very popular sport fisheries for smallmouth bass, muskellunge and whitefish.
Following the May meeting, the DNR received 163 public comments, according to records obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A review by the newspaper found 142 (87%) of the comments were against expansion of commercial fishing activity in southern Green Bay. Just five supported the idea, including one on condition that commercial fishermen be required to use trap nets (not gill nets). The other comments were unclear or didn't directly address the quota proposal.
Most of the opposition came from people who self-identified as sport anglers, but some commercial fishermen also were against the proposed change.
A majority of those against the proposal were concerned about potential damage to the sport fishery.
Whitefish are managed in three zones in northeastern Wisconsin: Zone 1 in southern Green Bay, Zone 2 in northern Green Bay and northern Lake Michigan; and Zone 3 in the lake from about Algoma south to the Illinois border.
The commercial fishers have an annual whitefish quota of 2.88 million pounds, with 82% allocated to Zone 2 and 9% each to Zones 1 and 3.
Zone 2 historically held the strongest whitefish stocks, including a breeding population at Moonlight Bay. But the Moonlight Bay stock has declined and commercial fishermen caught only 24% of their Zone 2 quota in 2015.
Just 36 commercial fishers hold whitefish quotas in Green Bay or Lake Michigan, including 18 in Zone 1, 25 in Zone 2 and seven in Zone 3.
Over the last 15 to 20 years, whitefish increasingly have spawned in Green Bay tributaries, especially the Menominee, Peshtigo, Oconto and Fox rivers. The changes have helped establish a winter sport fishery for whitefish in lower Green Bay.
The proposal floated in May would have allowed commercial fishermen to target more whitefish in southern Green Bay, a move favored by the Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board.
The DNR originally planned to have a draft rule prepared by July and to hold public hearings in late summer.
But the public feedback caused the agency to stop the process.
On Friday, DNR representatives said the agency planned to hold meetings in January to begin a new look at issues related to whitefish.
The DNR intends to facilitate a collaborative process to develop and evaluate options, as well as collect additional data, Kalish said.
For example, fisheries managers want to know more about the potential impact increased commercial netting on lower Green Bay would have on sport fish, as well as get an accurate picture of sport harvest of whitefish. For the first time, the agency in 2017 will require ice fishing guides to record and report whitefish catches.
Kalish said the DNR plans to hold public meetings on whitefish on Jan. 10 in Green Bay and Jan. 11 in Door County. More details will be announced in coming weeks.