Does Great Lakes commercial fishing need to die?
Great Lakes commercial fishing “is an industry that needs to die. Who’s making buggy whips anymore?”
— Dennis Eade, executive director of the Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fishermen’s Association.
Earlier this year, Bridge Michigan shared a wide-ranging article exploring years of decline in whitefish and other Great Lakes species in Lake Michigan & Lake Huron. It’s a great read, and here’s a little of what fishermen in Leelanau County’s Lake Michigan commercial fishery have to say:
…Longtime tribal fisherman Bill Fowler (captain of Stormin’ Norman out of Leland) has stayed in business by swapping whitefish for the stocked lake trout.
“If we didn’t have a market for trout, we’d be in big trouble,” Fowler said.
But trout brings in a much lower price per pound. And state regulations prohibit non-tribal fishers from targeting trout, leaving them with even fewer options to stay afloat.
“Ten years from now, there won’t be anybody left fishing,” predicted Joel Petersen, a fourth generation state-regulated fisherman who operates out of Muskegon and Leland. “The quotas are just too small to make a living.”
The trade group representing state-regulated fishers has spent years lobbying lawmakers for access to other species, contending it’s senseless to throw back bycatch that may not survive the trauma of being hauled to the surface. But the effort faces opposition from recreational anglers who argue lake trout populations are too fragile to withstand more fishing pressure.
Given that the mussel-infested lakes are incapable of producing as many fish overall, perhaps commercial fishing “is an industry that needs to die,” said Dennis Eade, executive director of the Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fishermen’s Association.
To be clear, Leelanau.com maintains that commercial fishing is a vibrant part of Michigan’s economy, but it is for sure an issue that we need to figure out. Simply can’t imagine a trip to Leland’s Fishtown with no smoked whitefish!!
Trish took this photo a decade ago in Leland Harbor. See more in her Leelanau County, Michigan gallery on Flickr.
