Headlines From The Outdoors

Public meetings planned statewide to receive input on proposed trout regs

The Department of Natural Resource and Environment (DNRE) is planning a series of statewide public meetings on proposed changes to trout fishing regulations to give anglers a chance to provide input on the draft plan.

A copy of the draft plan is available online to review at www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing.

A year ago, the DNRE's Fisheries Division presented a proposal to the public for modifying regulations governing fishing for trout on Michigan's streams. After extensive public solicitation for response to the proposals, a decision was made in the fall of 2009 to move forward only with combining existing Type 5, 6, and 7 streams into a new "Gear Restricted Waters" category.

In January 2010, the DNRE again solicited public comment on what streams might be proposed for inclusion in the Gear Restricted Waters category. Subsequent to that comment period, a draft proposal has been developed with the help of the Fisheries Division's Coldwater Committee. While MUCC is a member of the Coldwater Committee, because the organization does not have specific policy on adding additional gear restrictions, our involvement to this point has been only to encourage anglers to submit their own personal comments on the proposal. Now that the draft proposal is now ready for public review, MUCC encourages anglers provide comment through a set of public meetings around Michigan.

After reviewing the comments gathered during the public review meetings, recommendations will be incorporated into Fisheries Order 200. The order will then be presented for information at the September meeting of the Natural Resources Commission. Any changes to Fisheries Order 200 that are approved by the DNRE Director in the fall of 2010 will take effect on April 1, 2011.
The schedule of public meetings remaining are as follows:

Western Lake Superior Management Unit:

• 7 p.m. (Eastern) Tuesday, June 22, at the Negaunee Township Hall, 42 M-35, Negaunee
• 6 p.m. (Central) Thursday, June 24, at Gogebic Community College, E4946 Jackson St., Ironwood.

Lake Erie Management Unit:

• 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, at the Rochester City Hall Auditorium, 1000 Rochester Hills Dr., Rochester Hills

Northern Lake Michigan Management Unit:

• 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, at the Dickinson County Library, 401 Iron Mountain St., Iron Mountain.
• 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, at the Escanaba DNRE Pocket Park, 2401 12th Ave. North, Escanaba

Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit:

• 7 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at the Maud Preston Memorial Library, 500 Market St., St. Joseph.

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