Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Minutes August 19, 2008 RAM Conference Center 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Approved November 5, 2008

Attendees: Paul Wendler, Forrest Williams, Todd Williams, Frank Krist, Ken Merckel, Jim DeClerck, Ron Ramsey, Ed Retherford, Andy Pelt, Clarence Smith, Bill Jenkins, Judy Ogden, Jerry Lawrence, Dave Johnson, Jim Baker, Jim Johnson, Dave Borgeson, Larry DeSloover, Kurt Newman.

10:00 Welcome and introductions (Paul Wendler): Paul Wendler called the meeting to order asking for any additional agenda items. Paul then announced he was retiring as chairman of the Advisory Committee. He was proud of the committee and its independent and free thinking nature, and the manner in which it represented the various constituencies of Lake Huron. Paul said that he would run today’s meeting, and proposed that after lunch the committee should elect a new chairman, with Frank Krist receiving Paul’s recommendation.

Kurt Newman then introduced himself and described his background. Kurt earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, a master’s degree at Virginia Tech University, and returned to MSU for his PhD. Kurt joined the DNR in 1998 working on tribal related issues. Kurt then headed up the Habitat Management Unit in the MDNR Fisheries, working heavily in the hydropower negotiation process. Kurt then became the Lake Erie Basin Coordinator in 2002, resulting in his deep involvement in all things Great Lakes (core member of Great Lakes Fisheries Commission Board of Technical Experts, core member of Sea Lamprey Integration Committee, etc.).

Kurt worked with the Lake Erie Citizen’s Fishery Advisory Committee to help them become a more active and effective group, and looks forward to working with this group. Kurt suggested that perhaps the chairmen of all the advisory groups could get together to discuss common issues, and that common terms of reference should be developed across all various Lake Advisory Committees. He then invited discussion and comments from the group.

Stakeholder roundtable: Paul asked committee members to introduce themselves and give the group a short update of their activities or observation.

Forrest Williams, Bayport Fish Company, said whitefish catch is down but the price is up. The market for catfish is down, with VHS concerns eliminating cross-state transport of live fish and Chinese fish on the market indicated as prime factors in the decline. Whitefish condition appears to be improving. Forrest said that he welcomes an opportunity to compete with the tribes on a more level playing field, with state licensed operations allowed to fish at deeper depths.

Ron Ramsey, Cheboygan Area Sportsmen, said that the chinook he has seen seems to be good shape, and fishing has been decent. Lots of smelt and baitfish have been seen in stomachs. More Atlantics have been caught this year. Tournament entrants were down this year. Fishing prior to tournament was good, but catch rates for the tournament were down.

Ken Merckel, vice president of Thumb Steelheaders, said he just returned from a trip to Ontario to fish for salmon. Ken has mostly been fishing for walleye this year.

Ed Retherford, Northeast Michigan Walleye Association and charter captain, mentioned his assistance in cormorant control efforts. The weather has been tough on fishing this year. He has been seeing lots of Atlantics which are evidently eating gobies, and has also been seeing good numbers of steelhead. Smelt have been common in stomachs.

Jim DeClerk, Saginaw Field and Stream Club, introduced himself and briefly explained the history of his club and the fact that it is the largest one of its kind in the state.

Andy Pelt, Steelheaders, talked about the proposed 3 rod and 5 salmon rules and the positive response they received from the NRC Commissioners. He thought this group should give a recommendation on the proposals.

Clarence Smith (chairman) and Bill Jenkins of Walleyes for Iosco County introduced themselves, saying that fishing has been spotty this year and they have been seeing a lot of weeds in the bay. They also mentioned that Phil Babe wanted an expanded season for lake trout.

Jerry Lawrence, Thumb Area Steelheaders, stated that they have lost many charter boat operations, and some marinas have closed. Fishing effort is way down. A few steelhead are being caught off Harbor Beach, and a few chinook were caught in the spring. They worked with Detroit Edison and the Fish and Wildlife Service to get better docking at Harbor Beach. Project was finished by May 5th and the Baird was able to dock on May 10th, tying up to the new pilings. Walleye fishing started good in the Bay and he has followed them around to Port Hope. He has done really well on walleye this year. The walleye fishing has slowed down since the lake turned over.

Judy Ogden, Bluewater Sport Fishing Association, said club membership has dropped from approximately 450 to 325. Most of their membership no longer fishes Lake Huron. They have been fishing Lake St. Clair (for walleye), Lake Erie (outstanding steelhead fishing), as well as Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan for chinook. For Lake Huron, perch fishing has been inconsistent. Summer fishing has been poor at Lexington and Port Sanilac. Lots of shiners and smelt are available as prey. Bait dealers have been netting smelt. Chinook that they caught were in 50 ft of water down 22 feet, with coho available as well. These fish are not frequenting the traditional depths and temperatures. Weather has been a problem this year.

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Frank Krist, Hammond Bay Anglers, briefly talked about their efforts involving the inland and Great Lakes consent decrees. Frank said fishing has been twice as good as last year. Chinook condition is better with most fish around 8-10 pounds, with some larger ones available. These fish were eating 3 to 4 inch smelt. Lake trout have been eating gobies, smelt, other lake trout, as well as stocked chinook in the spring.

Paul Wendler then talked about his background and activity in: Saginaw Field and Stream Club, MUCC presidency, and the National Wildlife Federation. Paul talked about his involvement with the first negotiation process with the tribes. He noted some difficulties with the original draft agreement which were later addressed. Paul then discussed some of the major problems facing us; exotics and the difficult budgetary conditions within the DNR. Kurt was welcomed to Lake Huron by Paul.

Kurt talked briefly about the differences between Lake Erie and Lake Huron, and his past experiences in the Lake Huron basin, growing up fishing in the Lake Huron basin. He talked about the excellent walleye fishery in Saginaw Bay. Kurt emphasized that he wants input from the committee members, including the assessment of the fishery that just occurred.

LHCFAC Terms of reference Frank Krist passed along some suggested guidelines for how the committee should operate. Frank asked if we should have a more formalized set of rules to operate under. Do we maximize members? How do we appoint members? What do we do with members who don’t show up? Should decisions be consensus based? These are only a few of the questions we might want to answer. Ed said there are a lot of stakeholders out there, with a lot of different interests, and he is not sure all appropriate issues are being discussed. Forrest Williams suggested that perhaps there should be alternates appointed for each member, and the guidelines should reflect the committee’s working relationship with the DNR. Frank agreed, saying that we have been basing decisions on biology. Ken said that the member list should reflect who has been participating. Frank agreed that the list should be updated by the chair and basin coordinator yearly. Ken wants to see a plan for action in Lake Huron: where do we go from here? Ken also said that if a member doesn’t attend for a specified period of time, they should no longer be a member.

Jim Johnson looked at the Lake Huron Technical Committee as a possible model; with members, guests, and resource people identified separately.

Jim DeClerck likes how the meetings have been operated in the past, without too rigid a structure. Jim wants the committee to have productive members, not just those who want to blow off steam. Jim believes Lake Huron is over-regulated. He also wants to improve the food base, or find out how can we better exploit what is out there now. Kurt said that the forage base is largely out of our control, but dealing with what is available and how we should best manage with the resources available is definitely worthy of discussion and input from this group. Lake Michigan has been developing a planning document; perhaps that is a direction we could take? A vision document, or one that is more strategic in nature, might be appropriate.

Jim Johnson discussed some of what the DNR has been doing relative to Jim DeClerck’s suggestion, with the cormorant reduction efforts and lake herring pilot project. Jim D. would like to hear more of this type of activity.

Ken Merckel believes we are too restrictive in moving fish between lakes, and cited a discussion with Mark Ebener supporting him. He suggested a more common sense approach in regard to all

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the restrictions imposed on fish rearing and stocking. Ken mentioned that Rep. Dingell has a bill in congress to expand federal hatchery system which may accommodate lake herring rearing.

Kurt stated that we are in the infancy of developing a vision statement, so a lot of input from this group should be forthcoming. Kurt agreed that looking at regulations from a common sense perspective is not a bad idea, but common sense also involves adequately protecting our resources.

Jim DeClerck said that a vision statement never put a fish in the lake. Identified problems should come before this group, and we should address them as needed. Kurt suggested that we often need to be a little more proactive, and with a common document available for distribution, we may be able to gain the support we need in a timely manner.

Forrest asked how the proposed document would be different from the Fish Community Objectives. Kurt said the document would have to be compatible with the FCO’s, but would be specific to how we would work within that framework to manage the resource for Michigan stakeholders.

Ken wondered if the GLFC has too much power, and also wondered if dollars are being spent effectively, citing the long term lamprey pheromone research and lack of an associated effective management product. Kurt reminded that group that the bulk of the GLFC’s budget still goes to lamprey control.

Jim Johnson doesn’t see the FCO’s to be too constraining for our management. The GLFC provides an excellent framework for collaboration and joint discussion and research efforts.

Paul expressed his concerns, reminding members of the advisory nature of the group.

Judy said that one of the functions of the Advisory Committee is to push the DNR to be risk takers, because their stakeholders want to catch fish in the short term. She wants to help fight institutional malaise that is sometimes endemic to large organizations and thwarts risk taking. Kurt relayed to the group the direction the DNR is taking in stakeholder involvement, and how the DNR is using the LHCFAC as a model for stakeholder involvement.

Kurt asked if group was still supportive of the spring workshops. Brandon said SeaGrant would be willing to sponsor and asked if April 11th or April 18th would work for 2009. Jim Johnson described how this group normally meets just prior to the stakeholder meeting to go over the agenda and presentation content. Judy expressed her support of the workshops. The committee supported continuation of the workshops on the dates suggested.

Chairmanship of LHCFAC Ken Merkel nominated Frank Krist for chairman, Judy Ogden seconded the nomination. The committee agreed with the nomination, and Frank Krist is the new chairman of the LHCFAC. Frank thanked Paul for his work chairing the committee, emphasizing Paul’s support for members speaking up without regard for the popularity of their viewpoint.

Management and Research Unit Updates: Southern Lake Huron Management Unit

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Jim Baker said that walleye fishing has been very good, while chinook fishing has not been so good. Jim handed out a list of their unit’s walleye production and stocking efforts, detailing the difficulties the timing of receiving walleye caused on the production end.

Jim talked about the progress toward construction of Singing Bridge access. Jim also mentioned the Whitney Drain project. Whitney Drain will be modified to act more like a stream and alleviate erosion problems, which will also help facilitate providing a better access site. Jim talked about the new fish consumption advisory and the changes in recommendations on consumption of walleye. This specifically targets walleye over 18 inches and the potential impacts on pregnant women, women of childbearing years, and children. Co-planer PCBs are the chemicals of concern, along with dioxin. Jim’s unit will be collecting more walleye to see if this advisory is appropriate. Bill asked if walleye rearing would be ramped up soon. Kurt talked about impacts to a hatchery if VHS was introduced. Bill talked about implications to his group’s donations for pond management.

Northern Lake Huron Management Unit Dave Borgeson listed a number of activities taking place in Fisheries Division’s NLHMU. Dave indicated a number of cormorant harassment and control activities are under way in the unit, including: Les Cheneaux Islands, Thunder Bay, Au Sable River, and Drummond Island. Dave mentioned the walleye stocking program within the unit, with some lakes identified as lower risk lakes being stocked through cooperative efforts among the DNR fisheries units. A cooperative effort with the Sault tribe resulted in a significant stocking of walleye in the St. Marys River. Additional projects include: Black River sturgeon tagging, rainbow trout strain study, numerous lake and stream surveys, Van Etten Dam engineering project, and resumption of the habitat restoration effort on the Au Sable River.

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Alpena Fisheries Research Station Jim Johnson then presented the update for the Alpena Fisheries Research Station. Jim presented the results the spring index netting in Thunder Bay. Only one alewife was caught this year; the lowest catch ever. Walleye catch rates were up significantly in Thunder Bay. 6000 lake herring were stocked in Thunder Bay this year, with the program continuing this fall with an expanded egg collection planned. Chinook vertebrae collections resumed this year, with less than 100 obtained. North of Alpena, chinooks were available, but collection rates in the south were still poor. Scarecrow Island no longer has cormorants, for the second year. In the past, this was the largest rookery. Lake trout catch rates, especially the small ones, declined in the south. This survey will resume with a lot of effort expended to try to determine if this decline is real. They are seeing a lot of walleyes in their nets, even out to 100 feet of water, which is a lot of space to see this many walleye.

Jim then talked about the LHTC meeting a Lovells, and in particular the discussion surrounding lake trout harvest policy. We have modeled the lake trout population for all of Lake Huron, and are concerned about the numbers of lake trout harvested from southern Lake Huron. Estimation of Ontario’s portion of the harvest has increased greatly, based in large part in changing commercial (gill net fishery) reporting procedures. Jim also described problems with the model’s assumption of 60% survival of stocked fish. It is likely that this number is much too large, especially considering the declining growth rate for lake trout. With this disproportionate allocation (Ontario stocking 1/5 of fish, but harvesting over 70%), the committee discussed if it would be appropriate for changes take place in the near future? Bottom line is that we need to have better parameter estimates in order to make a better case that mortality is out of line.

Three rods, 5 salmon bag limit issues (Kurt Newman): Both issues were brought before the NRC for information. There was a lot of support among constituent groups. The 5 salmon bag limit can be approved at the next NRC meeting, but the 3 rod proposal will take an act of legislation to put in place. The 3 rod proposal would be for all anglers, not just trout and salmon.

Call for agenda items (Frank Krist): Frank suggested a different process for developing the agendas. He emphasized the need for members to get agenda items to the chair, and stressed that he is available by phone to discuss any potential items.

Next meeting: Scheduled for November 5th. Be prepared for developing next year’s schedule.

Kurt suggested that members consider identifying an alternate who could represent their group at the Advisory Committee.

Meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Minutes Wednesday, November 5, 2008 Ram Conference Center 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Approved January 7, 2009

Attendees: Denny Grinold, Forrest Williams, April Bennett, Jim Johnson, Clarence Smith, William Jacobs, Tom Cadwalader, Doug Scheuneman, Paul Wendler, Charles Pistis, Brandon Schroeder, Ji He, Jim Dexter, Larry DeSloover, Steve Scott, Dave Borgeson, Kelley Smith, Tom Keerl, Tom Pawlaczyk, Jim DeClerck, Jerry Lawrence, James Shutt, Judy Ogden, Gene Raymond, William Becks, Ken Merckel, Bill Leichtman, Shirley Martin, Capt. Terry Walsh, Kathrin Schrouder, Frank Krist, Ron Beyer, Ed Retherford, Gene Kirvan.

10:00 Welcome and Introductions (Chair Frank Krist and Kurt Newman, MDNR)

Frank welcomed a new member to the committee, Captain James Shutt, who is the Upper Peninsula representative of the Michigan Charter Boat Association. James has several years of experience fishing the waters from the Mackinaw Bridge to Drummond Island, including the St. Marys River.

Approval of minutes from the last meeting: Frank asked if there were any changes needed to the minutes to the last meeting. The committee did not indicate any changes to the minutes were needed, so minutes were considered approved.

Everyone in attendance introduced themselves and the organization they represented.

10:05 Award Presentations Kelley presented plaque with certificate of appreciation for Paul Wendler’s efforts as chairman of the Advisory Committee, as well as his long history of Natural Resource conservation. Paul was a former Natural Resources Commissioner (Milliken appointee); Paul detailed the circumstances around his appointment. Paul also recalled the first days of salmon fishing in Michigan and the immense fishery produced from the salmon stocking program. Paul emphasized his thoughts as to the role of the advisory committee, how we can disagree on the details, but remain supportive of Natural Resource management.

Kurt Newman presented an American Fisheries Society award to Howard Tanner, his election to the American Fisheries Society Management Hall of Excellence. Kurt described Howard’s career, including his role in bringing Pacific salmon to the Great Lakes as part of an integrative

program to balance the aquatic system and provide for an important sport fishery. Howard relayed a long ago proposal to give Howard and Wayne Tody an award for their efforts in establishing a salmon fishery, to which a few individuals suggested that they wait 40 years to see the long term effects. Here we are, 40 years later.

10:30 Division Update (K. Smith, MDNR)

USDA has distributed a proposed interim rule for dealing with VHS. There has been enough interest generated around the country to postpone a decision until January. The proposed rule, if implemented, will make operations difficult for state agencies, but will be even more daunting to the private aquaculture industry. Fisheries Division has commented on the proposed rule and provided those comments to United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

The decision to whether to list the coaster brook trout as an endangered species is also pending. The need to make this decision is required by a court order, but nevertheless will also likely be postponed due to the volume of comments received and other contributing factors. Possible outcomes are to list coaster brook trout as an endangered species, to list but delay implementation, or not to list coaster brook trout.

Several regulation changes are imminent. A two gallon smelt limit will be in place April 1. Changes to spearing seasons will be implemented to mesh pike and muskie spearing and hook and line regulations, and also to allow whitefish spearing in the Great Lakes in November. An order dealing with VHS will also be put through. The DNR was waiting for APHIS to complete their interim rule, but will forge ahead knowing the likely delays in the APHIS process. The three rod and 5 salmon creel regulations are going forward as well.

The 2009 Fisheries Division budget is looking ok, but the Division needs to exercise caution considering the potential for revenue declines in this economic environment. There is a 2% general fund cut that, while it doesn’t directly affect Fisheries’ budget, may instigate indirect impacts.

Jim DeClerck recognized the difficulties state managers must deal with in tracking state agency budgets, and wondered aloud how Fisheries can manage effectively under the current circumstances.

Ed Retherford asked about implications if coaster brook trout were listed as an endangered species. Kelley said it would have great impacts on what we will be able to do in Fisheries management, even affecting other aspects of Natural Resources management. The Endangered Species Act has been abused, especially in western states, so that should serve as a caveat to us. Kelley explained Fisheries Division’s stance on the subject of coaster brook trout, especially in regards to genetics and distinct population segments.

Frank asked about the Division’s plans for walleye stocking this year. Kelley said the Division is looking at the possibility of ratcheting up the walleye program even more than the significant steps made last year, but is still looking for definitive information regarding egg disinfection. Before going forward with the program and involving two hatcheries, the Division needs to

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carefully assess the large potential risks associated with that, considering that VHS contamination requires depopulation of infected hatcheries.

Lake Huron Strategic Plan Introduction (Kurt Newman, MDNR, Jim Johnson, MDNR)

Frank introduced the discussion by describing his assessment of the magnitude of the changes that have occurred in Lake Huron. Kurt emphasized that this effort is an establishment of a process that hopefully will stand the test of time, and will set us up to take care of all kinds of issues down the road. Kurt mentioned that all the Lake Advisory Committees are moving in this direction. Minnesota has developed a plan, and while painful at times in its construction, once completed it made managing in the subsequent years much easier.

Jim Johnson described the recent changes in the Lake Huron ecosystem, and the uncertainty of the future condition of the ecosystem. He relayed the thoughts of managers that led them to consider a new way to approach management of the system. Jim then began his powerpoint presentation, outlining the specific observed changes in the Lake Huron ecosystem, and depicted the current condition of the lake. Jim showed offshore comparisons of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron, showing Lake Huron’s recent trend toward Lake Superior conditions in terms of productivity and zooplankton. This recent information emphasizes that the lake continues to change, and we are anxious to continue to obtain up-to- date information to document the situation. Jim then presented the theories of nearshore shunt and benthic shunt of productivity, which are a result of mussels locking up much of the production in nearshore areas and on the bottom of the lake, causing the decline of Diporeia, and depriving many fish a good source of energy that historically migrated up into the water column.

Jim described the need to develop a vision for the lake. Jim shared his views of possible positive futures for the lake. It could include substantial wild perch and walleye populations. Cisco could be an important player, considering their ability to feed on some of the existing zooplankters. Lake sturgeon, smallmouth bass, and lake trout could have productive futures if current conditions prevail.

Jim then shared the vision statement authored by the Lake Huron Basin Team, “Provide sustainable, diversified, highly valued fishing opportunities in the face of a changing ecosystem.” This implies management will be agile and opportunity driven, requiring collaboration.

Some opportunities offered by alewife collapse: • Walleye on the rise: Saginaw Bay, St. Marys River, with naturally produced fish prevailing. This calls for additional needed efforts: o Investigate commercial harvest and bycatch o Continue to follow Saginaw Bay walleye recovery plan o Plan for passage or removal of barriers to walleye movement o Expand nearshore assessment activities • Yellow perch: Port Sanilac may be on the rise and Les Cheneaux Island area is seeing some recovery, with some issues identified:

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o Poor survival, perch becoming prey items o Lack of alternative prey o Recreational/commercial allocation o Cormorant control o Diversify prey – ciscoes o Complete management plan o Manage cormorant o Expand nearshore assessments • Steelhead and Atlantic salmon: they may not be as affected by lack of alewife as Chinook and brown trout. Some outstanding issues and opportunities are: o Hatchery space o Use of pens for steelhead o Removal of barriers or incorporation of fish passage • Ciscoes (lake herring), possible alternative prey and sport fishing utility o Discussion erupted concerning apparent decline in the western Les Cheneaux, and even Drummond Island fishery for cisco. o This requires careful observation, with the oncoming cisco year classes the first since decline of the alewife. o Cormorant control can contribute to better potential survival o DNR has pilot project looking into feasibility of stocking cisco, with another effort planned this month. • Sturgeon o Jim showed a graphic of a possible new fish community as compared with the historic native populations. Jim discussed potential to expand sturgeon populations, with the possibility of a fishery to take advantage of increased populations. • Brown Trout, some larger fish are showing up in the fishery (those few that have survived), some opportunities may help survival: o Control cormorants o Fall stocking is in place to try to get fish beyond some of the predators • Lake trout under the new lake conditions o Will eat gobies, smelt o Thiamine levels have increased to acceptable levels o Lamprey under better control o Possibilities . Pulse stocking may help situation . Protect unclipped . Regulatory options . Evaluate recreational post-release survival in 2009 . Reduce commercial gill-net effort (Ontario) • Whitefish o Diet has changed dramatically . Gobies • Whitefish may be more susceptible to anglers . Mussels (eat estimated 1/3 of quaggas /year) • Quaggas high in thiaminase, will this affect whitefish egg viability? o Will cormorant control help reduce predation on young whitefish? 4

• Chinook o Plans . Any increase in lake herring might improve growth and survival . Evaluate 50% stocking reduction . Explore predator avoidance stocking strategies . Monitor reproduction . Monitor other prey species • Other opportunities o Muskellunge o Commercial fishing management plan o Smallmouth bass population

Kurt reemphasized that it is the overall philosophy we need to explore, and the framework we need to develop to allow us to manage adaptively, and in a cooperative and agile manner.

Terry Walsh asked about the commercial fishing management plan, specific to Saginaw Bay. Jim said the plan is an effort to get prepared for any opportunities that may present themselves, in case money becomes available.

Ken asked what the break point between nearshore and deeper water. Jim said that he considers 90 feet is a pretty good depth to reference in this regard.

Bill L. asked why we would assume alewife would not recover, and why mussels might not decline naturally. Jim said walleye may have reached abundance to help provide predatory control on alewife. Chuck Pistis asked how confident we are in the ability to have a Chinook fishery in proximity to a growing walleye fishery, stating that this appears to be very difficult to sustain. Jim agreed that it is difficult to sustain chinook without a prey item to buffer predation. Judy stated that even though we have a diverse fishery, will people be able to take advantage of the offshore fishery if fuel costs remain high? Kurt stated that if we plan properly, we will be able to look at many different aspects of the fishery, and hopefully be able to adjust to what the lake has to offer, including the social and economic factors that influence the fishery.

Gene Raymond said that he believes walleye may take over Hammond Bay to a greater degree, based in part on information he has heard from gill net commercial fishermen. Ken asked about behavior of steelhead in regards to the new lake conditions, will they end up remaining closer to shore? How much time are they spending inshore, and how will any changes in distribution alter angling? These are just a few of the questions that have been prompted by the changing lake conditions.

Kurt reiterated that we need to match our values and desires to what the lake has to offer. Sometimes we may desire an outcome that the lake can not effectively support. We have to keep in mind that the proposed process will help identify where real opportunities exist. Terry Walsh agreed that we need to be cognizant of managing our resources effectively, not forcing species into areas that are not suitable.

Dr. Tanner addressed the group

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This first day after the recent presidential election, Howard informed the group that he cast his first vote for president in 1944. He thanked Jim Johnson for the stimulating presentation and ensuing discussion. Howard passed along a memorable quote he attributed to former MSU president John Hannah; “If you want to raise something, go where it will grow.” He reminded us that change is inevitable. Howard was pleased that the chairmen of the four lake advisory committees, and basin coordinators, were present today. Howard commented on the vast amount of water Michigan managers have to manage with limited resources. He says all organizations, agencies, and individuals need to work together on the large important issues that cross all areas of interests.

April Bennett (MUCC) April indicated that they are collecting public comment thru November 26 on the Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Initiative, based on Great Lakes Regional collaboration. They have already held 7 of the 8 scheduled public meetings. The purpose of the meetings is to gathering feedback on the plan (MI Great Lakes Plan, our Path to Protect and Restore Michigan’s Natural Treasures) and impediments in various watersheds. They want to celebrate heroes, list the tools needed to manage effectively, collect stories on how Great Lakes and inland waters are changing, and get input from the public on where Great Lakes protection and restoration efforts are most needed.

Schedule meeting dates for 2009 and the member’s database (Frank Krist) Frank suggested January 28th, a Wednesday, for the next meeting. Ken asked if January 7th might be better. We normally meet prior to the public stakeholder workshops, and April 4th (Bad Axe) and 18th (Alpena) are Brandon’s suggestions for the fishing workshops hosted by Sea Grant. Frank and Kurt believed that April 1st would work well for the spring meeting, for many reasons. Upcoming meetings were agreed to be held on: Jan. 7th, April 1st, June 24th, November 4th.

Ken asked if Jeff Schaeffer would attend the fishing workshops. He will attend those, and Frank thought it might be valuable to have him come to the preceding Advisor’s meeting as well.

Lake Herring Pilot Project and other research updates (Jim Johnson, MDNR) Dave Borgeson outlined the upcoming plan for herring egg take in the St. Marys River. This is the continuation of the pilot project initiated two years ago to assess the feasibility to collect spawn, and rear lake herring at a production facility. The project is a cooperative venture with the Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority, Lake Superior State University, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Michigan DNR participating. This year’s effort is an attempt to see how different egg collection times, and associated degree of ripeness, will affect egg viability.

Ken Merckel and Frank Krist mentioned a proposal that could involve federal hatcheries in the rearing of herring and whitefish. Frank will send out information on the proposal to get committee’s comments on it.

2:00 Salmon returns at the weirs and N. Lake Huron updates (Dave Borgeson, MDNR) Dave Borgeson said that early in the salmon run, the Little Manistee Weir was not getting a large number of salmon ready to spawn. The Swan River Weir harvested 4173 chinook

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salmon. In three days of egg take activities, Fisheries personnel collected 2,454,118 eggs from 611 females and shipped the eggs to Thompson, Platte, and Wolf Lake hatcheries. The egg viability was good at all hatcheries with 79% eye-up at Thompson, 85% eye-up at Platte Lake, and 90% eye-up at Wolf Lake. The fish harvested were considered to be in excellent condition, and were very aggressive at the weir. The egg disinfection procedure was followed, and samples for contaminant analysis were collected. Four school groups were shown the egg take process.

2:15 S. Lake Huron updates (Kathrin Schrouder) Kathrin outlined Southern Lake Huron activities including: walleye tagging in the Tittabawassee, lake and stream surveys, completion of 3 Status of the Fishery Reports, completion of Tittabawassee River assessment (with comment period ongoing), Singing Bridge repair and access project, extension of creel survey, largemouth bass study participation, and many other activities.

Discussion about movement of walleye ensued, how far they stray from tagging locations. The larger fish move large distances.

2:30 Fall brown trout stocking plan (Kurt Newman, MDNR) The plan for Lake Huron brown trout is to cut plants, and stock only 85,000 fall yearlings. The fall stocking of larger fish will hopefully help to avoid predation, both by fish and cormorants, and take advantage of the recent increase in emerald shiners that show up inshore in the fall. Lexington (10,000), Harbor Beach (20,000), Port Sanilac (10,000), Tawas (20,000) Alpena (20,000), and Rogers City (5,000) are the chosen stocking locations. We will get winter creel in place this year, prior to stocking at the southern sites. The plan is to stock for three years (2009-2011), and continue the creel survey one year beyond the third year of stocking. If there is a significant response in the fishery, we hope to detect the increase in the regular creel survey. Some hog brown trout have been caught in recent years, and if increased numbers of these show up, increased effort should follow. Chuck asked about creating a buffer to predation by rearing forage to stock simultaneously with brown trout. Kurt said that rearing of forage to buffer stocked fish is not part of the foreseeable future of our hatchery program. October is the target stocking date for the fall yearling brown trout.

In order to better evaluate the progress of the plants, no other brown trout (spring yearlings, etc.) will be stocked in Lake Huron throughout the duration of this test period. After completion of the 3 year project the plan will be evaluated and the background, details and recommendations of the study will be incorporated into the Lake Huron Brown Trout Management Plan.

Stakeholder Updates: Forrest Williams, Michigan Fish Producers: Forrest said that whitefish numbers were down, but prices were up. Forrest is anxious to see the Commercial Fisheries Plan. Clarence Smith, Walleyes for Iosco County: Clarence asked about extension of the lake trout season, as they are catching more lake trout into the fall. This prompted additional discussion,

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including the unknowns related to lake trout recruitment, and it was decided to parking lot this issue for future discussion. Tom Cadwalader: Cheboygan River fall chinook returns were good. Net pen operations in spring went off smoothly. Steelhead and lake trout are in the river now. Summer anglers were catching ATS in Lake Huron. The Cheboygan Dam project is finished.

Gene Kirvan: The salmon and lake trout fishing in the Oscoda area were very good from early July through mid September. The lake trout were large and very few had to be returned. The fish were mainly eating smelt up to 3 to 5 inches long and occasionally cisco were found in the Chinook. Walleye fishing was very good near the mouth of the Au Sable River during May. Even though the Chinook fishing offshore was the best since 2002, the run this fall in the river was poor. Gene caught 5 lake whitefish trolling this season which is an increase from the average of about one per season. Ed Retherford: The cormorant control program to protect the brown trout plant in Thunder Bay was a success and 819 birds were shot and over 100 stomachs collected. The salmon fishing was very good but the best fishing started later in mid August and continued into late October. Fishing pressure was light during the most productive period. Fishing for Atlantic salmon was good during April and May. Ron Beyer: The salmon and lake trout fishing at Harrisville were down. During the fall, however, there was a good runs of salmon in the harbor after a strong northeast winds. Steelhead seemed to be on the rise. Only one charter boat is operating out of Harrisville, as opposed to previously being the home to 8, with Oscoda down to 2 charters and Tawas 0. Terry Walsh: The walleye fishing in Saginaw Bay was excellent this year with few fish having to be returned. Most fish ranged in size from 16 to 21 inches with some as large as 7 pounds. A 6 person limit could be filled in as little as 2 to 3 hours. In spite of the good fishing, the pressure was low. Perch fishing was slow with 6 to 7 perch being a normal catch. Very few catfish and drum were caught, with a rare large brown trout harvested as well. White perch and white bass catches were down. More cormorants were present in the area. Few locals were fishing and only 4 charter boats were operating out of Au Gres. Ken Merckel: Walleye and lake trout fishing was good in the Thumb area but Chinook fishing was poor. Salmon did not return to harbor at Harbor Beach. Gene Raymond: There is a tremendous amount of fishing pressure for walleyes in the St. Marys River because of the numerous tournaments. Perch fishing has been good around Brimley Bay. In the Les Cheneaux Island area, there is a good splake fishery during the winter in 10 to 20 feet of water but few may be harvested because the size limit of 22 inches that applies to lake trout also applies to splake. The splake are usually smaller than 22 inches. Lake trout are not caught in the shallow water during the winter and there did not appear to be a need to enforce the 22 inch size limit for splake to protect lake trout during the winter. The cisco fishery was down this year. Judy Ogden: The trout and salmon fishing was good during April and May but into June and later the fishing was down. James Shutt: The fishing in the reefs off of the Les Cheneaux Islands was good with many Chinook and lake trout caught. The fish were not huge but the condition was good. Lamprey

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marks were down. Fall fishing for perch was very good and it appears that the efforts to control the cormorants had a significant positive effect on the perch fishery. Jerry Lawrence: The walleye fishing from Bay Port to Port Hope was very good until mid September. Some of the best fishing was in water from 35 to 70 feet. Jerry was concerned that planting cisco in the Saginaw Bay may reduce the number of walleye surviving each year because of possible predation on the young walleye by the cisco. Could the cisco depress walleye reproduction like the alewives have apparently done? Bill Leichtman: Activity at the DNR ramp and marinas down. Bill had question on ballast on boats and a discussion came ensued on status of bill. Apparently it went through the house and stalled in Senate Tom Keerl: There was very good walleye fishing during the spring off of the harbor break walls in Harrisville. The walleye were easy to catch but few anglers were participating. The salmon fishing in the Harrisville Harbor was much better this year and the condition of the fish was good. Frank Krist: The lake trout fishing was good from mid May through the end of the season. The fish are common in 10 to 20 feet of water until about mid June. The lake trout were feeding heavy on gobies and about three years classes of smelt. The smelt ranged in size from about 1.5 to about 4 inches. Chinook fishing was about twice as good as last season. The salmon fishing started toward the end of June and continued into mid October. Most of the Chinook and lake trout were caught in water less than 100 feet. An unusual number of rainbow trout were caught throughout most of the season.

3:00 Adjourn

9

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Minutes

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 Ram Conference Center 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Attendees: Forrest Williams, Jim Johnson, David Fielder, Clarence Smith, William Jacobs, Paul Wendler, Larry DeSloover, Dave Borgeson, Tom Keerl, Jim DeClerck, Gene Raymond, William Becks, Ken Merckel, Frank Krist, Ron Beyer, Ed Retherford, Tom Hamilton, Ron Ramsey, Phil Babe, Fred Sterns, Kurt Newman, Jim Baker.

10:00 Welcome and Introductions (Frank Krist, Kurt Newman) Everyone present introduced themselves.

Frank Krist encouraged members of the committee to speak up and bring issues to the group.

Lake Huron Management Plan, committee input (Kurt Newman, MDNR) The LHCFAC has regularly encouraged the development of lake management plans. This committee will have many opportunities to review and provide input during the planning process. Others outside the committee will get this opportunity as well. Spring workshops will help in gathering input form outside the committee. Frank Lupi, Jim Dexter and Kurt Newman have been discussing alternative ways to gather input. An online workgroup is an option, with a survey developed to gain their input. This will be one of several surveys developed targeting different focus groups. This will take 1.5 to 2 years to complete. The hope is to have all 4 lakes developing plans concurrently. Kurt reemphasized Frank’s request for members to provide input on the plan, since this committee and the associated organizations committee members represent have a lot of collective experience and insight into Lake Huron and can provide varied perspectives.

Committee members were asked to provide initial comments on the proposed planning effort: Ed Retherford Ed mentioned the fact that many anglers are not satisfied with the quality of fishing in Lake Huron. He argued that anglers should diversify their angling strategies to take advantage of what the changing lake may offer. If anglers don’t change, their success will be limited. Brown trout stocking has been less than successful and may have outlived its usefulness.

Atlantics and steelhead are doing fairly well, and Ed wondered why brown trout aren’t doing as well those species? Why can’t we fish lake trout through the ice? Ed also emphasized the need to recognize that the southern lake is different from the north, so each area should generate different expectations.

Larry Desloover Fisheries Division is losing a lot of money. Perch fishing has declined so the once significant shore fishing element has been largely lost, with this family, youth oriented aspect lost to a great degree.

Jim DeClerck Jim mentioned the recent NRC meeting and the Au Sable regulations discussion. Jim is not a large fan of stocking, unless to kick start a fishery. For walleye, we shouldn’t stock when analysis shows it is not an economically sound investment. We should take advantage of natural recruitment when we can.

Ron Ramsey Ron talked about organizing the Cheboygan Sportfishing group, and the subsequent salmon stocking that is creating a good fishery. People had been complaining about lack of salmon, now they have adapted to the changed fishery, and are now catching better numbers of lake trout and Atlantic salmon. He would like to improve the Atlantic fishery, and asked how we could do this?

Tom Hamilton Tom is from the Lake Michigan side, Montague area, and will likely have more questions later. Tom learned from Lake Huron walleye anglers, and hopes that Lake Michigan anglers can continue to learn from Lake Huron anglers and gain greater appreciation for lake trout as well. He talked about the parallel between Lake Huron Atlantics and Lake Michigan Skamania. He also talked about the origin of the recent success of the walleye program. Tom also identified the differences in fishing north vs south is also present on Lake Michigan.

Paul Wendler Paul mentioned that he has lived through a long history of Lake Huron management. He has concerns about exotics, lower salmon levels, and lack of forage. What will the new emphasis for fisheries management be with the new conditions? Kurt responded that the subject plan will help answer Paul’s questions and provide direction for the future management of the lake. The advisory committees are critical to providing input on direction for the plan. This group should help provide the emphasis Paul asked for, and set the strategic course. The Fisheries Division is asking for feedback to develop the vision and revise as necessary, because the lake is likely to continue to change.

Clarence Smith Clarence asked if his group would be able to operate their walleye pond this year. Kurt explained the Division’s criteria for choosing which ponds we will be able to operate due to VHS concerns. The pond Clarence is concerned with will most likely not qualify for

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production this year. Hopefully, development of effective egg disinfection techniques, expansion of walleye production will follow. The Division made forward steps last year to increase production, and will continue to make steps as appropriate and prudent. Clarence also asked about ability to shoot cormorants on Charity Islands. Jim Baker, Dave Borgeson, Kurt, and Dave Fielder explained the process involving the department committee and setting priorities. Clarence also says that 12 whitefish creel limit are too many.

Phil Babe Would like to see nearshore smelt fishery come back, and also like to see ability to keep lake trout. The reef is now producing a good walleye fishery.

Jim Johnson Is anxious to see what this group recommends. Jim indicated that the DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Team has started discussions concerning the plan development process.

Gene Raymond Gene described some of his Lake Huron fishing experiences throughout his life, including catching a very lonely lake trout during the Korean War. We have had great times, and should have good times to come. Perch fishing had tanked, but now with cormorant control they have been coming back in the Les Cheneaux area. Gene showed a picture of the stomach contents of a cormorant, which contained several perch. Gene asked if a 50 perch limit is appropriate? He talked about the very large perch that anglers used to take, and described their activities as sometimes being “greedy.” Gene explained that LSSU has a limited capacity for Atlantic production. He also believes that cormorants contributed to lack of success of Carp River stocking of Atlantics. He would like to see more rivers stocked to try to get natural production kicked in. The Straits Area Sportsmen contributed $15,000 to the cormorant control effort.

Bill Becks Bill was concerned about the change of splake regulations in the Les Cheneaux area. The new regulations preclude the once popular winter fishery and the early ice out fishery.

Ken Merckel Ken argued that we need to know the capacity of the hatcheries; what they can produce, and what size of fish they can produce in order to have a good idea of what limitations exist for the plan. Maybe we should have an in-house review of the hatchery system. Ken believes we also need to know what fish can take advantage of the current food sources, notably gobies. All of us are provincial; we want to have our favorite fish to fish for. Ken believes that walleye have become the main predator, probably reducing alewife and the amount of perch available to anglers. Lake trout are a staple for fishing off the Thumb, but are stocked on top of reefs loaded with large lake trout which eat the newly stocked fish. He would like to see more Atlantics and steelhead, but wonders about our capability to produce them. Ken would like to see a plan that addresses the lake as a whole and not just the provincial desires of anglers. He is worried that planning is difficult when the lake

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changes quickly, and he wondered if we can have a plan that is agile enough to adjust as quickly the lake changes. Ken noted that there are walleye everywhere up and down the coast. Ken likes fishing walleye, but would like to be able to successfully fish for salmon as well.

Dave Fielder Dave believes stakeholder contribution is critical, but management options must be based in sound science. Dave cautioned folks against just focusing on the management tools that committee members believe we should implement, and focus more on the direction we need to go.

Tom Keerl The lake is changing far too fast, and if we don’t get a handle on invasive species, we will always be behind the curve in adjusting our management strategies. Without some stability it will be very difficult to predict what will happen, hindering our ability to plan effectively. The management plan needs to try to provide the greatest opportunity to the greatest number of anglers. We are losing anglers. Tom believes that the development of a quality shore angling experience is probably the best way to increase angling participation, and we need to think beyond just the big boat fishing needs. Frank noted that some shore angling opportunities do exist, and educating people may be a way to help increase participation. Tom also said smallmouth bass are also an opportunity for anglers to utilize in many areas.

Captain Ron Beyer Fishing was very difficult in the Harrisville area this year, and even lake trout are becoming scarce. It is hard to get lake trout to come inshore for easier access to anglers. Perhaps nearshore stocking might make them more available to more anglers. The salmon run in harbor was not very good. Ron noted the difficulties when different species are present nearshore at the same time (less than sporting anglers conflicting with law abiding anglers). Charters are down, and he is the only charter left in Harrisville. He doesn’t know what the answer is, but is wondering if the investment in stocking salmon is worthwhile.

Forrest Williams Forrest would like to see a commercial fishing section included in the plan. The main species taken by the commercial fishery is whitefish, and the commercial fishing industry continues providing economic benefits to the state. They don’t have the luxury to move operations quickly to adjust to changing conditions. The commercial fishery has provided a lot of research information to the state over the years, and any decline in commercial operations may jeopardize these information collection opportunities. Forrest explained that their operation has a history in raising perch to commercial size, and that expertise could be useful in the future. Tribal fisherman and Canadians are taking a lot of fish that could otherwise be available to Michigan. Forrest is concerned about the ramifications of the lake herring project. They have seen a few herring every year, and if conditions were good for them, why haven’t they taken off on their own.

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Fred Sterns Fred fishes out of Rockport and has had good spring fishing for steelhead and Atlantics nearshore. Also, walleye and chinook fishing has been pretty good in the same area during the summer in about 35 feet of water.

Frank Krist Frank was provided comments by Judy Ogden. She would like to see more nearshore angling opportunities, especially for children. Why can Lake Erie support such a great steelhead fishery? Could Lake Huron provide a home for more steelhead?

Kurt Newman Kurt mentioned that without the fiscal capability, we may not be able to implement components of the plan. By the end of this year, we may be looking at a $10 million dollar deficit. In 2010, the fiscal situation will be much worse and could result in program cuts. Kurt urged committee members to take this message home to their groups. We need to get something done quickly to get us through the short term, and a long term solution is needed as well. Jim DeClerck stated that the legislature needs to realize the economic benefit to the state of well managed natural resources. Tom Keerl and Frank agreed that long term funding is needed.

Frank said that Brandon Schroeder could not make it, and Frank provided some of Brandon’s thoughts. There are workshops coming up on the Lake Michigan side soon, and we should be gathering some information and input from stakeholders at the upcoming Lake Huron workshops. Ken asked if anyone is available at MSU to determine how much economic benefit is generated by management actions. Frank and Kurt said that there is information already available. Jim DeClerck said that this information is a gross underestimate of the true value provided by natural resource management. To accurately quantify this would require a lot of effort and might be difficult to accurately quantify.

Frank relayed the dates for the upcoming workshops.

Tom Hamilton stressed that all organizations should be sure to maintain their integrity by being honest with their members and the DNR. The DNR will bend over backwards to help them be successful.

Lunch was provided by RAM Center staff

Minutes were approved from the November meeting.

Paul Wendler We live in a changing world, there are a lot of challenges, but he has confidence in the leadership in the DNR to adequately navigate through these times.

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Kurt Newman Kurt reiterated the financial difficulties facing the DNR, especially the situation forecasted in 2010, and the consequences likely to result. He again urged committee members to relay this to their contacts. Kurt mentioned the beginning of a marketing effort for the DNR, with an internal committee headed by the Director, Becky Humphrey. The DNR aren’t generally experts in this, and we recognize this, but hopefully we can get the expertise in place to assist the effort. This effort is needed to let people know the overall impact of natural resource management on the State of Michigan.

There is a new law chief. Those present who have dealt with him, had good things to say about their dealings with him.

Kurt relayed the recent effort to identify projects that might qualify for an economic stimulus package that could be coming with the new administration.

Dr. Steve Hewett, recently moved from Wisconsin, will be Kurt’s replacement as the Lake Erie Basin Coordinator. Todd Kalish will be the Central Lake Michigan Unit Manager, leaving a hole in the Eastern Lake Superior Management Unit.

DNR Unit updates Dave Borgeson and Jim Baker provided updates for their units.

Miscellaneous topics Ken Merckel reported suspicious boating activity in Lake Huron, and would like to know what boats are present, and who is operating them. He believes much of this activity is Canadian. Ken asked how to get more information about this activity. Kurt and Larry suggested through the enforcement committee. Ken will get with Larry on this subject.

Phil Babe asked about the increase in tapeworms seen in walleye. Jim Baker said this increase is due to change in the walleye diet. Jim explained the life cycle of the tapeworm and how the shift in diet, considering the life cycle, could result in increasing incidences of tapeworm occurrence in walleye.

Frank asked about the existence of an Asian tapeworm. Jim Baker said that the article Frank is referring to may have had some inaccuracies, leading to a mistaken idea that the walleye tapeworm is of Asian origin. Tom Hamilton said that some clarification is needed to assist in getting the proper information to the public.

Jim Johnson said that the fall bottom trawl survey was not completed this year. The LHTC meeting will discuss this on January 20th. These data are important to accurately describe the condition of the lake. Committee members asked what they could do to ensure this information is collected. Perhaps a letter from the committee to the USGS Great Lakes Science Center Director and having the program supervisor attend a LHCFAC meeting would be appropriate.

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Rainbow and Atlantic potential in Lake Huron (Jim Johnson) Jim asked Kurt how Lake Erie supported such a good steelhead fishery. Kurt said many agencies have stocked a lot of steelhead, around 1.4 million, and these fish have taken advantage of available forage opportunities. There is some natural reproduction as well that contributes to the fishery.

Jim then gave his presentation. He showed the recent failure of the brown trout fishery, and described the change in management to stocking fall yearlings designed to avoid heavy spring predation on the newly stocked brown trout.

He then showed that rainbow returns to the creel have not been impressive either. Jim offered some potential actions to improve contribution to the creel: increase hatchery capacity, cormorant hazing and management, stocking windows, removing barriers, and acclimation pens.

Atlantic Salmon have fared better than other salmonids under current conditions in Lake Huron. They are a unique fish well suited to the St. Marys River and the LSSU rearing facility. Ability to effectively stock in other locations may be problematic. Further investigation into the potential to expand the Atlantic stocking program was supported by the committee.

Cisco (Lake Herring) Pilot Study, Federal Herring Proposal (Dave Fielder) Dave presented the historic and recent cisco abundance information for Lake Huron, and possible reasons for the decline. Current lake conditions (absence of alewife, sea lamprey control, invertebrate community) may offer chance for expansion of the cisco population. Dave explained the potential scenario that would allow for reestablishment of cisco populations in Thunder Bay and Saginaw Bay, at least to some degree. Discussion ensued on how lake conditions might inhibit or promote cisco population increases. Dave also outlined the federal proposal to expand hatchery facilities to promote cisco rearing, and the committee said the likelihood of this happening in the current fiscal and political environment is low.

Schedule meeting dates for 2009 and the member’s database (Frank Krist) April 4th (Bad Axe) and 18th (Alpena) are Brandon’s suggestions for the fishing workshops hosted by Sea Grant. Frank and Kurt believed that April 1st would work well for the spring meeting, for many reasons. Upcoming meetings were agreed to be held on: April 1st, June 24th (see note below), and November 4th. Note: because the RAM Center was not available, the June 24th meeting date was changed to June 25, 2009.

3:00 Meeting adjourned

7 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

April 1, 2009

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Minutes Wednesday, April 1, 2009 Doherty Hotel, Clare 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Approved June 25, 2009

10:00 Welcome and Introductions (Frank Krist and Kurt Newman MDNR) Attendees: Bud Donnelly, John Dobis, Tom Pawlaczyk, Dave Borgeson, Brandon Schroeder, Jim Johnson, Ken Merckel, Fred Sterns, Bill Leichtman, Shirley Martin, Ji He, Jim Baker, Lynn Duling, Terry Walsh, Fred Sterns, Jim DeClerck, Jack Noble, Tom Cadwalader, Gene Kirvan, Judy Ogden, Dave Fielder, Frank Krist, Kurt Newman, Tom Keerl, Ed Roseman

Minutes from the last meeting were approved.

Kurt spoke about the new effort to produce a lake-wide management plan. He mentioned that during the upcoming workshops the use of new technologies may help gather information from attendees. As the planning process proceeds, more frequent meetings of the LHCFAC may be needed to ensure sufficient input and timely production of the plan.

10:05 Possession limit for walleyes and yearling cisco from Wisconsin Ken Merckel mentioned an incident concerning the potential to have tickets written for those people who possess more than one day’s limit of walleye. Ken expressed a desire to allow for more than the one day’s creel limit than is currently allowed by the1928 regulation. Kurt asked if the committee was in favor of pursuing this issue, and said, if so, he could talk to Todd Grischke and possibly work this into the lake management plan. Frank said it makes sense to change this regulation because many people on vacation or camping spend several days fishing, and the current possession limit seems to be overly protective. Kurt will determine what action would need to be undertaken to change the regulation.

Ken also said that the Iron River Hatchery in Wisconsin has 8,000-10,000 yearling cisco available for stocking in Lake Huron. They need to be stocked by May 1st because the hatchery is running out of room. Dave Fielder mentioned that the fish have been disease tested, but are of Western Lake Superior origin. Kurt suggested that Dave F. contact Dr. Kim Scribner to discuss the genetic implications to stocking these fish. Jim Johnson said that the only opportunity to study these fish would be in Alpena because of ongoing monitoring efforts, and that another reason to stock Alpena is that there is likely to be a new reef constructed near the stocking site. Walleye and cormorant

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predation is a potential concern. MDNR has had success with the pilot project, but currently does not have the infrastructure to rear lake herring at a full scale production level. Jim DeClerck would like to see this effort get more traction. Dave Borgeson will pursue the logistics involved in getting approval for stocking of these fish, making sure the disease testing is in order. Our current understanding is that this would be no cost to the MDNR. Dave Fielder, Dave Borgeson, Frank Krist, and Ken Merckel will work together to see this issue through to fruition. Ken said the Wisconsin facility has a large capacity to rear herring.

10:20 Biological conditions of Lake Huron’s fishery and other issues (Jim Johnson, and Dave Fielder MDNR) Jim gave an overview of what he planned to present at the workshop in Bad Axe. He emphasized the tremendous changes in the Lake Huron community since 2003. The Chinook fishery has greatly declined. Walleye are making up a greater proportion of the catch, making up over 70% of the pounds harvested. Overall effort has declined dramatically with the decline in Chinook, and the number of charter operations has declined as well. The past two years (2007, 2008) have been about the same for the charter fishery.

Jim plans to talk about diagnostics at the upcoming workshops. He talked about the prey limitation, both in size and abundance, and the implications on the recruitment of fish to the fishery. Young yellow perch, chinook salmon, brown trout, whitefish, lake trout have all become prey items. Jim presented a graph of chinook harvest as a function of stocking, and the only fishery created was at Rogers City, otherwise stocking was not related to harvest. Chinook are vulnerable to predation in their first year, staying nearshore for a longer time period. Would steelhead and Atlantic salmon suffer lower predatory pressure because they are stocked at larger size as smolts? Restoration of a pelagic prey base would also help remedy this predatory dilemma, as would cormorant control.

Dave Fielder then presented historic walleye abundance and recent trends. Increasing walleye production was most likely a result of changes in the food web, including the decline of alewife. The walleye population has begun reaching some of the target parameters as described in the recovery plan (year classes dominated by natural fish, growth declines). Overall fishing effort has declined in the face of a greatly improved walleye population, a likely result of the greatly diminished perch fishery. Perch are experiencing good reproduction, but survival is low probably due to the large predation pressure exerted by walleye. Ken Merckel asked about the recovery status for walleye. Tom Keerl asked how yellow perch fit into the recovery plan. Dave said that they weren’t a part of the original plan, but recent discussions involving potential role of cisco have included perch. Cisco recovery might provide more larger bodied prey for walleyes which could reduce predation pressure on the perch and increase their survival.

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10:50 Lake Huron’s prey fish and macroinvertebrates (Ed Roseman, USGS) Ed and Jeff Schaeffer will split duties among the workshops. He presented the information given at the Upper Lakes meetings last week. Ed also distributed a handout summarizing results. Overall prey biomass has greatly declined since 1992. There was a bit of an increase in bloater for 2008. They were unable to sample the southern areas due to mechanical and weather difficulties. Ken asked about mysis evaluation, and Jeff has included this in the acoustic work. This aspect will be included in their presentation at the workshop. Kurt mentioned the letter from the committee to USGS imploring them to maintain this sampling effort and ensure that Lake Huron receives the attention needed. The letter was effective and received a positive response. Ed said that this past year safety was an issue, but they are working on contingency plans to make sure the sampling gets done, possibly reversing the order of sampling. Ed said that he will work with Jim Johnson asking anglers to save stomach contents this year. Kurt emphasized that members of this group can help by taking this message back to their groups so that they can participate and help gather the needed information to assist in better understanding the dynamics of the lake. Kurt suggested that the group should work through Frank. Ed and Judy said that there are some freezers available for assisting this stomach collection effort. Brandon said he will be able to assist in coordinating the effort as well.

11:15 New audience feed back technologies (Brandon Schroeder) Brandon showed the website where videos of talks will be available for interested persons to view at their leisure. He passed out remote electronic devices that will be used to gather audience input at the workshops. Generic questions have been developed to test the system, and the questions will be evaluated as to their pertinence. Brandon presented a few questions to demonstrate the applicability of the electronic system. This system allows for more flexibility; that is, allowing the facilitator to change questions or add questions as needed. Kurt said a more detailed survey will be developed to collect information from licensed anglers, and a less detailed survey will be posted on-line to gather additional information. Judy expressed concern about how this method is to be used, with the role of the respondent a key factor to how they might respond. Care must be taken in how the information gathered will be used. Kurt recognized the validity of this concern, but said that this will not be used to make direct management decisions, but will help inform the process. Jim DeClerck suggested that asking a question prior to providing information will allow for follow-up to ask the same question later to see if any attitude migration or learning occurred.

11:30 Regional issues/management strategies and upcoming budget challenges (Dr. Kurt Newman) We need to know what the lake has to offer in order to build an effective plan. Now is the time to write the lake wide plan, and to try some new strategies. Kurt emphasized that committee members should encourage their colleagues to attend the workshops. Kurt also encouraged them to attend the regional meetings planned to describe the DNR’s budget situation, and gather concerns from the public. The first of these is scheduled for April 8th at Davenport University.

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12:00 Lunch

1:15 The state of the Michigan DNR budget (Dr. Kelley Smith) Kelley explained that the whole Department is undergoing difficult budgetary times. He said that meetings will be held around the state to discuss the issue and provided the date and locations of the upcoming meetings. Kelley passed out information regarding fisheries staffing and budget. Decisions must be made on what Fisheries Division will do, and also what the Division will not be able to do as this crisis deepens. The situation that is forthcoming this October is going to present a very difficult dilemma. Kelley explained the Game and Fish Protection Fund, and appropriation of that fund. Appropriation is the authorization to spend funds, provided they are available, but does not assure the funds will be available.

Theresa Pohl led the group through the Executive Budget Bill for the DNR, describing the difference between restricted funds and the general fund. She then focused on Fisheries Division’s portion of the bill. Fisheries Division has a gross appropriation of $30,473,700, of which 65% is of state origin, while 35% is federal. Questions were asked if the group could access information describing what was appropriated vs. what actually occurred. Kelley said that this could easily be provided. Chuck Pistis mentioned the very low amount of general fund dollars that Fisheries receives, and the problem has presented for quite a few years.

Kelley explained that invested fund returns are down, as are license sales, providing increasingly lower revenues. He showed time line which described the Game and Fish Fund beginning balance, revenue, appropriation, and expenditures, which results in the new G&F beginning balance. He described the scenario which resulted in a greatly reduced fund balance. Kelley then described the picture for 2009, which required a reduction plan. This reduction plan won’t work for 2010, because the projected deficit is much greater. For 2010 Fisheries will need to reduce G&F expenditures by approximately $6 million.

Frank suggested that there should be a coalition of groups put together to ask the legislature to address this situation. Jim DeClerck asked that folks talk to the Director to ask for a study to show the value of the DNR to the state’s economy. Kelley said his purpose for this meeting was to gather information from those present; to have those present provide their thoughts as to what they think is important, and provide their thoughts as to what the Division should do with the limited revenue available.

2:25 Great Lakes Wind Council (Denny Grinold) Denny mentioned that the northeast is a good spot for offshore wind power, with the continental shelf and proximity to large cities. He said the Great Lakes area is also a good location for wind power generation. Denmark has about 20% of their power needs served by wind power. The Great Lakes has the capability to produce enough to serve the power needs for the entire Midwest, perhaps giving Michigan the ability to export power. The council has been charged to produce criteria for identifying areas most and least desirable for offshore wind development. The depth these turbines are

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placed is usually around 90-120 feet of water. If they are to be invisible from shore on a clear day, they would need to be placed 20 miles offshore. This would be difficult in the Great Lakes with the depth associated with these areas. Some issues have been identified related to this initiative: fisheries impacts, climate change, bird and bat collisions. Denny presented the lakebed alteration decision support tool to look at potential for site suitability.

2:50 Update on the lake-wide management plan processes (Dr. Kurt Newman and Jim Dexter, MDNR) This process has really just begun, with a finished product perhaps 18 months out. As far as public input to this process, a new process will be employed to try to gather information. There will be the stakeholder workshops and stakeholder surveys as part of a multi-layered approach to gathering input. Kurt encouraged those present to participate in the planning process and encourage their constituency to participate as well.

3:00 Meeting adjourned

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens’ Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center June 25th, 2009

Minutes

Attendees: Gene Kirvan, Bill Leichtman, Andy Pelt, Jim DeClerck, Judy Ogden, Ken Merckel, Tom Hamilton, Gene Raymond, William Becks, Jim Johnson, Roger Greil, Dave Borgeson, Jim Baker, Forrest Williams, Bud Donnelly, Terry Lyons, Linn Duling, Ron Ramsey, Brandon Schroeder, Ji He, Scott Miehls, Craig Milkowski, Larry Desloover, Howard Tanner, Jeff Schaeffer, Kurt Newman and Frank Krist

Overview of Atlantic salmon rearing program at Lake Superior State University: Mr. Roger Greil presented an overview of the Lake Superior State University (LSSU) rearing program, which began in 1985 and releases 25,000 to 40,000 Atlantic salmon (atlantics) yearlings annually. Atlantics are very sensitive to sudden changes in their environment (food, water temperature, etc.) but acclimate well if changes are made slowly and gradually. They do not do well in crowded conditions, and do best at raceway loadings of 30 kg/ cubic meter while most other salmonids can be raised at up to 80 kg/cubic meter. Adult atlantics are collected with constantly tended gill nets from the St. Mary’s River at the Aquatic Research Laboratory (ARL). Adult males and females have to be segregated while being held or they hurt each other. Adults are held no longer than three weeks for ripening before eggs are taken. All pairings are tested for Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD), and eggs from parents testing positive are discarded. Atlantics reared at LSSU are Grand Lake strain, originally obtained from the state of Maine, but they have been able to take all of their own eggs since 2005. Eggs are taken in November, and hatch in May of the next year. Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) is a problem but they deal with it by treating the fry with a thiamine bath. Roger provided detailed information regarding incubation, preferred water temperatures, food, etc. All changes of food, water temperature, etc. must be made gradually to avoid putting undue stress on the fish. Also, they are very sensitive to supersaturation of nitrogen and all rearing water must be aggressively de-gassed. Covered raceways are critical for controlling several factors including avian predation. The fingerlings actually smolt the fall before they are planted, but by then LSSU has them on ambient temperature river water and holds them through the winter at 1-degree Centigrade which apparently stops or significantly slows growth until spring. The fish are planted out as yearlings in June of their second year at 7 to 8-inches long, when water temperatures rise to 8-degrees Centigrade. The yearlings are not trucked anywhere; they are flushed directly into the St. Mary’s River from the ARL.

Adult atlantics return to the St. Mary’s River beginning in mid-June. Two year old fish range in size from 15 to 25-inches long and average about 2.5-pounds; three year old fish range from 24 to 36-inches and can range in weight from 8 to 18-pounds. Four and five year old fish are slow growing and usually are smaller than three year olds. Returns to creel are better since cormorant control programs commenced in the area. Most of the atlantics seem to stay in the northern part of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, although they are also caught as far south as Lexington on occasion.

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Roger outlined fishing techniques for atlantics and recommended trolling off Detour from late May until mid-July. The fish are in the river and active from mid-June through mid-July and can be taken there by boat and from shore as well.

Roger responded to several questions from committee members. Cost of heating water could be significant; LSSU gets its power free from Soo Edison, but it would amount to about $45,000 per year if they had to buy it. This is only to heat water for the eggs and fry. The fish may not do well if kept at a constant water temperature year round. Roger believes the ice-cold waters of the St. Mary’s in winter suppress bacterial growth and thereby promotes fish health. If MDNR is to attempt rearing atlantics, the division will have to select a hatchery where winter water temperatures can be adjusted to mimic conditions at ARL. Atlantic salmon living in the Great Lakes don’t grow as large as sea-run atlantics because they mature and run at younger ages and probably have a less diverse and nutritious diet.

Based on his experience at LSSU, Roger believes it would take MDNR a minimum of 10-years to develop an Atlantic salmon program capable of producing appreciable creel returns. Kelley Smith pointed out that MDNR abandoned Atlantic salmon culture in the 1980’s because stakeholders became impatient with the lack of success of the program.

Kurt Newman reported that Gary Whelan, MDNR’s Fish Production (Hatcheries) Manager, will attend the November 4 Advisory Committee meeting to further discuss the possibility of a pilot project to raise Atlantic salmon.

Update on Atlantic salmon feasibility project: Scott Miehls, Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) Program Associate, based in Ann Arbor and Anna Kilbourn, recently graduated Bachelor of Science student from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University (MSU) based in East Lansing have volunteered to conduct a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on Atlantic salmon to determine, to the extent possible, the feasibility of rearing Atlantic salmon at production levels in a MDNR hatchery and whether atlantics will fit into the Lake Huron fish community and ecosystem.

The specific goals of this project are to 1) summarize current information on Atlantic salmon life history and rehabilitation efforts in other locations; 2) document the history of Atlantic salmon propagation in Michigan and other relevant experiences; and, 3) evaluate the feasibility of stocking Atlantic salmon lakewide in Lake Huron under the current biological conditions.

The anticipated products from their work include a whitepaper for publication in MDNR’s Fisheries Special Publications series and/or a published journal article; an annotated bibliography; a presentation to MDNR Fisheries Division basin teams; a presentation to the Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee; and, possibly a presentation at a professional fisheries meeting/conference.

In terms of process, Scott and Anna will utilize available library resources at MSU, the University of Michigan (UM), and Fisheries Division (FD); they will conduct interviews with FD hatchery, research, and management field staff as needed; they will mine FD files and databases; and, provide regular updates on progress to the FD Research Program Manager.

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The projected timeline for completing the project is flexible, but the FD Research Program Manager and Lake Huron Basin Coordinator have targeted September for receiving a draft paper.

Members of the LHCFAC expressed varying levels of impatience with the pace of MDNR’s evaluation of an Atlantic salmon program for Lake Huron. Kurt stressed the need for due diligence and adhering to appropriate process given the current fiscal realities FD faces before expending limited resources on a pilot rearing project at an MDNR hatchery. He pointed out this was especially true given current experience at LSSU and past experience within FD suggests benefits of an Atlantic salmon program, if successful, would not likely accrue to anglers in less than 10-years. Kurt suggested the first step would be to review results of the Atlantic salmon feasibility project. If those results provide a reasonable foundation for proceeding, that the LHCFAC, with sponsorship from staff at the Alpena Fisheries Research Station, draft a proposal to conduct a pilot study and submit that to the Lake Huron Basin Team (LHBT) for consideration this fall. In the event results of the feasibility project are not yet available, the LHCFAC could still draft a proposal for consideration by the LHBT this fall, presenting alternative rationale for moving forward with a pilot project.

Cisco Pilot Study Update: Jim Johnson reported that Dave Fielder (Research Section), with Neal Godby (Field Operations) and Matt Hughes (Fish Production), are drafting the final report detailing results of the pilot study. It is anticipated the draft report will be finished by August or September. Approximately 40,000 ciscoes produced in the study will be stocked at 5 to 6-inches long in July. At this time, MDNR does not anticipate continuing cisco egg takes in 2009, but the FD Management Team may reconsider that position after reviewing the results and recommendations of the Cisco Pilot Study Report.

Jim Johnson reported that EPA has a great interest in native species restoration and may get Economic Stimulus funds to start a cisco program utilizing federal fish hatcheries. Jim also stated that Jordan River Federal Fish Hatchery has received a federal stimulus grant to update their facilities. Kelley Smith stated that MDNR is getting no federal stimulus dollars.

Ken Merckel has been in contact with the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, which has been raising cisco produced from Lake Superior broodstock in a different pilot study project. They may be able to produce surplus fish for Lake Huron if biosecurity concerns regarding moving the fish can be satisfied. Ken will coordinate with Kurt and Martha Wolgamood (Fish Disease Coordinator at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery) to see what can be done regarding satisfying biosecurity in order to secure any available surplus cisco fingerlings.

Chief’s Update: Kelley believes he has spoken to more than 800 people regarding the fish Division’s budget plight and has asked for input concerning how to prioritize Fisheries programs as the budget continues to erode. To date, he has received no input whatsoever. Fish Division’s budget cut in FY 2010 will be at least $3 million. The Lieutenant Governor is evaluating all state departments with the intent of combining departments and reducing state government to seven core functions (Public Safety; Education; Public Systems; Well-being; Sustainability; Economic Opportunity and Prosperity; and, Efficiency and Effectiveness). Fisheries Division could potentially reside in a newly formed Department of Sustainability. The state house and senate have combined the DNR and DEQ budgets for next year.

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And, there is a bill in the state house to move the Forest Management Division to the Department of Agriculture.

The reorganization of inland trout stream regulations is at a standstill due to opposition from fly fishing groups and Trout Unlimited. It’s unlikely any regulation changes related to inland trout streams will make it into the 2010 Fishing Guide. A change in the lake trout bag limit for Lake Superior, moving from three to five fish per day, is being considered.

Judy Ogden asked for more information concerning how Fisheries Division will adjust the budget in 2010. Kelley stated that the boilerplate prohibiting cutting hatcheries had been put into DNR’s budget bill, so all the cuts would have to come from Field Operations and Research. Most attrition (retirements) is happening randomly in Field Operations, and some units are badly understaffed with no hope of reinforcement. Due to recent retirements and transfers, there are only one unit manager and two biologists left in the entire Upper Peninsula.

Update on Predator Diet Study Jeff Schaeffer reported that USGS, working in cooperation with various fishing clubs and tournaments, has accumulated a very good sample size (number of fish stomachs donated by anglers) with good spatial and temporal representation. A great deal of cannibalism in lake trout (adult lakers eating newly planted juvenile lake trout) was noted at the Port Austin tournament last weekend. The study will need to follow the fishing north up the lake as the summer progresses. They are in process of making contacts at Cheboygan. Jeff and Ed Roseman have been attending tournaments on many recent weekends. MDNR creel clerks have also been contributing good numbers of stomachs.

Sea Grant Fisheries Workshops Brandon Schroeder reported that the workshops in April at Bad Axe and Alpena were well attended, with about 45 anglers in attendance at each. A lot of good feedback was received. Brandon would like to begin scoping the 2010 Fishery Workshops at the November Advisory Committee meeting.

Lake Trout Informational Handouts Ji He passed out three packets of information regarding lake trout biology in Lake Huron. Frank Krist asked the committee members to review the materials and provide suggestions to make the information more readable for the general public.

Howard Tanner’s Comments: Dr. Tanner pointed out that when he took over the Fisheries Division in 1964, it had 200 to 220 employees and all were devoted to managing inland fisheries; there was no management of the Great Lakes. Fast forward to 2009, and the Fisheries Division has less than 200 employees and is expected to manage both the Great Lakes and inland waters. Michigan’s Fisheries Division manages more acres of water than the fisheries divisions of all the other 49 states combined. Anglers and hunters need to emphasize the economic impacts of their activities to lawmakers to secure adequate funding. The Great Lakes are ‘Blue Soil’. Fishing groups need to work with the MDNR to strengthen it.

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LHCFAC Subcommittee or Steering Committee? Should there be one, to provide initial review of projects ideas and meeting topics? Anyone interested in being on a Steering Committee should drop Frank an e-mail.

Lakewide Management Plan: Discussion of this topic included; how to structure the plan, how to roll it out to the public, and development of a time-line for completion. Kurt stated that we should draw on existing Great Lakes Fishery Commission documents including the Fish Community Objectives and the most recent State of the Lake Report. There was sentiment that the management plans for all four Great Lakes should follow the same or a similar format. There were questions concerning the nature of the format; would it be by species, or by species complex? Many wanted the plan to be a ‘living document’, to be update as changing conditions dictate. Kurt suggested the FD Basin Coordinators could develop a draft format for review by the lake advisory committees. It would be best to have the MDNR plan finished before the Great Lakes Fishery Commission reviews the Fish Community Objectives again (which will be about five years hence).

Development and Approval of New Research Projects Jim Johnson provided a handout of FD’s Policy & Procedure for Prioritization of Research Needs and Annual Selection of Research Study Proposals and Renewals and a synopsis of how such selections are made. Kurt stated that there are lots of checks and balances built into this system, and we follow the time-lines outlined therein so as to match Department of Management and Budget (DMB) timelines for funding and starting new studies. It’s about 16-months from start to finish on the whole process.

Winter Lake Trout Season and Splake Season in the Les Cheneaux Islands Dave Borgeson discussed the situation regarding establishment of a winter splake season in the Les Cheneaux’s; because it falls in the 1836 Tribal Zone, there will have to be review of the proposal by the Tribal Fisheries Council (TFC) before any action is taken. The TFC’s next meeting is in October. Kurt reminded the group that Michigan has to be diligent to keep from exceeding our Total Allowable Catch on lake trout in MH-1 or we could be penalized by reduction in TAC in future years. An undergraduate student from LSSU will be doing a study this year, collecting samples (trout guts) from anglers and fish cleaning stations and counting pyloric cecae to determine whether fish are lake trout or splake. Anglers from the area are very supportive of a winter splake season.

Jim Baker reported that the Lake Huron Basin Team had approved a proposal to extend the lake trout season in MH-3 through MH-6 to run from January 1st through September 30th, with no changes in size or bag limits, and had sent the Order Change Recommendation to Lansing for further review. When asked when it would take effect, it was determined that the regulation (if approved by Lansing) would go into effect April 1st, 2010, which would not be in time for next winter’s ice fishing season. Changes in the lake trout season for MH-1 and MH-2 will have to wait until the proposal has been reviewed by the TFC in October.

Kurt mentioned that there should be an additional 100,000 yearling lake trout available for southern Lake Huron next summer.

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The issue of possession limits was raised briefly. Kurt had checked with Lansing Staff and had determined that the possession limit was indeed part of Statute; the state legislature has to change the law, it can’t be changed by the Natural Resources Commission or the Director.

Terms of Reference for the LHCFAC Kurt passed out a draft Terms of Reference and asked for comments. Comments received included questions about “will live with’ consensus versus majority rule, who will vote for a particular organization, how is a ‘consulting decision’ taken, and the need for rules for electing or deposing the chairperson. Send further comments to Kurt and Frank.

Next Meeting The next Lake Huron Citizens’ Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for November 4, 2009 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Ram Center. The location may change. Frank and/or Kurt will send notification with all relevant information.

Adjourn

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center November 4, 2009

Minutes

Attendees: David Borgeson, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Linn Duling, Dave Fielder, Tom Hamilton, Ji He, Steve Hewett, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Gene Kirvan, Frank Krist, Bill Leichtman, Shirley Martin, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Judy Ogden, Nick Popoff, Gene Raymond, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Kelley Smith, Fred Sterns, Terry Walsh, Gary Whalen

Frank Krist called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. Attendees introduced themselves.

Minutes from the June 25th meeting were acknowledge and accepted as is.

Division Updates – Dr. Kelley Smith:

Budget Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010 have been set with total reductions for the Department at 9 million dollars. Fisheries Division was reduced by 3 million dollars. To reduce expenditures Fisheries will not be filling the bulk of vacancies including the Lake Huron Basin Coordinator. We were also able to remove boilerplate language from the budget, ‘Section 603,’ which had been inserted in recent years to prevent the possibility of closing a hatchery.

Salmon Bag Limits A process to change the salmon bag limit was looked at objectively with recommendations considered from charter operators, fishing reports and creel survey data. If catch rates are above the established benchmark the limit will remain at five, if catch rates drop below the benchmark limits will be reduced to three. Current data indicates catch rates are above the benchmark; therefore, the creel limit will remain at five.

Merger Executive Order (EO) 2009-45 abolishes the DNR and DEQ as two individual departments and creates one new Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE). The merger will take effect on January 17, 2010. Mission Statement: Protect and conserve Michigan air, water and other natural resources.

Summary of EO 2009-45 • Gives the Governor the authority to appoint the Director of the DNRE. • Gives the Governor the authority to appoint the Director of the Department of Agriculture. • Creates the Michigan Trail Advisory Council. • Creates an Environmental Science Board – A seven member group that will advise the Department on tough decisions and scientific issues. • Timely Permitting. • Transition Manager (Bruce Rasher) – Must have a report to the Governor by end of November for high level administrative structure.

Lake Erie and Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – Dr. Steve Hewett:

Kurt Newman, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator accepted a new position with USGS. Dr. Steve Hewett has agreed to fill that void as Lake Huron Basin Coordinator in addition to his current position as Lake Erie Basin Coordinator. Steve has been the Lake Erie Basin Coordinator since January 2009 and has a background in academics and research. He was also Chief of Fisheries Policy in Wisconsin since 1992 and has a variety of experience in inland and Great Lakes management.

Raising Atlantic Salmon and Cisco in the State Fish Hatchery System – Gary Whalen:

The decision process to introduce and rear new species in the state fish hatchery system depends on numerous factors. Primary factors include water, fish health and biosecurity, rearing space, and desired fish size at release. Secondary factors of concern include transportation logistics, hatchery logistics, and rearing history.

Oden and Marquette State Fish Hatcheries have captive broodstock populations that must be protected at all costs. Bringing in wild broodstock introduces a wide array of new pathogens. Most facilities are also ground water fed. Heating ground water can cost up to a quarter million dollars. From a temperature and biosecurity standpoint Wolf Lake, Thompson and Platte Hatcheries are the only reasonable options for raising wild eggs.

Outdoor rearing space is a limiting factor for yearling fish. A trade-off must be between similar programmed fish; Atlantic salmon yearlings require 2 to 2.5 as much space as other yearlings and cisco spring fingerlings require 1 to 2 times as much space as other fingerlings. Hatchery logistics is another concern. The Platte River Hatchery is under a court order to manage phosphorus which will not allow the facility to increase production without reducing phosphorus.

The Department has a history of 135 years of rearing experiments system wide. We know getting Atlantic salmon to a desirable stocking size is difficult, raising high densities of Atlantic salmon does not work in Michigan’s hatcheries and Atlantic salmon acquire

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pathogens and have significant disease issues. Problems with scaling up cisco production are unknown; we have little experience in rearing cisco.

The most suitable facilities for raising cisco would be Wolf Lake or Thompson Hatcheries.. They maintain the correct water temperature and have a reasonable biosecurity risk. Platte Hatchery may be suitable for Atlantic salmon and there is a history of raising Atlantic salmon at Wolf Lake and Thompson There will be significant rearing costs considering both species would have to replace existing production at a higher equivalent.

Experimental Rearing of Atlantic salmon at Platte & Increased Production at Wolf Lake – Gary Whalen:

Atlantic Salmon Experiment - We are rearing fall fingerlings, from eggs taken by LSSU in fall 2008, to yearlings. On October 27, 2009 19,000 Atlantic salmon fingerlings were transferred from Lake Superior State University (LSSU) to an outside raceway at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery to evaluate growth, conversion rate, quality and health. These fish will be planted in the spring of 2010. For brood year 2009, eyed eggs will be transferred in November 2009, also to the Platte Hatchery. An attempt will be made to raised the fish to yearlings and plant them in the spring of 2011. The question was asked why this process is taking so long. Can’t the Department use LSSU’s systems? In response, LSSU’s system and the Department’s are different. We are taking into account LSSU’s advice and experience but we are also using an inland water supply which has the potential to increase pathogens.

Cisco Experiment – The goal is to increase the number to spring fingerlings from 40,000 to 80,000. Efforts will be made to obtain 760,000 eggs during mid-November from the St. Marys River. This will require about 98 females and 98 males to be harvested. The eggs will incubate at Thompson State Fish Hatchery. The eyed eggs will be transferred to Wolf Lake where they will be hatched, marked and stocked in the spring of 2010.

Lake Huron Management Plan – Frank Krist:

Kurt provided an outline before leaving which is now in the review stage. This outline will be presented to the committee and this topic will remain on the agenda. A suggestion was made that the committee could review portions as they were completed rather than waiting for the entire document to be completed. With Kurt moving on, this process has slowed somewhat recently.

Update on the Brown Trout and Cisco Projects and Steelhead Pen Study – Jim Johnson:

Brown trout predator avoidance strategy Yearling brown trout stocking took place this fall after the cormorants have migrated, and while walleye metabolism is declining. The size of the stocked fish is managed so that most trout are too big for many of the predators to eat. This year they were stocked at 13”

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which was larger than requested; the goal size is 11”. The first year of stocking brown trout proceeded very well. The fish were healthy and had a good fat index.

Steelhead predator avoidance and Acclimation strategy Several programs have been implemented to increase survival of stocked steelhead. Some steelhead are stocked as smolting yearlings in late March, so they move out into deeper water quickly to avoid predators. The Thunder Bay River’s cormorant problems were solved in this way. Most steelhead smolt in April and May, however. Therefore, at other locations, such as the Au Sable and Au Gres rivers, cormorants are harassed at the stocking sites. In 2010, if logistics are worked out, pen acclimation will be tried to increase return to the creel of steelhead. Pen acclimation allows for a recovery from stocking stress and for better imprinting. The goal is to obtain enough data to compare direct plants versus pen acclimated plants.

Steelhead study sites under consideration for 2011 The number to be stocked below are preliminary until the logistics can be verified. The fish planted at Harrisville and Harbor Beach will be new plants. The experimental fish stocked at Oscoda will be from the existing plant. There will be a plant as described below in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 but the fish will not be marked with CWT until 2011- 2013. Harrisville/Mill Creek – 15,000 CWT raceway acclimated - 15,000 CWT direct stocking Oscoda/Van Etten– 20,000 CWT acclimated – 20,000 CWT direct plant Harbor Beach – 15,000 CWT acclimated – 15,000 CWT direct plant

In 2010 we will be testing the ability to hold smolting steelhead in pens and raceways, determining appropriate densities and numbers to hold, studying fish behavior in the raceways, and stocking the fish out. In 2011-2013 prescriptions will be written and fish will be tagged and stocked. Our goal is to increase steelhead survival, which is equivalent to increasing stockings without raising more fish.

Cisco Project Strategy to accelerate recovery in reintroducing broodstock where absent; provide alternative prey; improve size structure of prey (large bodied prey); and provide recreational fishing opportunity.

Progress - Spawning sites have been identified, appropriate incubation temperatures were identified, underwent successful OTC marking, and stocked 40,000 in the Thunder Bay. Next year we are looking to increase production to 80,000. Update: We were unable to obtain eggs in November and there will be no production for 2010. A report on the Cisco Project will be provided at the next meeting,

Fishery Reports from the Committee Advisors:

Judy Ogden – Port Sanilac and Lexington: April and May was adequate with some Chinook and lake trout present. Once they moved out fishing overall was poor with the exception of a few steelhead. There were more fish than in the past but fishing was very inconsistent. Angler effort on the whole was down.

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Ken Merckel – Harbor Beach: Walleye fishing was exceptional. Lake trout was also a phenomenal fishery, moving from the lighthouse to Grindstone and later they established on Mud Ground. Brown trout, steelhead and salmon were poor.

Terry Walsh – Saginaw Bay: Phenomenal walleye fishing! Fewer throw backs this year than in the past; the smaller fish just didn’t seem to be there. Business was down, but that was not due to fish not being present. Overall size of fish is improved, with averages being 16-21”. Anglers fished May thru June out of North Point Marina off the river mouth in Au Gres. They noted bigger fish were missing; fish in the 6-8 pound range. From Alabaster north, fish were averaging 5-8 pounds. Rarely did they catch a smaller fish. Tons of baitfish were present and the walleye were full of emerald shiners.

Tom Keerl – Harrisville: The walleye harvest was decent in the spring. However, angler effort seriously decreased all summer long. Seeing 6-7 boats in the harbor over a weekend was a lot. Steelhead and salmon are decent. The one charter remaining is marking fish out as far as 340’. Overall, steelhead, salmon, walleye and perch are fair.

Larry Desloover – Law Enforcement: Budget is an issue, two supervisors just retired and we’re saving money on wages. Law recently pulled a couple miles of illegal gill net. Please continue to report any unmarked nets.

Julie Shafto – Rogers City: Generally, effort was consistent, but not as high as before. Catch rate was low, but sizes were up. Anglers were catching a nice mixed bag however, containing Chinook, Coho, Atlantics, steelhead and brown trout. Biggest issue was poor weather; high wind and rain are not conducive to big water fishing. Fish were being marked; anglers simply could not get them to bite. Baitfish numbers were up. Taken as a whole lake trout, Chinook, steelhead and walleye were good.

Fred Sterns – Rockport: In late June there was a 2 week window where the catch for phenomenal. Walleye were hitting in 30-40 feet of water while the lake trout were out a little deeper.

Gene Kirvan – Oscoda: Lake trout were very consistent and steelhead were excellent. Chinook were averaging 15 pounds. Walleye were so abundant they were even hitting when anglers were targeting salmon. Forage (smelt and emerald shiners) was abundant in mass quantity.

Tom Hamilton – General Lake Michigan Charter fishing is down 30-40% however fish quality was better. The unstable fishery was weather based.

Gene Raymond – St. Mary’s River: Perch were biting in 30-42 feet of water along the north shore in the early a.m. hours. Once the sun came up, the fish were gone. Les Cheneaux, Middle Entrance and Hessel Bay provided nice walleye, while Lake Herring were present in McKay Bay. Northern pike of all sizes were biting from Middle Entrance to Hessel Bay.

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Lake Huron Updates – David Borgeson:

Harold Miller, Technician Supervisor out of Gaylord retired after 40 years. Due to budget constraints, a transfer of positions took place instead of normal hiring. Gaylord’s new Technician Supervisor is Gerald Casey, formally from Graying.

A creel effort on the Au Sable River below Mio was undertaken to get a handle on the fishery of larger trout as a follow up for proposed regulation review. A population survey was also completed in October. The last board is scheduled to be removed from Grayling Dam in mid-November.

The new Tower Klieber stream side Sturgeon rearing facility is up and running. Our goal to begin operation was surpassed this year, we produced 1,700 fish! A spring population estimate was also conducted on Mullett Lake. Low walleye numbers have prompted the Department to work with the Tribes to address this situation with minimal sport angler impact.

Discussion of Lake Trout Regulation Change in Northern Lake Huron Tribal Waters – Dave Borgeson:

Harvest limits are generated by the lake trout modeling effort, and measured in weight. The Treaty area (Alpena north) it is a shared fishery. The problem zone is MH-1, Rogers City to Drummond Island, with 9% of the total harvest allocated to the State recreational fishery. There has been a major increase in the size of the lake trout harvested since 2003. This increase in size has increased the total harvest weight. Therefore the State has reached its 9% harvest limit. If we go over that harvest limit, we will be penalized. The goal of a regulation change is a reduction of 30% in recreation harvest. Many options are available; however, the recommended management option would be a maximum size limit of 27” with the option to keep one fish over 32”. This proposed option received favorable comments and support.

Discussion of Upcoming Sea Grant Workshops – Brandon Schroeder:

Sea Grant Workshops provide an opportunity for us to take the most current fishery information and ideas to a broader audience. Originally, workshops were one-half of a day and hosted by an organization. Attendance was good but the amount of material that was covered was limited. The last few years the workshops have been full day events and the attendance has been moderate. The full day meetings provide an opportunity to present a thorough update on the status of the Lake and other related items. Brandon is looking for suggestions to increase participation, lower costs, and how to use these workshops to satisfy outreach needs. The meals, hall rentals, and advertizing contribute to the costs.

Suggestions: Combine the Sea Grant Workshops with other advertised events.

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The more workshops the better; perhaps segments could be recorded and posted online. Add hot topics, such as techniques to catch steelhead. Spread geographically throughout the state. Most clubs are willing to host workshops.

Brandon Schroeder will follow-up on a few leads presented as this meeting. The discussion will continue at the January meeting.

Status of Lake Trout in Lake Huron – Ji He:

Lake trout management is diverse and extensive including stocking, surveys, lamprey control and regulations. Lake trout provide a link between the mid waters and the bottom communities by feeding on the abundant goby. Lake trout follow the food and are generalist feeders. They feed from the surface to the bottom and travel from near shore to deep water and provide stability to the ecosystem. The trend since the 1990s is lake trout are living longer with ages up to at least 20 years, however, the spawning biomass in the southern units has decreased significantly. Fewer young fish are appearing in the surveys and growth has decreased. Before 2004, lake trout were fully vulnerable to survey nets by age 6 but currently the fish are not fully vulnerable until age 8 or 9 because of their slower growth. Prior to 2004, some age 4 and age 5 fish were large enough to be taken in survey nets. Stocking has remained stable for many years. Lamprey numbers have decreased significantly since 1998 because of lampricide treatments in the St Marys River.

Meeting Schedule:

January 27, 2010 April 7, 2010 June 23, 2010 October 20, 2010 All meeting are scheduled from 10: a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizen’s Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Dougherty Hotel – Clare, MI January 27, 2010

Attendees: Jim Baker, Ron Beyer, David Borgeson, Tom Cadwalader, Dave Caroffino, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Bud Donnelly, Linn Duling, Mike English, Dave Fielder, Tom Hamilton, Liz Hay- Chmielewski, Lindsey Henski, Steve Hewett, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Gene Kirvan, Frank Krist, Bill Leichtman, Shirley Martin, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Judy Ogden, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Terry Walsh, Forrest Williams, Kelley Smith, Ed Rosemen, Jeff Schaeffer

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the November 4, 2009 meeting were acknowledged and accepted as is.

Cisco and Atlantic Salmon, Thunder Bay Study, and Chinook Status – Jim Johnson:

Cisco Project Unfortunately, we missed the spawning run this year and were unable to obtain eggs, so we will not be rearing cisco this year. However, a review of historical data back to 1993 shows that herring spawn at about the same time every year despite water temperature. Two large trap-nets and one pound net are being built in preparation for next fall’s egg take.

Steelhead Projects The steelhead study proposal will be presented to the management team in March. Once approved, we will launch into the steelhead acclimation process. This spring we will be testing to see if we can acclimate steelhead in net pens prior to release in an attempt to increase return to the creel. This year will be a trial year to work out the kinks in the system. In 2011 we will have paired comparisons; half acclimated and half direct stock. After three years of paired stockings we will review the process, using coded wire tags and the creel survey program to help determine success.

Atlantic Salmon Fisheries Division currently has Atlantic salmon in Platte Hatchery. These fish were brought into the hatchery to determine the viability and difficulty of rearing them at the facility. We are evaluating potential stocking sites should the rearing be successful. Currently the East Branch of the Au Gres River is under consideration to receive these fish.

Fisheries Division is also looking into ways to increase the number of Atlantic salmon eggs available for culture in Michigan hatcheries. If sufficient eggs can be made available, DNRE intends to evaluate pen acclimation as a method for increasing stocking success, similar to the steelhead initiative. The target date for the first pen-acclimation lots of Atlantic salmon is 2014, but this could move faster if an egg source is obtained sooner.

Thunder Bay and Marquette Harbor Lake Trout Mortality Study This study will be conducted in 2010 and 2011 at Marquette Harbor and the Thunder Bay. During both spring (May-June) and summer (July-September), the commercial fishery will release 200 tagged fish as the control groups, and an additional 200 tagged fish will be released per season from the recreational fishery. The difference between the commercially tagged return and the recreational tagged return represents mortality from sport fishing. Our current estimate is 15%. However, it is believed that this number may be low.

We will be sending out a letter this Spring to solicit help to catch and tag fish. This will be a challenging study and additional help will be needed. Commercial fishing locations need to be near recreational fishing locations. Potentially, a map will be created for anglers identifying qualifying waters. A cooperators meeting will be held in April to work out the logistics.

Chinook Status Jim expressed thanks to Tracy Kolb who had the 2009 creel data entered and available by Christmas 2009. Frank Krist offered to distribute the 2009 creel census summary.

Following the Alewife crash in 2004, Chinook growth rates had been poor. Poor growth, along with evidence of significant natural reproduction occurring, prompted reduced stockings of 50% in 2006. Growth conditions are still not ideal, but things appear to be getting better. Natural recruitment of Chinook salmon continues. Hatchery marked salmon vs. wild salmon from across the basin indicate 80% to be of wild origin.

Chinook catch rates are near zero in the southern ports while the northern ports are reporting significant catches. Harvest rates indicate 20% are of hatchery origin pointing out wild fish are driving the equation. In review, alewives were a buffer for Chinook salmon providing a food source to predator fish. With the disappearance of alewives the food pyramid had changed with predator fish now consuming stocked salmon.

Summary Growth is recovering, Chinook recruitment to the fishery is still low, Alewife abundance acted as a buffer, Collapse of alewife caused predators to switch prey, Recovery of walleye exacerbated the situation, 80% of Chinook in Lake Huron are of wild origin, Return to creel of stocked Chinook is less than 0.5%.

Saginaw Bay Walleye Update – Dave Fielder: Walleye abundance in Saginaw Bay is increasing with strong alternating year classes. As abundance increases growth rates continue to slow. Saginaw Bay’s growth rate is currently at statewide averages; we are watching for continued decline.

Creel data indicates recreational fishing pressure in Saginaw Bay is declining. It is presumed that the decline in yellow perch is the primary factor in determining angler pressure. Perch have been having large year classes of small fish produced, but these are not translating well into the fishable population. It is assumed that walleye predation may be the limiting factor. A slight positive trend in perch numbers may offer some hope, but it is too early to tell. The absence of a substantial predation buffer for perch could continue to limit this population.

St. Mary’s River Joint Creel Survey – Dave Fielder: Survey data from 1938 through 2007 indicate the St. Marys River to be a stable fishery. However, a complete survey of the St. Marys River has not been conducted since 1999. In 2010 a joint creel survey

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between Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, federal, tribal and other interested agencies is planned. This is a very sizable undertaking; however, a complete survey is needed to make sound management decisions.

The St. Marys River will be divided into seven sites. Creel clerks will conduct interviews, collect biological data, and conduct pressure counts. Aerial flights will also be conducted during this survey.

STATUS: Funding is currently $16,000 short to cover flights on the northern side. Neal Godby, Northern Lake Huron Management Unit, DNRE is pursuing contribution commitments from additional funding sources. If additional contributions can not be located, we might have to postpone this survey until next year.

Spring Sea Grant Workshops – Brandon Schroeder: Discussion centered on format, structure and content. It was also decided that the LHCFAC should be used as a peer review of the presentations to be given at Sea Grant Workshops.

Consensus was reached that the meetings should have a shorter evening format. The content should be area specific, centered on local interest and needs. And last, in order to make this worth the effort, the information needs to get broad distribution to the masses, either via the media, social networking sites or the internet.

Fisheries Division Updates – Kelley Smith:

Asian Carp A temporary injunction was requested and the court ruled against us. We have not dropped the issue; the Governor has requested a summit. The second part of our law suit is still moving forward.

Merger of DEQ and DNR to form DNRE Organizational restructuring was completed first. Some positions were filled while others will need to be interviewed for. Once that process is complete then the rest of the merger will follow. There will be a lot of changes coming, including a possible reduction in work force in potentially 6-8 weeks. Bumping effects may affect some Divisions. If employees do not retire, they may end up bumping down levels.

Budget The legislature cut Department authorization by 3 million dollars. Fisheries put together a plan to work within that limitation. Two million dollars are covered by vacant positions, Coho salmon reductions will be permanent for a while, reductions in internal operations have been put in place, and university contracts have been reduced.

Lake Huron Technical Committee Meeting Discussed pulsed lake trout stocking proposal. The general agreement is that it should go forward. Steve Hewitt will pursue with the Lake Committee; but with MH2 including tribal waters we may have to apply pulse stocking to MH3 waters and south if approved.

Special Thanks Thanks to Frank Krist for heading up the Inland Waterways Advisory Group. It will be a tremendous help to structure and organize the input we are receiving from the group formed to address issues in the Cheboygan River watershed. This group formed as a result of the recent population estimate obtained for Mullett Lake walleye which indicated very low numbers of walleye. The plan is for this group to address many more issues as needed.

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Walleye Program Fisheries Division is still being protective for the potential spread of VHS. We are trying to protect as much of our watersheds as possible. More definitive answers are needed on the viability of disinfecting eggs.

Cormorant Management – Steve Hewitt Cormorant plan is up for EA renewal. We have provided a whitepaper to Wildlife Services and they have moved forward and issued a draft EA for us to look at. We are hoping there is an option to increase take of cormorants, or potentially removing that limitation entirely. We will share the draft with the committee before resubmitting our comments. Currently, the dollars are not in the budget to increase control efforts.

Lake Huron’s Forage Surveys and Predator Diet Studies – Ed Roseman & Jeff Schaeffer, USGS:

Forage Surveys The USGS has completed their annual bottom trawl and acoustic assessment of the Lake Huron prey fish community. The assessments objective was abundance and distribution, age and growth, recruitment and lake wide density.

Acoustic surveys are done at night for pelagic fish. Acoustics works much like a fish finder. We coupled the acoustic survey with midwater trawl sampling and had a very successful year in 2009.

Bottom trawl surveys are completed during the day. The fall 2009 survey was conducted October 18 through November 4. All ports were sampled with overall alewife abundance and biomass remaining low, as it was for most forage species.

The data were not completely compiled but the information will be ready to present at the Michigan Sea Grant Spring Workshops. Generally the forage base in 2009 remained at low levels with a significant hatch of smelt north of Alpena and modest increase in adult bloater chubs.

Lake Huron Predator Diet Study 2,122 stomachs were sampled, including lake trout, walleye, Chinook salmon, steelhead, Atlantic salmon, Coho salmon and a limited numbers of other species. Stomachs were collected from volunteer anglers, fishing tournaments, creel clerks and high traffic cleaning stations. In the laboratory, all prey were identified, counted, measured and weighed.

Summary Lake trout – goby and juvenile salmonids, Chinook salmon – smelt, bythotrephes and sticklebacks, Walleye – mayflies, emerald shiners and goby, Steelhead – invertebrates (ants, beetles, dipterans, homopterans, emphemeroptera), Atlantic salmon – mayflies and sticklebacks (very diverse diet), Coho salmon – invertebrates and smelt.

A more detailed analysis of the study will be forthcoming.

Michigan Sea Grant is funding the Lake Huron Predator Diet Study again in 2010! In 2011 we hope to expand the study to include both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

Improving the Committee – Frank Krist: The committee discussed location venues. It was recommended that future meetings be held at the RAM Center to help support the DNRE.

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Terms of Reference – Frank Krist: Chair –wording change to indicate that the Chair will be elected by a majority of the Members Chief –wording change to indicate that Chair of the Advisory Committee and the Chief of the Fisheries Division will appoint the Members. The committee accepted the wording changes and approved the Terms of Reference.

Meeting was adjourned at 2:54 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Minutes Lake Huron Citizen’s Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI April 7, 2010

Attendees: Jim Baker, David Borgeson, Jim Bredin, Dave Caroffino, Linn Duling, Dave Fielder, Tom Hamilton, Liz Hay-Chmielewski, Lindsey Henski, Steve Hewett, Jim Johnson, Tracy Kolb, Frank Krist, Craig Milkowski, Ken Merckel, Tammy Newcomb, William Olar, Ron Ramsey, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Jody Simoes, Kelley Smith, Fred Sterns, Forrest Williams

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

Methods and Questions at the Sea Grant Workshops Part I – Brandon Schroeder:

Discussed various methods of inducing feedback from workshop participants. A sample survey was provided. Printed surveys can ask very specific questions and provide specific feedback; however, they lack the opportunity for anglers to provide opinion statements.

Main Basin Recreational Fish Harvest and Status – Jim Johnson:

Shared a PowerPoint presentation 2009 Creel Statistics – Lake Huron’s Main Basin. Expressed special thanks to Tracy Kolb for having the 2009 data already available!

Harvest composition, angler fishing hours and angler behavior over the past few years were shown and discussed. Trends for yellow perch and Chinook salmon indicate declining harvest rates which follow the pray biomass decline. However, harvest rates for lake trout and walleye are increasing. Indicating that angler preferences and behaviors change as species availability changes.

Review for Sea Grant Workshop • To showcase the magnitude of the Chinook salmon decline, perhaps data back to the 1990’s should be included. • Consider including catch rate data rather than harvest data. That might help explain how ‘good’ the fishing was independent of the effort. • This presentation does not take into account different variables like gas price, water temp, wind, etc.  Response – Creel data is just one piece of the pie. Visit http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/chartercreel to query different variables including weather. • It might be worthwhile to explain the graphs and how to read them. Some participants may not be as familiar with presentations, graphs, charts, etc.

Saginaw Bay Recreational Fish Harvest and Status – Dave Fielder:

Shared a PowerPoint presentation Food Web Changes in Lake Huron and the Effects on the Fisheries - History and Biology of Walleye in Saginaw Bay. Disclaimer: The data used to calculate walleye harvest was from the open water period only.

Significant increases in the walleye population began in 2003. Review of the data indicates it takes a few years for angler catch rates to catch up with the fishery. Strong year classes seem to alternate which is potentially better for sustainability. The strongest year class in history was 2007!

Yellow perch catch rates exploded when alewife’s disappeared. However, yearling and adult levels are very low, if not nonexistent. Which indicates it is likely we are losing these perch to predation. Surveys indicate growth rates have increased, which is expected since abundance has gone down.

Overall, fishing effort in Saginaw Bay is declining. Potential explanations could be: 1) Angler trip length has declined as walleye abundance has increased. 2) Angler interest has declined since perch numbers have declined.

Review for Sea Grant Workshop • Considering the absence of ice fishery and river fishery data; how will that effect your trend assumptions?  Response – That data has been plugged in and the trends remain stable. However, extrapolations have to be made to fill in gaps in ice and river data, which are hard to show and explain. • Survey points should be shown. Types of gear and restrictions, locations trawled, etc. • Because of Saginaw Bay walleye production, have river mouths near ports been affected?  Response – Tag return has been a good indicator of walleye movement, showing considerable movement, including areas outside the bay. • May want to include marina operators in surveys. Maybe even municipal water intake. • Be careful using of research terms (cpue) that fishermen at the workshops may not understand. Maybe type axis titles in lay terms (angler catch per hour). • Watch excitement levels. Don’t respond to angler comments as ‘well we are not seeing that’. Thank them for their input; suggest staying in touch and monitoring the situation.

Trends in Chinook Salmon Fishery – Jim Johnson:

Shared a PowerPoint presentation Chinook Salmon Reproduction and Contributions from Stocking in Lake Huron. We can track reproduction by looking for different markings. Hatchery origin fish have oxytetracycline or fin clips. Wild fish lack all hatchery indicators. Most of the Chinook harvested are wild. Catch lake wide, of year class 2006 and later were 87% of wild origin. Where is this wild reproduction coming from? New technology testing otoliths can detect wild or hatchery origin, and place the exact water the fish was reared in. Initial testing indicated 3% of the sample are of Michigan origin, 7% are from the North Channel, 72% come from Georgian Bay, 14% come from the Ontario main basin, with the remaining 7% being of hatchery origin.

Hatchery Chinook – where are they? Original stocking goals were to maintain a fall fishery. The southern ports have less of a success rate, not gaining much of a fall fishery at all. Diagnosis – ecosystem differences. Prey bases have become very top heavy with a lot or predators. These predators are feeding on our stockings. Common predator species present near stocking sites include walleye, lake trout, rainbow trout and northern pike. Lake trout and walleye in particular feed on YOY Chinook.

Review for Sea Grant Workshop • Maybe provide further information on the Otoliths Study. That it is looking at a ratio of elements that are reveled through mass spectrometry. That is it very expensive, yet very beneficial. • Bring the presentation together somehow. Starts out talking Chinook, which implies if we moved the Chinook stockings away from walleye, perhaps the fishery would come back. That is the wrong message; the Chinook fishery is not coming back! • Perhaps you could carefully bring up cormorants. • Perhaps having a specific cormorant presentation to get that topic out of the way at certain venues is the way to go. Telling anglers that certain islands are under Federal Fish and Wildlife control and the state can not do any cormorant control on those islands is the best way.

The minutes from the January 27, 2010 meeting were acknowledged and accepted as is.

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Online Creel Data – Tracy Kolb: Check out the webpage: http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/chartercreel There is a vast amount of data that can be queried. If you have any trouble don’t hesitate to contact Tracy directly: [email protected].

Fisheries Division Updates

DNRE Transition Organization Chart – Kelley Smith: The latest version is posted on the web; the revision date is April 1, 2010. Different Citizens Advisory Councils are beginning to be discussed. These councils will expand to include previous DEQ issues.

Great Lakes Management Article – Tammy Newcomb: There has been a flurry of correspondence and news articles expressing concern over the potential for significant increases of Federal control exerted over management of the Great Lakes. Frank Krist referenced an article stating the states only managed the Great Lakes 3 miles out. Tammy clarified that this stipulation is designed to apply to oceans. There seems to be some confusion, however, generated when issues concerning both Great Lakes and the oceans are being dealt with simultaneously, and the applicability of differing jurisdictions. There are processes ongoing to clarify a report Bush enacted in 2004. At the moment, we need to stay vigilant and carefully watch these processes. However, all of this is happening at the Governors’ level.

Southern Lake Huron Ecosystem – Steve Hewett: The Southern Lake Huron ecosystem has lower levels of production than Lake Superior; however, there has been some recent indications of increasing bottom dwelling prey fish. The Great Lakes Commission has committed to a whole lake treatment (lamprey) of the entire St. Marys River system including some tributaries along the northern shore. This effort will begin this year and continue into 2011. Remember, response is delayed two years!

Rock Ramp Fishway – Jim Baker: A new fishway was installed at Chesaning on the Shiawassee River this past August. To date, only suckers and walleye have been picked up above the fishway. Nevertheless, this implies success since the old dam completely stopped fish passage. This type of structure is very dependant on river runoff. We will be watching and monitoring the structure this year and beyond to see if fish will use these rock ramps.

Northern Lake Huron Activities – Dave Borgeson: We are monitoring flow changes on the Au Sable River at Foote Dam. Consumers Energy put in a new measuring system that is managing the flow regime better than in the past.

The Pigeon River, Golden Lotus law suit has been settled. An interim court order has been agreed to that orders Golden Lotus to remove the dam and pay $150,000 in restitution.

Law Enforcement Division, Commercial Fisheries – Craig Milkowski: Two of four patrol boats are geared up and in the water. The budget looks good for the year, there are currently no restrictions. Commercial Fisheries was investigating reports of a subsistence tribal fisherman selling fish. These cases can be very hard to prove and after survailing him last year law got nothing. Another tribal fisherman who had previously lost his license just got it back and he will be netting off Nine Mile Point.

Regulations Changes – Dave Caroffino: Last year’s lake trout harvest (in pounds) in MH-1 (Northern Lake Huron) was over the allotted limit which resulted in the need for the state to alter regulations to try to reduce lake trout harvest. That is why you’ll notice changes in our lake trout regulations in MH-1 (Rogers City to Detour), with a 27 inch maximum size limit and 1 fish harvest over 32 inches. We will monitor the new regulation for a year or two before suggesting any new modifications.

Public Input on Fishery Issues of the Great Lakes – Jody Simoes: A research survey measuring the human dimensions of the Michigan recreational angler was created and results are being tallied. The USFWS conducts similar national surveys every 5 years; however, they do not cover individual

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states or Michigan very well. Some benefits of the Michigan Recreational Angler Survey include expense, geographic reach, potential respondent pool, question base, and random sampling.

Historically, Michigan has used Creel surveys and off-site mail surveys. Creel surveys are a good source for site specific information and catch and harvest measurements (by direct observation). However, on site creel can be very costly, it only covers one waterbody, and typically must be very short to maintain the anglers interest. Off site surveys in Michigan were discontinued in 1984. The Michigan Recreational Angler Survey is the first mail survey since than. This survey selected a random sampling from the RSS License Database and asks questions regarding an angler’s last 12 months of activity, their last month’s activity, and demographic data. Currently, we are receiving a 49% response rate.

Questions / Responses Recruitment – Fished with family (60%) Frequency – Over 6 trips (57%) Waterbodies – Angler owned their own boat (62%) Education – Beyond high school License Type – All species license Age – Average angler is 50 years old Household Composition, etc.

We have the ability to extrapolate Great Lakes angler fishing behavior: they are more likely to own their own boat, keep their catch, fish with friends, be employed full-time, hold a bachelors degree, and hold an all species fishing license. Angler profiles / subgroups (frequency, fishing techniques, preferred species, social groups, tournament participants) can be generated from this type of survey. Different management applications include a standardized inventory used to gain a better understanding of trends.

A new survey ‘Great Lakes Attitude and Preference Survey’ has yet to be created, but would be built upon the Michigan Recreational Angler Survey. We are working with managers on a question base, determining if the information will be manageable. This survey would measure angler awareness of stockings, access, dams, regulations, preferred species, invasive species control and fish disease. The next step for this survey is to organize focus groups (random survey sampling from RSS, public meetings) and create an open internet survey.

Status of the Newly Planted Brown Trout – Jim Baker: A handout will be available at the Sea Grant Workshop explaining how we hope to evaluation our success or failure of planting yearlings. In order to avoid a false sense of success, we would have to set our standard higher than legal size. The goal of this project was to plant trout too large for predation. We are hoping for a 5% return (4,000 fish of 80,000 planted). All future stockings would need to meet certain performance factors.

Les Cheneaux & St. Marys River Recreation Fish Harvest and Status–Dave Fielder: Wildlife Services will be present at the Sea Grant Workshop to discuss their efforts.

Netting and creel surveys were conducted to gather catch rate data. Yellow perch has been the principle recreational fishery in the St. Marys River watershed. In 2000 there was a genuine collapse of the perch fishery. In 2004 cormorant control efforts began. The recent goal is to reduce the breeding population to 500 nests; we have been having a hard time reaching this goal. Wildlife Services will be increasing there effort in an attempt to help reach that goal. Surveys are indicating that as cormorant numbers go down, perch numbers improve. Hessel Bay had a near zero harvest rate before cormorant control. Since control measures began the numbers have significantly climbed. Mortality rate have decreased from 89% to 40-50%.

Test Hypotheses for perch population in the presence of cormorant control: Indicators all point to a perch population response to the control of cormorants. Decline in mortality rate – Yes Increase in sport fishery catch rate – Yes Increase survey net catch rate – Yes

Methods and Questions at the Sea Grant Workshops Part II – Brandon Schroeder:

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Discussion continued on the best methods to collect feedback from the workshop. Suggestions included written surveys with close end questions and open ended questionnaires soliciting angler input and feedback. Benefits and drawbacks to each method were discussed.

Next Meeting Date is June 23rd at the RAM Center in Roscommon.

Meeting was adjourned at 2:50 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Attendees: Jim Baker, Ron Beyer, David Borgeson, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Bud Donnelly, Linn Duling, Tom Hamilton, Liz Hay-Chmielewski, Lindsey Henski, Steve Hewett, Jim Hinkle, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Gene Kirvan, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Bill Leichtman, Terry Lyons, Dustin MacLeod, Eric Mammorser, Shirley Martin, Craig Milkowski, Ken Merckel, Tammy Newcomb, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, Bill Olar, Keith Olar, Andy Pelt, Chuck Pistis, Ron Ramsey, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Kelley Smith, Terry Walsh, Gary Whelan

Frank Krist called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the April 7, 2010 meeting were acknowledged with one addition. The new fish way is located in Chesaning. With that addition, the minutes were accepted.

Discussion of the public input from the five Sea Grant Workshops – Brandon Schroeder:

A handout titled ‘Participant Input obtained at the Five 2010 Lake Huron Spring Michigan Sea Grant Workshops Using TurningPoint Software’ was provided. Overall feedback indicated the participants appreciated the content and modified format, including shorter workshops, free participation, varied locations and new technologies. The ‘clicker based’ survey provided a lot of additional feedback that was previously unavailable and is summarized in the above handout.

Fisheries Division Updates:

Budget Update – Andy Pelt: Watch for continued retirements and potential layoffs; the Department is broke. Next year a modest license fee increase of $5 will be introduced; please support this initiative. Also, if you are not aware, the NRC no longer appoints the Director of the Department. That role has been given to the Governor. With the upcoming primaries, ask for the power to appoint the Director be restored to the NRC.

General Division Updates – Kelley Smith: The recent oil and gas sales monies go into the Natural Resources Trust Fund. The trust fund will hit its cap this year. Once that happens, excess monies will go to the Park Endowment Fund. However, monies made on leased land purchased with Game and Fish monies come back into the Game and Fish Trust Fund. Nevertheless, this money does not go into the Divisions operation budget. To tap into this money for operations, a legislative amendment would be needed. There is a second oil and gas sale scheduled for this fall with the potential to bring in big dollars; however, those monies will not directly benefit Fisheries, Wildlife or Law Enforcement.

There was uncertainty in the lake trout model predictions for MH1 (from Rogers City to Drummond Island) so the State negotiated with the tribes and limits were established for two years with the tribe’s allowable catch at 225,000 pounds and State’s allowable catch at 25,000 pounds.

The legislature modified daily possession limits to include three days possession limits; however, two days limits must be processed.

Division Funding in Fiscal Year 2011 – Tammy Newcomb: The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI ) made 475 million dollars available to the Great Lake states. This initiative was led by the EPA looking at invasive species and funding of remedial action plans for Areas of Concern . The Michigan Great Lakes Plan, available at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/MI-GLPlan_262388_7.pdf was prepared by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Office of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Michigan Great Lakes Plan provided a strategy for Michigan obtaining grants through multiple agencies and as a result, 99 Michigan based projects were selected totaling 75 million dollars in GLRI funding. The following link provides a list of funded projects for Fiscal Year 2010, http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135- 3313_3677_51091_56118-236813--,00.html. The GLRI is expected to be a 5 year program that requires annual budget approval. For Fiscal Year 2011, 300 million dollars are projected to be available.

Southern Lake Huron – Jim Baker: This time of year is walleye rearing pond harvesting season. Two of the Unit’s seven ponds are operational. All of the lakes on the priority list have been stocked. A list of these priority lakes will be provided at the next Lake Huron Citizen’s Fisheries Advisory Committee Meeting.

Northern Lake Huron – David Borgeson: Northern Lake Huron’s priority lakes have also received walleye stockings. Black Lake was stocked with walleye in 2010. Dave expressed thanks to the groups that participated in the Steelhead Net Pen Projects. Mortality rates were low, there was a lot of community support and the results look promising.

Feasibility of Increasing Trout & Salmon Size Limits in Lake Huron – Steve Hewett:

Recent plantings of legal size brown trout have caused some worries. Question – Why can’t the minimum size limit be raised to 15 inches? Complication – Lake Huron would have the only non-uniform Great Lakes regulation.

The Basin Coordinator teams are currently unwilling to raise the minimum size throughout the Great Lakes to 15 inches and a uniform regulation is preferred. Our second option is better public education and coordination with local anglers groups before stocking. Fisheries Division is currently not recommending a change to the minimum size limit for trout and salmon in the Great Lakes.

Progress Report on Atlantic Salmon Rearing – Gary Whalen:

Platte River Hatchery reared 38,000 Atlantic salmon eggs along with receiving 19,000 fall fingerlings from Lake Superior State University (LSSU).

The fall fingerlings from LSSU went straight into the raceway, and started on silver cup (low phosphorus) without any complication. Overall growth and conditions were good, with the only issue being fin erosion. This was due to the quantity reared in the raceways. Health perspective looks good, and these fish were stocked at Whitney Drain (AuGres River) in Central Lake Huron.

The 38,000 reared Atlantic salmon eggs received the standard treatments. There was some loss due to overcrowding, but size and condition were average. Unfortunately, all of these fish have blackened tails which is typically a sign of whirling disease. Symptomatic fish were submitted for testing with no parasites found. Later in the rearing cycle, more fish were submitted for testing which did find parasites positive for whirling disease. A potential contaminate is the open water source used at Platte River. Regrettably, this entire stock will be destroyed.

In conclusion, we can rear fall fingerlings, but cannot guarantee a consistent size due to the water temperature of the open water source. Our next steps are, 1) can we rear to a consistent size from stocks received from LSSU, 2) can we successfully rear from eyed eggs from LSSU, 3) determine other risks and 4) consider management measures.

At the October meeting, Gary will illustrate the movement of fish through a hatchery and provide a comparison of number vs. species reared.

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Lake Trout Mortality Study – Eric Mammorser:

The lake trout mortality study is designed to assess the effect on survival of hooking and releasing fish. A control group of trout is being tagged with the use of trap nets, with another group of trout being tagged by anglers. Currently, the control group is tagged but more trout need to be tagged by angler groups.

Currently, we have seen some unexpected outcomes and movement patterns. Of the 18 tag returns, 14 returns came within the study site of North Point to Three Mile Park (3-miles north of Oscoda) within two weeks of their release. Four returns were north of the study area, (Rogers City, Drummond Island, east of St. Ignace). Number of wild fish caught to be tagged was also unexpected; 68% of fish under 22 inches are wild. A secondary opportunity of this 5 year study is tracking fish movement.

Next Meeting Date: October 20, 2010

Adjourned at 3:02 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Minutes

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Attendees: Jim Baker, Ron Beyer, David Borgeson, Jim DeClerck, Bud Donnelly, Linn Duling, Dennis Eade, Tom Hamilton, Liz Hay-Chmielewski, Tom Goniea, Lindsey Henski, Mick Higgins, Tom Keerl, Gene Kirvan, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Ken Merckel, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, Bill Olar, Ron Ramsey, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Dave Rochefort, Jeff Schaeffer, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Kelley Smith, Fred Sterns, Dick Swan, Bob Wagner, Terry Walsh, Paul Wendler, Gary Whelan

Frank Krist called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the June 23, 2010 meeting were acknowledged and approved as is.

Introduction to the new Lake Huron Regional Director – Bob Wagner:

Organizationally, the Regional Directors report to the Director. There are currently three Regional Directors: Stacy Welling, Upper Peninsula Regional Director; Rebecca Patrick, Lake Michigan Regional Director; and Bob Wagner, Lake Huron Regional Director. A fourth position, Lake Erie Regional Director will be filled in the future. The role of this position is to act as a liaison between stakeholders and the Department.

There will be two Lake Huron Citizen Advisory Councils. The councils will provide input and suggestions on all Department issues. The application process is ongoing; the Department will be accepting applications through October 25, 2010. With the first organizational meeting scheduled for Saturday, December 11, 2010 at the RAM Center in Roscommon.

The Citizen Advisory Councils will not be replacing any existing advisory committees or councils the Department has. They will be self-governed and meet every other month. Their role will be to discuss and review current issues and provide recommendations to the Department and disseminate that information back to their constituent groups.

Atlantic Salmon Program & Potential Directions That May be Taken with Other Species – Gary Whalen:

Platte River State Fish Hatchery is currently running two Atlantic salmon experiments: rearing fall fingerlings from LSSU to yearlings, and rearing eggs to yearlings. Rearing eggs will not be possible at Platte due to parasite and mortality issues. Rearing fingerlings in 2009 was successful yielding 12,700 yearlings. Fingerlings reared in 2010 will be stocked in Lake Huron tributaries.

Fish Health Evaluations Platte River State Fish Hatchery uses open water sources; Brundage Spring, Brundage Creek and Stanley Creek. Whirling disease is a risk with young of the year Atlantic salmon testing positive. Yearlings were not affected and it was suspected that since they were ossified the parasites were unable to penetrate them. Tests have been run on the water sources for the past ten years; spores have been found, but we have not been able to determine the disease.

Preliminary Conclusions The Platte River State Fish Hatchery can rear Atlantic salmon from fingerlings to yearlings. Rearing eyed eggs from LSSU is unfeasible due to disease issues at this time. An inflow water treatment system would need to be installed at an initial setup cost of $1.2M to address disease issues from open water sources.

Rearing Issues Obtaining sufficient numbers of eggs for production scale stocking would require 250 adult Atlantic salmon from the St. Marys River. Rearing 375,000 eggs with a 40% survival rate would yield 120,000 yearlings and require four raceways. Additional concerns include effluent requirements and disease issues at Platte River State Fish Hatchery.

Rearing Options Thompson State Fish Hatchery – This is the best option. Thompson has a successful history in rearing Atlantic salmon. It would require sacrificing another species at a 2:1 ratio since Atlantic salmon require approximately twice as much space.

Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery – Unsuccessful history rearing Atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon require a 2:1 ratio and with the facility at rearing capacity that would be a significant sacrifice. Wolf Lake is currently doing experimental cisco rearing along with steelhead production. We cannot meet current demands for steelhead; therefore, Wolf Lake is not an option for Atlantic salmon since steelhead numbers cannot be reduced.

Marquette and Oden State Fish Hatcheries – Both maintain a very expensive captive broodstock that cannot be jeopardized by bring wild eggs into the hatcheries.

Harrietta State Fish Hatchery – Is a Great Lakes eggs free facility.

Questions and Answer Q – Some private facilities have expressed an interest in assisting with rearing. Can the DNRE investigate that option? A – That is a huge financial undertaking that most private facilities don’t realize. They would have to meet higher standards and testing requirements. Average cost is over a dollar per fish. And we would still have health issues with open water sources.

Q – To rear Atlantic salmon, we would need to reduce steelhead or brown trout rearing. Could we reduce brown trout since success seems limited? A – We are still mid-experiment with brown trout that will extend through 2012. The state has invested considerable time and resources and should complete this study.

Issue Statement – Building a Back-up Steelhead Broodstock – Todd Kalish:

A Statewide Issue Statement dated October 2010 was provided. There are three reasons why this issue statement is going before the committee. 1. The DNRE is gathering additional insight for stakeholder groups. 2. Reviewing this issue statement provides an opportunity for the committee to learn about Fisheries internal decision making process. 3. Sharing with the committee the myriad of factors the DNRE considers when making suggestions/changes.

Background Steelhead eggs are collected in the spring at the Little Manistee weir. In the spring of 2009 there was a major electrical failure that jeopardized egg collection. Therefore, Fisheries wrote a prescription to stock the Platte River with steelhead, so a backup egg source would be available. Fisheries took the prescription, which would require a reallocation of 20,000 stocked steelhead, to the Management Team. The Management Team was receptive but asked Fisheries to gather input for stakeholders.

Review The Issue Statement provides a framework for review and recommendation. It answers the why, what, where, when and how.

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Five Recommendation Options were discussed. 1. Equitable reallocation from all the Fisheries Division basins in the state. 2. Inequitably reallocate from all the basins in the state, with a heavy emphasis on the Lake Michigan Basin. 3. Allocate all of the steelhead yearlings from the Lake Michigan Basin. 4. Allocate all of the steelhead yearlings from the Central Lake Michigan Management Unit. 5. Other reallocation recommendations.

Discussion / Decision A back-up egg source will be hugely beneficial. It will prevent the loss of an entire year class due to weir failure. Committee Role Call Vote – Committee agrees on Option 2.

USGS Annual Acoustic Survey Summary – Jeff Schaeffer:

All three basins of Lake Huron were sampled: 27 days on the boat! Surprised to see a large density of age 0 smelt and age 1 smelt present throughout all three basins. From field observation, it is anticipated to see increased density and biomass. Zooplankton samples in the main basin indicated that population has increased significantly.

The Predator Diet Study is continuing. Projections look like we will surpass the number of stomachs tested in 2010. There is talk of continuing for a third year.

Bottom trawl surveys start tomorrow (October 21, 2010).

Fishing Report Updates – All Committee Members:

Jack Noble, Harbor Beach: Fishing 7-8 miles off Harbor Beach has been good for all species except salmon. Lake trout and steelhead are prevalent with walleye increasing this year also. All in all, the fishery has not disappointed.

Ken Merckel, Grindstone: Lake trout and walleye were phenomenal, while whitefish catches in June, July and August were just as good. In August and September steelhead and brown trout showed up. Post Austin tore down their fish cleaning station and are discouraging anglers.

Judy Ogden, Port Sanilac: Angler effort is extremely low; in a 10 square mile area you may encounter 3 to 5 boats. , Spring fishing was poor with few Chinook caught. There was an increase in June and July due to steelhead harvests with some limit catches. July was a mixed bag of lake trout, steelhead, Coho salmon and walleye. Perch were sporadic; however, dedicated anglers caught good numbers.

Julie Shafto, Rogers City: The weather was great for June, July and August providing lots of bait and smelt. A mixed bag of Chinook, Coho, Pink and Atlantic salmon, catfish, lake trout, brown trout and walleye were harvested. There were two tournaments held with very different weather; the results were great for both! Fishing shallow water, 40-80 feet while fishing top of the water column was very productive. For anglers that adapt to the current system, the fishing has been great!

Terry Walsh, Saginaw Bay: May and June were business as usual with excellent walleye catches. However, July warmed up and the fishery shut down. Trolling marked schools, but nothing hit. Bait fish numbers were phenomenal but not the catch! Fishing picked up again off the islands. Perch were excellent mid-August through October, with average catches measuring 8-13 inches.

Ed Rutherford, Alpena: He caught 40 to 50 Atlantic salmon off of Presque Isle. During May and June fishing for walleye in Thunder Bay was excellent. In July, fishing off the islands near the reefs was productive for lake trout. Many steelhead were caught. Brown trout from the stocking last fall were being taken.

Bill Olar, Shore Fisherman: Through the middle of June fishing off the docks was phenomenal for walleye with limit catches possible in less than an hour.

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Ron Ramsey, Cheboygan: Fishing was fair with a mix of nearly equal numbers of Chinook and lake trout.

Tom Hamilton, White Lake (Lake Michigan): Enjoy attending these meetings and comparing the two water systems. Success this year seems to have reversed with tougher catches in the Lake Michigan Watershed. Perch fishing in southern Lake Michigan didn’t materialize this year. While walleye fishing didn’t take hold until August. The rivers are low and clear with extremely sporadic salmon runs.

Jerry Lawrence, Saginaw Bay: Fishing for walleye in the Bay during June was good until the water warmed. Followed the fish to Port Austin, Port Hope and Harbor Beach where normally fishing increases for walleye later in the season; however, this year many fish must of moved north since fishing was down. The fishing was better in the Thumb than the Bay later in the season. Harbor Beach is coming to life.

Gene Kirvan, Oscoda/Harrisville: Lake trout fishing was good, while steelhead, Pink salmon and walleye were phenomenal. A tournament of 27 boats harvested 1,400 pounds of fish in two days. Chinook were not common.

Mick Higgins, Oscoda/Harrisville: Trout and salmon anglers became walleye anglers this summer! Chinook salmon were very slow, but those harvested were big and healthy. Overall, the fishing was good. Unfortunately, the creel may not reflect that since angler pressure was so low.

Ron Beyer, Harrisville: In the spring there were good number of Pink salmon and steelhead. By the end of August things slowed down and lake trout and steelhead were not hitting as well. Many fish were caught in the upper and mid waters and more information may need to be disseminated about the available species and the different fishing methods. Many anglers have not changed and are using the old techniques.

Fisheries Division Management Updates:

Kelley Smith The Division is in the process of revising the Fisheries Orders for Inland Trout/Salmon and Great Lakes Trout/Salmon. We have also released our Asian Carp Management Plan, available at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/AsianCarpManagementPlan_334348_7.pdf. The early out retirement is forthcoming with the first group leaving November 1 and the second December 31. Backfilling positions is speculated to be at a 2:1 ratio.

Jim Baker A summary of 2010 walleye plantings from the two Auburn Ponds was distributed. Southern Lake Huron Management Unit shocked the Chesaning fishway to determine what species were present. A few walleye were present above the raceway, while smallmouth bass were everywhere.

Dave Borgeson Thanks to a cooperative effort between the state and the tribes, we were able to stock Black Lake and Mullett Lake. We also worked with the tribes to survey Crooked Lake and Pickerel Lake. The Sturgeon River brown trout strain is online and being stocked in the Manistee and Au Sable Rivers. MH-1 management zone located from Rogers City to Drummond Island is expected to stay within the sport lake trout quota. The newly implemented lake trout regulation appears to be successful.

Gary Whalen The Chinook egg take at the Little Manistee weir was the second lowest in history. Other egg takes including Coho, brown trout, lake trout and brook trout are taking place. Coho appear to be on target.

Proposed adjustments to the Commercial Fishing Rules in the Alpena to Harrisville Area – Dave Borgeson:

State licensed commercial fishing regulations in Northern Lake Huron were discussed and illustrated in a PowerPoint presentation. Before 2001 (pre consent decree) there was one commercial fishing license in Rogers City and one in Alpena. After the consent decree, the Rogers City licensed nets were moved out of consent decree waters with both

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state licensed operations are operating from Alpena with fishing occurring from Alpena to Greenbush. The two commercial licenses are allowed 10 trap nets for each operation.

Zones, dates, locations and number of nets were discussed. Increasing the commercial depth restrictions in 2009 opened much more water to commercial nets also increasing the spacing between nets. Proposed regulation changes are largely looking at standardizing dates and opening areas in waters deeper than 90 feet. The committee continued to discuss dates and zones and supported the amended requirements.

2011 Meeting Dates – Frank Krist:

Wednesday, January 12th Wednesday, April 6th Wednesday, June 22nd Wednesday, October 19th

Adjourned 2:46 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Minutes

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Attendees: Jim Baker, David Borgeson, Pete Butchko, Tom Cadwalader, Tim Cwalinski, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Linn Duling, Dennis Eade, Dave Fielder, Tom Hamilton, Liz Hay-Chmielewski, Lindsey Henski, Steve Hewett, Tom Keerl, Gene Kirvan, Frank Krist, Bill Leichtman, Terry Lyons, Brad MacNeill, Shirley Martin, Michael Mayes, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Judy Ogden, Bill Olar, Nick Popoff, Steven Pothoven, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Kelley Smith, Robert Stalker, Fred Sterns, Bob Wagner, Terry Walsh, Forrest Williams

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the October 20, 2010 meeting were acknowledged and approved as is.

2010 Lake Huron steelhead fishery – Jim Johnson, MDNR:

Lake Huron’s 10 main ports have seen a 25% decrease in fishing hours partly because trout and salmon anglers have been switching to walleye areas where the fishing hours have had a significant increase. Without the presence of alewives, walleye are feeding on young salmonids.

Lake trout have had some ups and downs. As the salmon disappeared lake trout numbers increased; however, their number decreased again as the walleye population increased. Lake trout is potentially a stable fishery; the database is simply not complete.

Anglers are reporting an increased harvest of steelhead, although there is no notable reason for an increase to have happened. Steelhead had remained a steady fishery like lake trout; however 2010 showed a considerable increase. Catch rates modestly increased in northern and southern ports. The increased number, if permanent, still will not replace by itself the old catch rates of Chinook salmon.

The steelhead acclimation study will stock 15,000 steelhead into net pens with another 15,000 stocked as a control group directly into the Lake at Harrisville and Harbor Beach, with an increase to 20,000 stocked each in pens and directly in the Lake at Oscoda. All of these steelhead will be tagged with coded wire tags to determine if the pens are increasing survival. Lake Trout Hooking Mortality Study – Jim Johnson, MDNR:

The study objective is to estimate the survival rate of lake trout caught and released by hook and line anglers. The approach is to compare returns of tagged hook and line caught fish with those tagged in commercial nets. Factors that may affect the study include depth, season, temperature, playtime, handling time, bleeding, bloating, and condition on release. Trout tagged from trap-nets where immediately tagged with a green dorsal fin tag and released. Trout released, appeared in very good shape, with virtually no fish looking distressed. Recreational angler tagging was conducted using a measuring board, digital camera, and tag. Anglers were provided a dual timer to record length of time the fish was on the line and the length of time to get the fish tagged and released.

Lake Huron’s goal was to tag 600 Lake Trout each, via trap-nets and recreational anglers. A total of 585 Lake Trout caught in trap nets were tagged, while recreational anglers were able to tag 249 Lake Trout.

Wild fish made up 22% of the trap-net catch, 54% less than 22 inches long were wild, 17% of hooked Lake Trout were bleeding from the gills, while 11% hooked were bloated. Once released the fish migrated rapidly with only 25 returns coming from the initial study area; 20 were further north, 12 further south, and 1 was caught in Canadian waters.

Cormorant population in Saginaw Bay and potential fisheries impacts and an update on the walleye and yellow perch status – Dave Fielder, MDNR:

Cormorant Status Saginaw Bay is a diverse and complete system. Little Charity Island and Spoils Island are the only two uninhabited islands in the Bay where cormorants nest. There are additional migrating cormorants, but nesting birds present the biggest threat. Saginaw Bay cormorant nest numbers have increased since 2007 with current estimates over 3000 nests.

Cormorant numbers on Saginaw Bay are anticipated to increase. Data indicate that the cormorants have not reached their carrying capacity since prey and habitat still can accommodate additional birds. Estimates show that cormorants consume approximately 2 million pounds of fish per year in the Bay.

Walleye Status Walleye harvest in Saginaw Bay saw a large increase in 2006 with a bit of a decrease in recent years. Young of the year from 2003 to 2005 were very strong, 2009 was off the scale and 2010 is still very good. Walleye are a great success story in Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay.

Yellow Perch Status Perch harvest in Saginaw Bay has nearly disappeared. Age zero perch remain high; however, yearling perch numbers are extremely low. Mortality rates in that first year are averaging 60-70%.

The impact of multiple stressors on fisheries in Saginaw Bay – Steven Pothoven, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory:

In 2007, the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, in conjunction with several partner agencies and institutions, initiated a 5 year project to study the effects of multiple stressors on Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. Like many coastal areas around the world, Saginaw Bay has been subjected to numerous stressors originating from human activities. These stressors have included toxic contaminants, nutrients, sediments, overfishing, exotic species, and more recently, declining water levels. To accomplish this goal research has been conducted in the field and the laboratory to study how these stressors interact to influence the Bay’s fisheries and water quality.

Some research questions include, 1) How land use affects sediment delivery to Saginaw Bay, 2) What nutrient levels are best for the Bay, 3) What drives muck development and movement in the Bay and 4) Impact of stressors on the fish community and population dynamics.

Field work for this study took place in 2009 and 2010. Larval fish sampling, bottom trawls and near shore sampling were all conducted. A large part of this project is modeling, which will be done at Purdue University.

Preliminary data indicates a walleye being born early or late in the season does not affect growth, and larval fish do not appear to be food limited.

The exotic mussels have been declining steadily since the late 1990s in the Bay

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Bob Wagner Update, MDNRE:

The appointment of Regional Directors and creation of Citizen Advisory Councils was part of the new DNRE structure. The original December orientation meeting was postponed due to Governor Snyder’s announcement to split the DNRE, back into the DNR and DEQ.

Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates:

Kelley D. Smith, Ph.D., Fisheries Division Chief – MDNR: The Division has 46 vacancies. We will only be filling 10! It is very unfortunate to say, but expect a slowdown in service. The Office of the Great Lakes is going back to DEQ with Patty Birkholz taking that over. We have had great discussions with her regarding Asian carp, she will be a good asset to us.

Steve Hewett, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – MDNR: With the reduction in staffing, we are simply trying to do business as usual. Lake Huron will be very busy this year with the Inland Waterway effort. Fisheries Division is getting two mass marking trailers. All Lake Huron Chinook will get CWT marked and by 2013, we are looking to do the same for steelhead. Walleye production is being increased to our prior standards; we have learned much about VHS! We are revitalizing quite a few of our walleye ponds, however, full production will take a few years.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor – MDNR: The unit did not lose anybody in the early retirement, however, staff will be spread thin assisting with efforts like the Inland Waterway survey. January 3, 2011 starts creel in Southern Lake Huron. There will be a clerk present in Saginaw Bay.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor – MDNR Early retirements took 2 Fisheries Technicians from our unit. With increased production in walleye ponds and the Inland Waterways survey, this year will be difficult finding enough staff hours to accomplish the goals.

Craig Milkowski, Law Enforcement Commercial Fish Specialist – MDNR The Captains position of the Lake Michigan boat is vacant. If that does not get filled, Craig and Larry will be patrolling ALL of the Great Lakes.

Status report on the Lake Huron Fisheries Management Plan and the protocol that might be used to discuss and seek input on the direction of the Chinook Program – Steve Hewett, MDNR:

The Lake Huron Management Plan The Lake Huron Management Plan is still in the planning process. Completing the plan is a priority for us; things are just so tight right now. The Division needs input from those who have a stake in it. It was suggested that the unit host a meeting and invite those stakeholders personally. Taking leaders from large groups to formalize a rough plan would allow those leaders to educate and inform their constituents. Therefore, once the plan goes public, the large groups are already on board and educated.

Possible Lay-out: Pre-Meeting – provide stakeholder, with the status of the fisheries in Lake Huron Day One – Educate stakeholders on the potential of each fishery and obstacles caused by budget limitations. Beginning in the summer of 2011, this Committee should create a smaller sub-committee to work out the details and compile a draft.

Direction of the Chinook Program It was discussed that the Sea Grant Workshops to be held this spring would provide a good opportunity to discuss the future of the Chinook salmon program in Lake Huron. Steve Hewett, Brandon Schroeder, the presenters and Frank will work on developing the agenda for the Sea Grant Meetings.

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Discussion of the number and format of the 2011 Sea Grant Spring Workshops for Lake Huron – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant:

Sea Grant Workshops are a tool to disseminate information. Weekend workshops have been held in the past, with evening workshops introduced last fall. Evening workshops had a lot of attendance, but it was a huge commitment logistically for staff.

The evening meetings had the highest turnout ever! It appears that staying with last year’s format will ensure very good attendance! Considering staffing number, perhaps we could scale back on the number of presentations which would require less DNR staff.

Several Committee Members indicated that the Sea Grant Meetings are an excellent forum to educate the stakeholders on the status of the Lake and the time is very well spent. Maintaining several Workshops would be beneficial to getting the needed messages out to the public.

An update on the condition of the Chinook, which is the DNR Lake Huron survey vessel – Steve Shafto Hammond Bay Area Anglers Association :

The Chinook is in dire need of repair and should be replaced. If the Division loses the Chinook, continuous data sets dating back to 1968 would be interrupted and stock assessment models that depend upon the collection of annual fisheries data would become dysfunctional. In addition, the State would no longer be able to meet its obligations to coordinated management of the Great Lakes as per the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Joint Strategic Plan.

The Chinook is a very old vessel and is lacking many safety features, for example it has a single engine, single steering, and is not compartmentalized. Funding is possible and as concerned citizens if we are organized and speak to our legislators much can be accomplished. The proposed vessel would be a sister ship to the one in Marquette, costing approximately 1.5 million dollars.

We have an opportunity with new legislature to reach out and educate them about the importance of this vessel. For those that are interested, MUCC is sponsoring a meet your legislator’s event which includes training that covers how to interact, follow up and meet with local representatives and senators.

Meeting adjourned at 3:33 p.m.

The next meeting will be April 6, 2011.

4

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Minutes

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Attendees: Jim Baker, Ed Barr, Ron Beyer, David Borgeson, Peter Butchko, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Bud Donnelly, Dennis Eade, Dave Fielder, Gina Gittings, Todd Grischke, Tom Hamilton, Mick Higgins, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Gene Kirvan, Frank Krist, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, Peter Payette, Nick Popoff, Ed Retherford, John Schroeder, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Kelley Smith, Terry Walsh, Dennis White, Travis White,

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduce themselves.

The minutes from the January 12, 2011 meeting were acknowledged and approved.

Cormorant control – Peter Butchko, USDA Wildlife Services State Director:

Cormorant funding for 2011 may be in jeopardy for Michigan because of the federal budget debate and possible cuts. The program was mainly funded with earmarks that are no longer in favor with Congress. Cormorant control is very important in protecting the fisheries in several locations around the State and it is essential that funding requests be incorporated into USDA’s budget as an ongoing program. Efforts are being made by USDA to obtain other funds to support cormorant control for the 2011 budget year.

Current status of the recreational fishery in Saginaw Bay and other issues – Dave Fielder, MDNR:

Saginaw Bay has trended differently than the Lake Huron Main Basin. Harvest of walleyes surged in 2006 and are coming back down in 2010. The catch rate (average time to catch each fish), however, is declining more slowly. A possible reason for the decline in harvest may have been the movement of walleyes from the Bay to the main basin due to warm water temperatures. The walleye population in Saginaw Bay appears to be stabilizing after its the very fast expansion since the alewife crash in 2003.

Lake Huron and Lake Erie are conducting a Walleye Movement Study. Transmitters will be inserted into 200 walleye from Lake Huron and 200 from Lake Erie. These fish can be identified by having two red tags along their back; a $100 reward is offered for returning these fish. It is important to return the entire fish since the transmitters can be used again and they contain additional data that the onshore receivers cannot record.

The yellow perch harvest is at very low levels in Saginaw Bay. Reproduction has been very good and near record high levels of Age 0 perch have been occurring since the alewife crashed. Unfortunately, the Age 0 perch are a common food fish for walleye and as a result the newly hatched perch are experiencing nearly

99% mortality. The good news is that the yellow perch that do survive are growing at very fast rates and are providing a quality fishery.

An overview of ongoing research in Lake Huron and an analysis of the Chinook fishery harvest over the last 5 years – Jim Johnson, MDNR:

Statistics composed from the 2010 creel data Recreational Harvest from the 10 Index Ports in the Main Basin 2000 – 58% Chinook, 2% walleye, 24% lake trout, 8% steelhead, 2% brown trout, 3% Coho and 1% Pinks 2010 – 8% Chinook, 49% walleye, 27% lake trout, 7% steelhead, 2% brown trout, 2% Coho and <1% Pinks This is quite a response and change! Chinook salmon have declined greatly but walleyes have increased to be the dominant species in the catch. It appears that the increase in the walleye catch at the 10 Main Basin Index Ports is due to outmigration from Saginaw Bay.

Data on recreational anglers from the 10 Index Ports indicate that targeted species have changed from Chinook salmon and lake trout to walleye, lake trout and steelhead. Angler hours have significantly declined from an average of about 2,000,000 hours per year during the late 1980s to around 300,000 hours per year since 2006 due to the loss in the perch and salmon fisheries. Overall, catch rates remain very good except the species which are abundant have changed and the number of anglers has declined.

The Chinook salmon decline since the alewife crash in 2003 The Chinook harvest declined from over 80,000 during 2003 at the 10 Index Ports to only 3,198 during 2010. South of Alpena the total number of Chinook harvested was just 486. Most of the Chinook in Lake Huron are wild fish and in the Main Basin over 81% of the fish are naturally reproduced. South of Alpena it was estimated that only 97 Chinook harvested originated from the hatcheries. From Alpena north, the number of hatchery produced Chinook harvested was 971. In spite of nearly 1.5 million Chinook being stocked each year since 2006, only about 1,000 of those stocked fish were harvested by anglers in 2010.

The Lake Trout Hooking Mortality Study The Lake Trout Hooking Mortality Study is attempting to determine the mortality rate of fish that have been caught and released. There are 10 volunteer anglers assisting with the project from Thunder Bay to Greenbush; however, 2-3 more participants are needed. The process includes catching the fish, timing the event, photographing the fish, recording data, tagging the fish and releasing the fish. The survival of the angler caught fish will be compared to a number of trap netted lake trout. Previous studies of lake trout caught and released in trap nets provide a basis for determining if catch and release of recreationally caught lake trout is an effective method to control harvest. As an incentive, tagging participants will receive $5 for each fish they tag. Tags are green and are inserted under the dorsal fin and there is a $10 reward for each tag returned when the fish are caught again. An additional benefit of the study is information that shows migration patterns of the lake trout after being released.

The Steelhead Pen Acclimation Study The Steelhead Acclimation Study continues in Harrisville, the Au Sable River, and Harbor Beach. This runs from 2011-2013 with paired stockings of direct plants vs. pen acclimated. For this study to be a success, we really need anglers help returning heads!

A discussion of Chinook stocking in Lake Huron and potential questions to ask at the Spring Sea Grant Meetings – Todd Grischke, MDNR:

When posing questions consider timeliness, processes and responsibilities. Any decisions reached will not be decided strictly by the Department. Partners like the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, Ontario

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Ministry of Natural Resources, Legislators, Tribes and anglers all need to participate. Some clear benchmarks should be laid out. Be careful with terminology, statements should allow latitude.

An update on the progress of establishing a steelhead back-up egg take location – Todd Grischke:

An Issue Statement was provided electronically describing the reasons for establishing a steelhead egg take backup site. The accepted project will attempt to establish a backup brood stock in the Platte River by reallocating 20,000 stocked steelhead from other locations around the Great Lakes. After earlier reviews by the Lake Huron and Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committees were completed, Option 2 was chosen which states, ‘Inequitably reallocate (stocked yearling steelhead) from all the basins in the state, with a heavy emphasis on the Lake Michigan Basin. The Lake Michigan Basin would be responsible for 15,000 (75%) of the 20,000 yearlings needed. The remaining 5,000 yearlings would be proportionally reallocated from the other basins: Lake Huron would reallocate 2,800 (14%), Lake Erie 1,200 (6%), and Lake Superior 1,000 (5%)’. This will be an ongoing prescription until the broodstock is established or until the benchmarks are not obtained.

Update on the 2010 cisco egg take – Kelley Smith, MDNR:

The 2010 cisco egg take, resulted in 11,000 cisco to be planted. That number is much smaller than anticipated. Gary Whalen will be at the June meeting to review and discuss numbers, cost, and hurtles.

Fine tuning the Spring Sea Grant Workshop presentations – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant:

The Sea Grant Workshops are a tremendous outreach opportunity! They generate much good press through media coverage and press releases.

The Workshops provide an occasion to obtain much input from stakeholders along much of Lake Huron and from several types of users. The agendas will be varied from region to region. A combination of paper survey’s and Turning Point clicker technology will be used.

A large portion of the Sea Grant Workshop agenda this year will focus on the Chinook salmon. Can the state modify Chinook salmon stockings, and how to proceed from there? • Do you support salmon stocking reductions? • Reduce number of Chinook and replace with another species? • Reduce number of Chinook and put monies in the field, for example, hire biologist? Posing the questions above would require a lot of background, education, and explanation.

Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates:

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor – Walleye ponds are requiring much time. Tawas Pond will not be used this season. Flood conditions on the Tittabawasee River are making walleye tagging difficult, but a third is done. Summer creel has begun and clerks are out working.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor – We are in the process of reestablishing a few walleye ponds in cooperation with local clubs. The Inland Waterway Walleye Survey (Burt, Mullett, Crooked, and Pickerel Lakes) is underway which is a huge effort that will begin on the rivers, and move into the big lakes once the ice has melted. After a large number of walleyes are tagged in all of the lakes graduate students from MSU will continue the research by monitoring walleye larval survival, collecting creel data, examining forage fish and collecting walleye diet information. Sturgeon tagging in Black River with assistance from MSU is upcoming.

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Nick Popoff, Tribal Coordination Unit – They are working on setting lake trout harvest limits for all the Great Lakes. The details of the MH-1 (see below) lake trout overharvest and regulation change for 2011 is being finalized. The MH-1 zone extends in northern Lake Huron from Rogers City to Drummond Island.

Craig Milkowski, Commercial Fish Specialist – One MDNR patrol boat from Lake Michigan still remains without a captain. Larry and Craig may be working both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron this year. The Department, local law enforcement, and the Coast Guard have all received complaints about a ‘ghost ship’. This vessel is more likely related to drugs and illegal alien issues rather than fishing violations.

Discussion of the handout on the 2010 forage status and diet study in Lake Huron – Frank Krist:

Ed Roseman and Jeff Schaffer from the US Geological Survey Science Center could not attend the meeting but provided three electronic documents on the Lake Huron forage assessments and the ongoing diet study. The following summarizes the Main Basin forage results: alewife remain at extremely low levels; smelt had a poor hatch in 2010 but the fish produced from the 2009 hatch are doing ok and should provide a larger size forage fish for this year; the bloater have been trending slightly upward for the past few years and because they are increasing in size their biomass has also been increasing; emerald shiners were rare; goby remain at low levels but their numbers remain similar to 2009. The other less common forage species including stickleback, trout-perch, and sculpins remain at very low levels.

The successful Predator Diet Study continued for the second year during 2010. Nearly 5,000 total stomach samples have been contributed by anglers during the first two years and all the data have been processed. During 2010, Chinook salmon relied primarily on rainbow smelt but some salmon consumed large numbers of the exotic spiny water flea. Lake trout focused on round gobies but they ate recently stocked salmon and lake trout when they were available. Because the newly stocked trout and salmon are often larger than the wild forage, the stocked fish are a very attractive food for predators. Walleyes consumed primarily emerald shiners and round gobies but mayflies were common in fish caught in Saginaw Bay. Steelhead had a broad diet that included a variety of fish species plus insects and other invertebrates. Atlantic salmon and Coho had varied diets similar to steelhead. The diet study will continue again in 2011 and in order to be successful angler participation will be critical.

A brief update on the Atlantic salmon project for 2011 – Todd Grischke: 25,000 Atlantic salmon were reared to be stocked in the St. Marys River. These fish have no markings. LSSU stocked fish have a fin clip. We will coordinate the State release with LSSU. Gary Whelan will attend the June 22, 2011 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meeting to discuss the progress being made with the Atlantic salmon project.

Proposed lake trout regulation change in Zone MH-1 of Lake Huron located from Rogers City to Drummond Island – Todd Grischke:

This is an emergency amendment to Fisheries Order (FO)-200. The area called MH-1 is located in northwest corner of Northern Lake Huron from Rogers City to Drummond Island. The 2000 Consent Decree split the lake trout allocation between the State of Michigan and the 1836 Native American tribes. In 2009, the State of Michigan recreational fishery had a harvest limit of 20,000 lbs of lake trout in the MH-1 area. The State harvested 25,304 lbs., for an overharvest of 5,304 lbs. The penalty was applied to the 2010 harvest limit. There was a 27-inch maximum size limit implemented for lake trout in 2010. The State harvest limit of lake trout in 2010 was set at 19,696 lbs (25,000-5,304), but the State harvest was 24,803 lbs. An overharvest of 5,107 lbs therefore occurred. This penalty is applied to the 2011 harvest limit. The State harvest limit in 2011 is set at 19,893 lbs (25,000-5,107). Fisheries Division is proposing to implement a 24-inch maximum lake trout size limit for recreational fishing in 2011, except no more than 1 lake trout can be > 32 inches (one

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trophy fish). The bag limit would be 3 lake trout per day, possession season would be from May 1 through September 30. We need to reduce the harvest in 2011 by ~20%. This proposed change in size limit would also apply to splake since splake are almost impossible to differentiate from lake trout. The 2011 Fishing Guide has already been printed and does not have this change indicated so it does present a communication challenge. Communication to the public would occur through multiple means – the Lake Huron Citizen’s Fishery Advisory Committee, Sea Grant Workshops, Internet, a flier for creel clerks, press releases, newspaper ads, etc.

Meeting adjourned at 2:55 p.m.

The next meeting will be Wednesday June 22, 2011.

5

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Doherty Hotel, Clare, MI Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Attendees: Ed Barr, Ron Beyer, Dave Borgeson, Dave Caroffino, Gary Decker, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Jim Dexter, Bud Donnelly, Linn Duling, Dennis Eade, Todd Grischke, Tom Hamilton, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Bill Leichtman, Terry Lyons, Shirley Martin, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, Bill Olar, Ron Ramsey, Ed Retherford, Jeff Schaeffer, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Dick Swan, Paul Wendler, Gary Whalen, Forrest Williams, Dennis White

10:00 a. m. Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the April 6, 2011 meeting were acknowledged and approved as is.

Discussion of the future direction of Chinook stocking in Lake Huron and public meetings to be held on the issue this summer – Todd Grischke, MDNR:

A whitepaper and other information regarding Chinook stocking in Lake Huron is posted on the DNR website (link provided to Frank Krist). The whitepaper discusses the poor return of stocked Chinook salmon, and the need to modify current levels of stocked Chinook salmon in Lake Huron. This is a process that involves public comment, public meetings and MDNR Natural Resources Commission approval. An email link is provided online at the MDNR Website for comment. In addition, three public meetings have been scheduled on the issue.

• Aug. 8, 7-9 p.m. Ubly Fox Hunters Club, 8780 S. Ubly Road, Ubly. • Aug. 9, 7-9 p.m., Oscoda, Oscoda Township Meeting Room, 208 S. State St., Oscoda. Building is on corner of Dwight Street and US-23. Attendees should access parking lot behind building using Dwight Street. Door on shared building will indicate Alexander Business Machines. • Aug 10, 7-9 p.m., Cheboygan, Cheboygan Sportsman's Club, 13516 Seffren Road, Cheboygan.

September 1, 2011 will be the end of the public comment period, allowing time to evaluate input and to prepare Fisheries Division final recommendation before the October 1 egg take.

Chinook harvest, north to south, has crashed. The northern portion of Lake Huron is still providing a limited fishery. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 the DNR stocked 1.45 million Chinook salmon. Harvest in 2010, showed only 1,068 salmon to be of hatchery origin.

Options presented to the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Council for discussion: 1 - Status Quo - Maintain current locations and numbers. 2 - Stock only Nunns Creek and the Swan River at current levels (the Nunns Creek stocking is required by 2000 Great Lakes Consent Decree and the State is obligated to plant 250,000 fingerlings each year). 3 - Stock only Nunns Creek and the Swan with a reduction in numbers at the Swan.

4 - Stock only Nunns Creek, St. Ignace, Cheboygan and the Swan River (Stocking from the Swan River north). 5 - Reduce Chinook stocking by 50%, or some other percent reduction, at all locations. 6 – Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee suggestions.

There was much discussion and several points were made including: 1) Since few Chinook from hatchery origin that are stocked south of Alpena were surviving, reducing or eliminating stocking south of Swan Bay would allow limited resources to be directed toward other aspects of the Lake Huron fishery, 2) The Swan River stocking is an important Chinook salmon backup egg take location and produces a return fishery so stocking should continue, 3) the Nunns Creek stocking is mandated by the 2000 Great Lakes Decree and must continue, 4) the Cheboygan stocking is producing a return fishery and there is interest in continuing the plant.

Results of the participant digital input during the spring Lake Huron Sea Grant Workshops – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant: A summary or the presentation feedback was previously provided by Frank Krist via email.

This year, four abbreviated evening workshops were conducted from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. They were held in Cedarville, Ubly, Port Huron, and Oscoda with good participation at all locations. Brandon summarized the digital input received. In 2010, the most pursued species were walleye, steelhead, lake trout, and perch. The preferred species were walleye, perch, steelhead and Chinook. Attitudes at all four locations were consistent that stocking should be adjusted by either deceasing or ceasing Chinook plants.

A brief update on the progress of the brown trout stocking project with an emphasis on the criteria used to measure success and a discussion on obtaining as many heads as possible with coded wire tags for the Steelhead Pen Project – Jim Johnson, MDNR:

Brown Trout Study Criteria – A pilot study to determine if larger brown trout (11 to 13 inches) would survive better began with stockings in the fall of 2009 and 2010 with the last plant scheduled for the fall of 2011. The pilot study will continue to monitor the returns and the work will end in 2015. Only those fish that survive their first winter and are over 16 inches long will be counted in the project’s creel results. The experiment will be considered successful if the return fishery harvests at least 5% of the brown trout stocked.

Brown Trout Harvest Summary from 2010 Creel Data – We are looking for catch data from the 2009 and 2010 fish. The estimated harvest results for all the ports creeled in 2010 were 840 brown trout. An analysis of a sample of the fish caught showed that 5.6% were Age 1 (the fish are Age 1 when stocked), 72.2% were Age 2 and 22.2% were Age 3. The vast majority of the fish harvested were Age 2 fish and averaged 16.9 inches in length and 2.5 pounds. These brown trout were much smaller than Age 2 fish stocked as fall yearlings from 2002 to 2005 which averaged 22.9 inches in length and 6.7 pounds.

Brown Trout Success Rate – Lakewide about 85,000 browns are stocked each year of the study and for 2010 the return rate for browns over 16 inches was 0.45% which is much below the target of 5%. Age 2 brown trout account for the majority of fish caught since few live beyond age 3. Previous studies showed that approximately 62% were harvested at Age 2, 35% were harvested at Age 3 and only 3% were harvested at Age 4.

Steelhead Pen Study Update – The steelhead pen study began this spring comparing steelhead stocked directly into Lake Huron with steelhead stocked in pens to allow the fish to become acclimated before release. The fall of 2011 will be the first year run of 14-16” steelhead and in order for the study to be successful the coded wire tags in the heads must be returned in large numbers. We need the snouts! Please encourage anglers to provide frozen heads to the MDNR! These fish are there to be harvested and studied.

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Encourage catch and release anglers to harvest these steelhead and turn in the snouts. The steelhead in the study can be identified by an adipose fin clip. During 2012, the coded wire tagged (CWT) steelhead will be caught all over Lake Huron and we will need to come up with a way to collect these fish/snouts. Jim will have a collection kit created and will distribute this kit to creel clerks.

The status and progress of Atlantic salmon rearing in the DNR fish hatcheries – Gary Whalen, MDNR:

This marks the third year we have been evaluating Atlantic salmon at Platte River State Fish Hatchery. Things to consider; can another facility rear fall fingerlings to yearling size, can we complete Atlantic salmon rearing at production scale, can the Platte River Hatchery complete the entire process (from eggs to yearlings)? Keep in mind that Platte River Hatchery has disease issues. When disease shows up, the entire lot must be destroyed.

Atlantic Salmon Results to Date – In 2009, The Platte River Hatchery transferred 19,000 fall fingerlings from Lake Superior State University (LSSU) which resulted in 12,698 spring yearlings being raised and stocked successfully in April 2010 at the Whitney Drain. No fish health issues were seen. In October 2010 LSSU sent 20,048 small fingerlings raised in ambient water (113/kg) and 7,587 larger fingerlings raised in heated water (24/kg) to the Platte River Hatchery. All of the fish grew and were in good condition (saw some cold water disease and furunculous). From these fish, 6,613 larger yearlings (13.5/kg) and 15,129 smaller yearlings (38/kg) were stocked on the same day and locations as the LSSU stocked fish. Both the LSSU and State fish were stocked at the same locations.

Fish Health Issues at the Platte River Hatchery –Brundage Creek and Brundage Spring are positive for Mcer (Whirling Disease) and a $150,000 grant has been obtained with the goal of installing UV disinfection technology on the Brundage Spring this fall. In addition, if enough funds are left Brundage Spring will be dredged incrementally to reduce or eliminate the habitat of the parasite.

Atlantic Salmon 2011 Plans –1) The Thompson State Fish Hatchery received 79,764 eggs from LSSU on February 2, 2011 with currently about 75,000 surviving. The surviving fingerlings will be transferred to the Platte River Hatchery in early October. 2) There are plans to transfer from LSSU approximately 8,000 to 10,000 large fingerlings and 17,000 small fingerlings from LSSU to the Platte River Hatchery in early October 2011. 3) The production goal for 2011 from the above two experiments is to produce 60,000 to 75,000 yearlings in small outdoor raceways to be stocked in the St. Marys River in June 2012.

Atlantic Salmon Egg to Yearling Analysis – If UV is successfully installed then the Platte River Hatchery could obtain green eggs from LSSU in October. A full production cycle test could be conducted and any resulting yearlings would be stocked in 2013.

Key Atlantic Salmon Rearing Issues – 1) Obtaining sufficient eggs for full production scale; at least 125 adult females and 125 adult males are needed to produce 375,000 eggs with about 40% survival to yearling. To maintain broodstock and produce 30,000 yearlings 75,000 eggs are needed. To produce 120,000 yearlings 300,000 eggs and 4 large raceways are required. This is twice the hatchery space needed to raise brown trout or steelhead yearlings. 2) The waste effluent requirements of full Atlantic salmon production must be determined but currently the effects appear to be minimal. 3) Determine if installing UV disinfection at the Platte River Hatchery resolves disease issues. 4) A backup brood stock needs to be developed.

Atlantic Salmon Rearing Options – 1) Platte River State Fish Hatchery has small outdoor raceways with a potential of 60,000 to 75,000 yearlings. There is a potential to use the large indoor raceways. 2) Thompson State Fish Hatchery has a successful history of rearing Atlantic salmon. However, we would need to reduce

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another species to make room for Atlantics at a 2:1 ratio. The indoor raceways are too small for yearling production. 3) Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery has a poor history rearing Atlantics and we again would need to reduce another species to make room at a 2:1 ration. 5) Oden and Marquette State Fish Hatcheries are expensive captive brood stock stations and transferring wild eggs to these facilities would pose severe bio- security issues. Harrietta State Fish Hatchery is a Great Lakes egg source disease free facility; again presenting bio security issues.

Feasibility of production level rearing of Cisco (Lake Herring) at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery – Gary Whelan:

Key areas of evaluation include broodstock collection, egg collection, incubation, rearing densities, marking, and spring fingerling size during stocking. There is still much experimentation needed to achieve production levels. Progress has been made in all areas, but we need a LOT more knowledge!

Cisco Broodstock Collection – To obtain a production level of 750,000 to 1,000,000 eggs, 100 males and 100 females are required. The fish must be alive when the eggs are obtained. The eggs are collected from adults harvested in the St Marys River and the ripe fish are available during a very short time during the second to the third week of November. Weather at that time of year is a major challenge. The number of broodstock available for harvest appears to be very limited for production scale.

Cisco Egg Collection –During 2010 approximately 1,000,000 eggs were collected using two large trap nets and four 300 foot gill nets. The advantage of using trap nets is the fish can be maintained alive until ripe but the nets are often difficult to set with smaller boats suitable for the shallower waters of the River. The gill nets are easier to handle but because live fish are needed, high fish mortalities limit the net’s suitability. It has been determined that an on-site spawning trailer is suitable for egg collection.

Cisco Incubation and Early Rearing – Initial work showed good eye ups at 2.8 degrees C (37 degrees F) and mortalities at 10 degrees C (50 degrees F). Unfortunately, 2.8 degrees is too cold for the fish to grow well and during 2010 the fish were tested at 7.5 degrees C since others had success with good growth and survival at 7.8 C. The eggs harvested in 2010 were transferred to the Thompson Fish Hatchery where 43 to 46% were fertilized. Eye up occurred by November 28 and the fish were transferred to Wolf Lake State Hatchery. On December 13 and 14 2010 there was a chiller failure resulting in a major die off.

Cisco Rearing and Stocking – The surviving fish were transferred to two foot circular tanks held at 7.6 C degrees on February 20, 2011. An inventory on March 24 indicated there were 11,190 fish (28 cm, 5356/kg) remaining. On June 22, 2011 9,500 fingerlings were stocked in Thunder Bay. Their length ranged from 75 to 90 mm (3 to 3.5 inches). Tank densities for cisco likely need to be 40,000 compared to 50,000 spring fingerlings for Chinook salmon. More testing is needed.

Cisco Marking, Rearing Size and Production – Oxytetrcycline (OTC) marking was successful during 2007 and 2008. The 9,500 fingerlings produced in 2011 were marked with OTC and lab tests showed a 100% marking rate. The following are the number of cisco stocked during the study: July 24, 2008 6,240 averaged 99 mm in length; July 14, 2009 40,012 averaged 85 mm in length and June 22, 2011 9,500 averaged 75 to 90 mm in length. These fish are advanced spring fingerlings and the best size for stocking is not known so more information is required.

Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates:

Jim Dexter, Acting MDNR Fisheries Division Chief – The Governor signed next year’s budget. We are still down from where we were a few years ago. We are interviewing a few positions, the Basin

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Coordinators for Lake Huron and Erie will be posted at the end of this week. We plan to have somebody on by mid to late August for both positions.

Craig Milkowski, MDNR Commercial Fish Specialist, – The Ghost Ship out of Oscoda appears to be trafficking drugs. A small plane flies low, drops a package, and then a boat circles out and nets the package. There is a drone out looking for activity and is now circling Oscoda/Tawas area.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor – VHS knowledge has expanded so our walleye production has expanded. Harvest is going on right now with high priority lakes being stocked. We will be conducting a Burt Lake sturgeon population estimate survey in July.

A research project examining the ecological role of river mouths along the Great Lakes – Dr. Jeff Schaeffer, United States Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center:

Note: The Lake Huron Diet Study continues running and is currently in its third year. Previous assistants are back, and things are running very well. Stomachs are coming in at about the same rate as previous years.

Ecological role of river mouths along the Great Lakes – Near shore river mouth ecosystems have experienced food web changes. While near shore trawls, bottom trawls and acoustics are all conducted, it is the surf zone we need to know more about. There is tantalizing evidence that near shore biomass may be supporting production. Why or how can it be productive and is the biomass coming from rivers?

River mouths are important historically since this is where humans tend to interact (cities, harbors, beaches). River mouths also carry nutrients/energy used by organisms into the lake. River mouths are commonly being termed Areas of Concern due to contamination, degraded wetlands, etc. With limited funds, how do you restore a river mouth? Very little guidance exists, since we are still learning about river mouth’s structure and function.

Currently, we are trying to classify river mouths by watershed characteristics and size as either delta, open, drowned, or barred on Lake Michigan.

Three intensive surveys are being conducted on the Manitowoc River WI, Ford River MI, and the Pere Marquette River MI. The Ford River is an intact delta, the Pere Marquette River is degraded, while the Manitowoc River is even more degraded.

We are working directly with the Great Lakes Commission, meeting with scientist and resource managers to share data as well to communicate with others. Our objectives are to determine the relative importance of lake and watershed derived nutrients and the effect of river mouths on nutrient delivery to the lake.

In 2012, the study will be rolled over to Lake Huron. Rivers being considered for Lake Huron include the Au Sable, Saginaw and Nottawasaga (Canada) which appears to be the spawning grounds for most of the wild salmon in Lake Huron.

Meeting Adjourned at 3:10 p.m.

Next Meeting will be October 19th at the Ram Center in Roscommon, MI.

5

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Minutes

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Attendees: Jim Baker, Roger Barc, Ed Barr, Dave Borgeson, Gary Decker, Jim DeClerck, Jim Dexter, Bud Donnelly, Linn Duling, Dennis Eade, Todd Grischke, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Mick Higgins, Jim Johnson, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Theresa Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Terry Lyons, Charles Marcinkiewicz, Ken Merckel, Doug Niergarth, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, Bill Olar, Nick Popoff, Ed Retherford, Ed Roseman, Jeff Schaeffer, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Fred Sterns, Terry Walsh, Paul Wendler, Forrest Williams, Dennis White

10:00 a.m. Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the June 22, 2011 meeting were acknowledged and approved as is.

An overview of the final decision to reduce Chinook salmon stocking in Lake Huron – Todd Grischke: Handout: “Lake Huron Chinook Salmon (CHS) Reduction Summary of Process, Public Input 2011”

The handout summarized the decision timeline and process for the Chinook salmon stocking reduction in Lake Huron. This was accomplished in a timely manner over five months allowing reductions to be made starting with the 2011 fall egg take.

The final decision resulted in a target of 693,000 Chinook salmon to be stocked in Lake Huron beginning in 2012 with 250,000 at Nunns Creek, 67,000 at Cheboygan and 375,000 at Swan River.

The decision process began with discussions with the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee and continued with three public meetings held in August at Ubly with 27 attendees, Oscoda with 34 attendees and Cheboygan with 55 attendees. Ubly participants were generally supportive of the proposal, concerned about which species would replace Chinook salmon, supported additional steelhead stocking and were interested in how the savings would be spent from raising fewer salmon. Oscoda participants were generally supportive of the proposal and were interested in additional Atlantic salmon and steelhead stockings. Cheboygan participants were strongly against cutting the Cheboygan River plant, interested in stocking other species, reported good numbers of baitfish in northern Lake Huron, concerned that no creel clerk is assigned to Cheboygan and submitted a formal proposal to continue stocking Chinook salmon in the area.

Twenty-one emails and one written letter were received. Five emails were generally against the overall proposal and three emails were neutral. Two emails opposed cutting all Chinook plants in Lake Huron even though this was not a proposed option and one email supported continued Chinook salmon stocking in southern Lake Huron. Two emails suggested something be done to control the invasive mussel population. Four emails supported stocking more steelhead and Atlantic salmon in Lake Huron. Five emails supported

continuing Chinook stocking in the Cheboygan River. The written letter indicated that Chinook salmon fishing in Lake Huron has been good in recent years and supported stocking more Atlantic salmon but to discontinue brown trout stocking.

This is the first year that mass marking will be conducted on all Chinook salmon stocked in the Great Lakes. The State will also be partnering with the tribes to recover tagged Chinook from Nunn’s Creek. These fish will have the adipose fin clipped since all fish marked with coded wire tags (CWT) in their nose have the adipose fin removed.

Julie Shafto requested a similar spreadsheet for Lake Michigan as compared to the one in the handout for Chinook salmon stocking reduction decision process. J. Dexter/T. Grischke will get one to Frank Krist to forward electronically.

Chinook stocking will continue in the Cheboygan River and the Department is reviewing the possibility of creel coverage at that port, at least on a rotational basis.

Updates on steelhead, Atlantic salmon, brown trout and cisco – Todd Grischke: Handouts: “Atlantic salmon Stocking in Lake Huron, Concept for 2011-2015”, “Steelhead in Lake Huron”, “Updates on Lake Huron Brown Trout”, “Updates on Lake Huron Cisco”, and “MDNR Study Proposal: Atlantic Salmon Experimental Rearing Study”

Steelhead update This is the first year for stocking marked steelhead in net pens at Harbor Beach, Oscoda and Harrisville. A comparison is being made to determine if steelhead stocked after becoming acclimated in net pens survive better than steelhead stocked directly into Lake Huron. This study will continue in 2012 and 2013 and it is crucial that captured marked fish are turned in! These fish have an adipose fin clip and a coded wire tag in their nose.

Three Lake Huron tributaries including the East Branch of the Au Gres River, Riffle River, and Ocqueoc River each received a plant of 100,000 fall fingerling steelhead. These fish were not marked and measured 2-3 inches in length. Survival is anticipated to be low, but fishing opportunities should result.

Atlantic salmon experimental rearing study The Study Proposal document details the Atlantic salmon rearing experiment. Take some time to review this document. This is exciting stuff; rearing at a State facility from an eyed egg all the way through stock out! There are two parts to this study, 1) rear from an eyed egg to fall fingerling and 2) increase production of spring yearlings to a satisfactory level.

Both the Thompson and Wolf Lake State Fish Hatcheries have been used to successfully raise Atlantic salmon but currently all the rearing space is utilized for production of yearling brown trout and steelhead. There is some space available, however, at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery because of an overall reduction in Great Lakes stocking in addition to the Lake Huron Chinook salmon cuts. Emphasis will be placed on determining if production level Atlantic salmon can be obtained at the Platte River Hatchery.

Currently, tests have shown that fingerling Atlantic salmon produced at other facilities and transported to the Platte River State Hatchery can be raised to an acceptable yearling size. During 2008, eyed Atlantic salmon eggs were reared at this Hatchery but the spring fingerlings became infected with Whirling Disease and had to be destroyed. This fall a UV filter system, at a cost of $150,000, was installed on the Brundage Creek water supply to control the organisms that cause the disease. Tests will be conducted in 2011 and 2012 to determine if the new filter was successful and if Atlantic salmon can be raised from egg to yearling. This

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will be a less than a full production trial with a target of 40,000 to 120,000 yearlings raised from eggs for stocking in 2013 and 2014.

The final step in the Atlantic salmon experiment is to determine the full capacity of the Platte River State Hatchery using both the indoor and outdoor rearing space. This part of the study will depend on the success of raising Atlantic salmon from egg to yearling at this facility, the availability of sufficient egged eggs and fall fingerlings from other facilities if needed, continued availability of space at this location and enough stocking locations. This full production aspect of the study will attempt to raise between 120,000 to 240,000 yearling Atlantic salmon from egg to yearling or with a combination that could also include fall fingerlings from other hatcheries such as Lake Superior State University (LSSU). This part of the study is targeted to provide yearling fish for 2015 and 2016.

Finally, the Atlantic salmon spring yearling stocking locations will include the St. Mary’s River with approximately 40,000 to supplement LSSU’s plant of about 25,000 to reach a maximum of 65,000 or possibly up to 100,000 if approved by the 2000 Consent Decree Technical Fish Committee. The goal is to increase the size of the broodstock so enough eggs can be obtained for full production. Other proposed sites include stocking 50,000 yearlings in the Au Sable River, 20,000 in Torch Lake and if full production exceeds 120,000 other potential sites include the Ocqueoc River, Riffle River and open water plants.

We need to start looking into marking the fish and the State will be attempting to coordinate with stakeholders for assistance. Anticipate some time next summer for Frank Krist to organize assistance to mark Atlantic salmon.

Brown Trout update 2011 began the third and final stocking year of the fall yearling brown trout project. We are now entering the review phase of the study. Jim Baker’s crew surveyed the harbor at Harbor Beach on September 27 shocking and capturing 14 brown trout that appeared to be from the 2009 plant. These preliminary results indicate we are potentially starting to see some return on these fish but so far it appears that the fish are not returning in big numbers. The goal is to have a return of at least 5% and to determine more accurately how the study is progressing we will revisit this topic at the January 11, 2012 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meeting. The discussion will include the creel and charter boat data from the 2011 harvest.

Cisco Update The handout provides a summary of the results of the cisco pilot project over the last 4 years. This pilot project involved a tremendous amount of effort. Cisco are not easy to rear, requiring specific temperatures that we haven’t figured out yet. Other items that need to be addressed before full production can begin include determining optimum rearing densities, need to improve live capture techniques since eggs need to be taken from living fish, inadequate amount of personnel and financial resources and obtaining enough eggs without negatively impacting the broodstock.

The source of eggs for the project has been the St Mary’s River. The amount of eggs and the window for obtaining them in the River is limited so other source populations will be explored including Georgian Bay/North Channel, Drummond Island and Lake Superior-Apostle Island. The options will be reviewed and an update will be provided to the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee in 2012. The egg take and rearing will not be conducted this fall and winter.

Developing a strategy to efficiently recapture a large number of coded wire tags from steelhead – Jim Johnson: Handouts: “Steelhead Coded-Wire Tag Returns”, “Steelhead Need Your Help!”, and “Coded Wire Tag Drop Sites”

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Research suggests that pen acclimated and imprinted steelhead have better survival and returns to the fishery. This study will compare penned steelhead with steelhead stocked directly into Lake Huron at Harrisville, Oscoda and Harbor Beach. At each site there will be 15,000 control fish directly stocked into Lake Huron and 15,000 pen acclimated fish (20,000 each at Oscoda). This is NOT a large number of fish but it is critical for the success of the study to recover as many of these fish heads as possible! It is expected that the steelhead will migrate throughout Lake Huron so anglers at all ports need to be alert for steelhead with a missing adipose fin. This fall and winter these fish should be 12 to around 14 inches in length and anglers are strongly encouraged to keep and freeze heads from all legal steelhead with missing adipose fins and return them to the DNR. Drop off sites are listed for each county on the DNR website. The results of the survey could help to increase survival of steelhead and ultimately the fishing but angler participation in the study is vital. Perhaps a headhunter could be employed and sent to tournaments. Prospects look good for a winter creel survey of the Au Sable River since it receives a large percentage of the steelhead stocked in Lake Huron each year.

From 2008 through 2011, 20,000 of the steelhead stocked each year in the Au Sable River were marked with a coded wire tag and an adipose fin clip. Fourteen have been returned to the DNR so far and all of these steelhead were captured in Lake Michigan! This illustrates the long distances steelhead often travel and the need for anglers all over the Great Lakes to watch for steelhead and other species with missing adipose fins.

Jim and the Thumb Steelheaders have been working on a placard to inform anglers of the importance of returning heads from marked steelhead and a draft was provided at the meeting.

An update of the summer/fall forage fish hydro acoustic survey on Lake Huron – Dr. Jeff Schaeffer/Ed Roseman:

Hydro Acoustic Survey US Fish and Wildlife were very helpful during the most recent acoustic survey. They picked up five transects which allowed us (US Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center) to start surveying further south; getting every single transect completed! There is a very strong Age 0 smelt year class. Emerald shiners and bloater numbers were also up. Several cisco were taken in the North Channel.

River Mouth Project for Lake Huron Funds were secured to carry the River Mouth Project over to Lake Huron in 2012!!! Much is being learned about the importance and contributions that river mouths provide to the health of the Great Lakes.

Bottom Trawl Survey Delays caused by the weather and equipment have delayed the survey; aiming to start on Saturday, October 22. This survey starts in Southern Lake Huron and Goderich Ontario has been added this year.

Predator Diet Study Ed gave a big thanks to everyone who participated in stomach collections for the Diet Study. Smelt were very common in the stomachs of the predators for 2011. The study is concluding this year but there are still several hundred stomachs in the freezer to be processed. Data analysis will be completed in 2012 and the results will be published shortly afterward!

Protocol for observers participating at the meetings – Todd Grischke: Handouts: “Terms of Reference, Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee” and “Issue Statement for the Lake Huron Citizen Fishery Advisory Committee”

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Issues: Adding “Observers” from other jurisdictions to the Terms of Reference and changing all references of the word “decision” to “recommendation” in the Terms of Reference. The Observers would not be permitted to vote but they would be able to participate in the meeting discussions. The goal is to provide additional points of view and experiences to the meetings. The Advisory Committees were designed to provide recommendations to the DNR while final decisions are the responsibility of the Department. Since the Terms of Reference has many references to decisions the document needed to be clarified.

Committee Recommendations: 1) Does the committee agree with the concept of adding “Observer” members from other Lake Huron jurisdictional management agencies? – YES 2) Does the committee agree to change all references to the term “decision” to “recommendation”, found in the Terms of Reference – No However, to clarify that the Committee’s role it was suggested that the first paragraph of the Terms of Reference be changed instead to indicate the following: “The charge of the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee is to review and provide input recommendations and direction into the fishery goals, objectives and management plans for Lake Huron.” The Department will take this suggestion into consideration while making a final decision’.

Two minute Advisory Member fishing reports:

Jerry Lawrence – Saginaw Bay was good for walleye. There were lots of steelhead at Harbor Beach with anglers reporting limit catches. Brown trout also came into the harbor in mid September. Perch were down; however, anglers that were targeting perch were often catching limits.

Jack Noble – Harvested some nice 15 pound Chinook, running 15 miles out to a reef and the fish were full of 3-4” alewives. Steelhead were hitting in 90-120 feet of water with their stomachs full of bugs and anything edible. Brown trout are showing up in the harbor at Harbor Beach and boats are fishing for them.

Bud Donnelly – Harbor Beach held three tournaments. Steelhead numbers were up with fish ranging from 5-8 pounds. Kings were also up significantly compared to recent years, averaging 15-19 pound. Brown trout and lake trout were also included in the catch.

Forrest Williams – Michigan Fish Producers are catching record numbers of sheephead (freshwater drum). They shipped 4 ton yesterday. The sheephead have been eating gobies and mussels.

Dennis Eade – Lake Michigan had a fantastic year. It started slow in the spring, but improved monthly. The fish were healthy, with more fish entering the streams than during 2000. Snaggers have become a problem on some streams. There were many steelhead and kings with lots of salmon over 20 pounds.

Ed Retherford – Ed fished out of Alpena, 25 miles north and south. The season started with high winds and rain. Pure Michigan Campaign seemed to help bring in out-of-state visitors. June and July were good, harvesting over 14 different species. Presque Isle had tons of bait in late summer, steelhead were good when the water was cold, lake trout and kings were good when the water warmed. Browns were caught in late June and early July.

Terry Welch –In May and June walleye fishing was outstanding in the Saginaw Bay. The Charity Island area produced well during early July. During August fishing slowed in the Bay. There seemed to be a lack of big fish but plenty of smaller fish were available. Perch fishing was good this year about 5.5 miles out of Au Gres hitting in 40 feet of water. Perch averaged inches and were hitting in good numbers. From the first through the third week of August steelhead fishing was good from Point Lookout to Singing Bridge

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Rick Kretzschmar – Saginaw Bay walleye seem to have a low weight to length ratio and they appeared to be about 1/3 smaller this season. The fish looked healthy and in good condition, however. The weather was bad and until June.

Gene Kirvan – Gene fished out of Oscoda from Au Sable Point to Greenbush. The summer offshore fishery was good. Early lake trout from 8 to 12 pounds and smaller Chinook salmon were common. From July through the summer the fish were loaded with smelt, shiners and bugs. Steelhead fishing was great with limits coming in with fish in the 6 to 8 pound range! Decent numbers of Atlantic salmon were caught in the 6 to 7 pound range.

Dave Borgeson – Smelt and alewife appear to be concentrating in the north especially around the Straits. Cheboygan River salmon have been full of smelt and alewife.

Judy Ogden – Port Sanilac provided a mixed bag and was better than the last couple of years. Angler effort was low. April-May produced Chinook salmon, lake trout, steelhead, Atlantic salmon and an occasional brown trout. Some lake trout were over 14 pounds and the kings in the spring ranged from 11 to 16 pounds. July and August brought in steelhead, salmon, and lake trout. Some walleye showed up in August. In September, Kings and brown trout came into the harbor, increasing the number of anglers fishing from the harbor walls.

Doug Niergarth – Alpena saw lots of steelhead in the 5 to 8 pound range being caught.

Julie Shafto – Rogers City and Presque Isle saw much rough weather from spring into July. June brought a mixed bag including steelhead, Chinook, with some lake trout and brown trout. Overall, lake trout were down this year but good numbers were caught at Presque Isle in shallow water (25 feet) during May and early June. Also, early in the season so many midges were hatching that a mask was needed to stand by shore for extended periods. August through October produced the best Chinook fishery in a several years and Swan Bay was crowded with anglers again. A huge hatch of Age 0 smelt appeared mid August through October. Many steelhead and a large number of both mature and immature Chinook salmon followed the batfish and nearly every stomach examined was stuffed with 1 ½ to 2 inch smelt. This year fishing the preferred water temperatures appeared to be more important with the thermocline often being down near 100 feet.

Mick Higgins – Weather in Harrisville kept the boats off early in the season. Then came the bait fish!!!! Good numbers of steelhead did come in, and anglers were marking tons of fish. Getting them to bite, however, was the challenge! The fish appeared healthy and Harrisville saw the best return of salmon in five years.

Jim Johnson – The Saginaw Bay survey showed good numbers of shad being present again this year so that may have slowed the walleye fishing in the Bay later in the summer. The new reefs off of Alpena are producing large numbers of smallmouth bass and rock bass.

Dennis White – The St. Marys River Atlantic salmon fishing started out good this spring. Mid July brought warmer water and the fish quit biting until September when the water temperature cooled to 62 - 63 F degrees. River volume was not great this season with water flows being inconsistent. Kings remain low, but pressure was also low making it hard to judge. Pinks were down this year compared to the last two years but this was a naturally off year for pinks. Perch were strong in the spring and fall averaging 8-10”. Good age classes of smallmouth bass up to 6 pounds were harvested. Walleye are holding their own and cisco fishing was good. Pike fishing was mediocre.

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Bill Olar – The East Branch of the Au Gres River has good numbers of steelhead. The browns just started showing up at the Marina where they were stocked in Tawas. Three Atlantic salmon were caught in the East Branch of the Au Gres River this year . Whitefish fishing at Tawas has been down the last couple of years since commercial fishing efforts have increased in the area.

Discussion of the 2011 lake trout harvest in MH-1 (Rogers City to Drummond Island) and the potential of new harvest limits and regulations for 2012 and an introduction to a proposed Tribal Assessment Fishery for Cisco in Northern Lake Huron – Nick Popoff:

2011 lake trout harvest in MH-1 The model that establishes harvest limits known, as TACs (total allowable catch) has not been working completely and it is predicting unrealistically high allowable catches. The large number of wild lake trout being produced and the slower growth of most lake trout are affecting the model. Work is still being done to improve the model therefore; regulations for 2012 are yet to be determined.

The 2011 recreational harvest limit (TAC) for MH-1 was 19,893 but through August of this year only about 11,799 pounds have been harvested. The data are not complete for September but it is not anticipated that the amount of harvest will increase much above that number. The results show that 36% of this catch was wild and 40% by weight was illegal lake trout over the size limit. There was a long discussion at the meeting concerning why anglers were not following the rules and kept fish over the size limit. It was suggested one of the main reasons for the violations was the confusion caused by the Fishing Guide not having the correct size limit. Other Advisors felt the lack of law enforcement at the launch sites was a major contributing factor since it is very rare to be checked by a conservation officer at some locations.

Since the Fishing Guide is due to be printed before data analysis and model changes will be completed it was determined that an innovative method of dealing with the projected minimum size limit for 2012 must be developed to reduce the confusion. Todd presented proposals for discussion. One proposal was similar to the method used for the Lake Erie walleye creel limit. The creel limit is not provided in the Fishing Guide but an angler is directed to call a number or visit the DNR website for the walleye creel limit each year for Lake Erie. Another method would establish a conservative lake trout minimum size limit that would most likely be under the calculated limit and publish it in the Fishing Guide. There was much discussion and some members felt that having a creel limit published in the Guide was important to reduce confusion but there was concern expressed that if a conservative minimum size limit was placed in the Guide and then the model showed that larger lake trout could be safely harvested the recreational fishery would needlessly suffer.

Committee Recommendations for addressing the lake trout minimum size limit in the 2012 Fishing Guide: Recommend no size limit be listed in the Fishing Guide but to call or visit a website for details – 11 Recommend placing a conservative size limit in the Fishing Guide – 3

Todd will propose to the Natural Resources Commission that the lake trout size limit for MH-1 be left blank in the new Fishing Guide but have a phone number and web page instructions noted so anglers can determine the lake trout size limit for 2012 by calling or visiting the DNR website.

Tribal Assessment Fishery for Cisco in Northern Lake Huron: This is a tribal initiative. The goal is to evaluate the feasibility of a cisco commercial fishery. Fisheries Division received the proposal on October 7th; with a proposed start date of October 17th. The State provided comments on the proposal since the Consent Decree language Sec. XVI.B, does not offer that State an informal method to oppose the project. The Department commented on the lack of time to review, cisco rehabilitation strategy, limited data available, DNR gamete collection, Lake Huron Citizens Fishery

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Advisory Committee review, perch fishery, and onboard monitoring. The Department did not formally object but we are not currently supportive.

This assessment will be conducted outside the Les Cheneaux Island complex and will be allowed from approximately 2 miles west of Brulee Point to slightly east of Beaver Tail Point in Grids 303 and 304. The fishing will take place in water less than 36 feet deep by one fisher. There will be on-board monitoring and daily reporting. The cisco harvest limit will be 20,000 pounds per season with no more than 10,000 pounds per grid. No more than 6,000 pounds of lake trout may be taken with a limit of 3,000 pounds per grid. The daily limit of lake trout is 500 pounds per day. A comparison will be made between bottom and suspended gill nets with a mesh size of less than 3 inches. The number of nets will be restricted to four 1,200-foot nets.

The assessment season is October 15 to November 15 during 2011 and 2012 with annual reports due to be submitted to the Great Lakes 2000 Decree Technical Fisheries Committee by March 2012 and March 2013.

Questions: Contact Mark Ebener or Tom Gorenflo @ 906-632-0072

Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates:

Law Enforcement Division – It is that time of year again when the ‘Ghost Ship’ may start showing up. If you see it, please report it to the RAP Hotline 1-800-292-7800. There has been a personnel change within law enforcement so Craig Milkowski and Larry Desloover will be more available to patrol commercial fishing activities in Lake Huron during 2012.

Jim Dexter, Acting Chief, Fisheries Division – This has been a really good meeting! Great participation! I am really happy to hear the positive enthusiasm regarding the fishery! We are estimating revenue deficits for 2012 and beyond. Monies do not look good for the next three years.

Todd Grischke, Basin Coordinator, Fisheries Division – After the Terms of Reference is reviewed by the other Great Lakes Fishery Advisory Committees the updated version will be provided to Frank Krist for electronic distribution to this Committee.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor, Fisheries Division – Handout:-- “Summary of 2011 Walleye Plantings from rearing ponds in the Southern Lake Huron Fisheries Management Unit” We wrapped up the annual walleye rearing program and are providing a summary today of the number stocked at the various locations. Most of the lakes stocked have not received fish in 5 years due to VHS restrictions. Harbor Beach will have a Creel Clerk for winter creel while also covering Port Austin.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor, Fisheries Division – The crew is exhausted! The fall walleye assessments conducted at lakes stocked this spring look good for the young of the year (YOY). We will be checking to determine the number of wild and hatchery produced walleye in these lakes which includes the large comprehensive study of the Inland Waterway System. Chinook at the Swan River produced a better return than the past few years.

The original meeting dates established for 2012 had to be adjusted and below are the original dates and the new dates when the meetings will be held in April, June and October:

Changed from April 4, 2012 to new date of April 11, 2012 Changed from June 20, 2012 to new date of June 19, 2012 Changed from October 17, 2012 to new date of October 16, 2012

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Minutes

Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Meeting Ralph A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Attendees: Jim Baker, Ron Beyer, Dave Borgeson, Chuck Bronte, Ron Christie, Jim DeClerck, Jim Dexter, Bud Donnelly, Rita Dubiel, Dennis Eade, Ed Eisch, Dave Fielder, Tom Goniea, Todd Grischke, Tom Hamilton, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Steve Lepeak, Eric MacMillan, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Doug Niergarth, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Nick Popoff, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Dana Serafin, Julie Shafto, Fred Sterns, Jan VanAmberg, Terry Walsh, Gary Whelan, Dennis White and Tod Williams.

New Committee Members Appointed:

Mr. Rick Kretzschmar – Rick is a member of the Saginaw Bay Walleye Club and is very active with many types of outdoor activities including fishing in the open water and through the ice.

Captain Dennis White – Dennis is a member of the Area Sportsmen Club and is a Charter Captain fishing the St. Mary’s River and northern Lake Huron. Dennis is currently working with Rogers Greil, manager of the Lake Superior State University Aquatics Laboratory, to study Atlantic salmon movement in the St. Marys River.

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the October 19, 2011 meeting were acknowledged and approved as is.

Quantifying the bycatch of Saginaw Bay’s commercial trap net fishery – Eric MacMillan, Michigan State University:

The main bycatch species in Saginaw Bay during the study was walleye. The Bay was once the second largest commercial walleye fishery in the Great Lakes until the fishing collapsed around 1944. Besides walleye, the bycatch of lake trout, drum and suckers were determined.

Bycatch is the unintentional capture of fish and possibly other organisms not directly targeted by fishing. Total bycatch mortality consists of the initial fish mortality including floating and sinking dead fish removed from the nets. Total bycatch mortality also includes delayed fish mortality. The major component of bycatch mortality is dead floating fish and this was the aspect examined by this study.

Bycatch is not well understood. Past studies have been of short duration and bycatch is often not determined for many fisheries. For accurate population size estimations, however, bycatch must be incorporated.

Research Objectives: 1) Determine how much bycatch and bycatch mortality exists 2) Determine what factors influence bycatch and bycatch mortality 3) Determine seasonal bycatch totals

Management Implications: 1) Reduce bycatch uncertainty 2) Suggest ways to decrease bycatch and bycatch mortality 3) Application to other Great Lakes trap net fisheries

Results: Inner Bay - There were 67 lifts with a total harvest of approximately 8,000 walleye, 4000 suckers, 3,500 freshwater drum, very few northern pike and a few lake trout. The two most important factors for increasing walleye bycatch per lift were the month fished and soak time (the time between net lifts). During the month of May, walleye bycatch was over 3 times higher than during June. During the months of July and August, the bycatch of walleye was low. Mortality of the walleye in the bycatch ranged from 30% to 40% during June to May and nearly 60% during July and August. As the depth increased, walleye mortality increased and additional soak time resulted in a larger bycatch.

Outer Bay - There were 91 lifts with a total harvest of about 3,500 lake trout along with a few walleye and burbot. The number of lake trout appearing in the bycatch per lift increased from about 3 during June, to about 20 during May, to about 45 during July to about 70 during August. Mortality of the lake trout bycatch ranged from around 2% in June, to around 10% during May, to around 25% during July, and to around 45% during August. The most important factor regarding lake trout bycatch survival was surface water temperature with mortality increasing as the temperatures increased. Few walleyes were part of the bycatch in the Outer Bay but mortality ranged from 80% to nearly 100% in these deeper nets.

Total Bycatch: The lake trout bycatch from May through August in the Outer Bay was 9,113 caught and 2,979 dead. The walleye bycatch in the Inner Bay was 51,206 caught and 23,475 dead. The total estimated walleye mortality for the entire fishing season from March through December was 102,000 fish.

Reducing Bycatch: Reducing soak time (the time between net lifts) and adjusting the time of year fishing may reduce bycatch.

Reducing Mortality: Mortality for walleye bycatch can be reduced by reducing the depth fished and mortality for lake trout bycatch can be reduced by fishing when the water surface temperature is cooler.

Conclusions: More research is needed to better define the amount of bycatch and to confirm the best methods of reducing bycatch and mortality.

Identifying sources of walleye mortality in Saginaw Bay – Dave Fielder MDNR:

The commercial harvest of walleye was permitted historically in Saginaw Bay until the collapse in the 1940s. The recent disappearance of alewife, which ate walleye fry, allowed walleye reproduction to surge!

The Michigan DNR has been using a newly developed computer model known as a Statistical Catch at Age model to quantify the various mortality sources for Saginaw Bay walleye. The model tells us the number of walleye in the bay. At our peak in 2007, the model estimated that there were 8 million walleye! This

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number has declined some, probably to a sustainable level. Stocking was stopped in 2006 since the vast majority of Saginaw Bay walleye are naturally reproduced.

By virtue of walleye movement to the main basin, the DNR believes that the primary sources of mortality exerted on Saginaw Bay walleyes are (1) the recreational fishery in the Bay and up and down the coast of Lake Huron in the Michigan waters, (2) some proportion are exploited by the commercial fisheries (trap net and gillnet) in the Ontario waters of the southern main basin, (3) some proportion are believed to be exploited by the tribal gillnet fishery in the northern most reaches of the Lake Huron and (4) some walleyes are killed as commercial bycatch in the State licensed commercial fishery that operates in Saginaw Bay (newly quantified by Eric MacMillan’s study at MSU).

In his presentation, Dave sought to compare the relative magnitude of these sources of walleye mortality and depict the overall walleye population size from the model. He cautioned that the model is still preliminary and that further refinement may alter the estimates and change their interpretation. At present, however, he noted that the total exploitation rate exerted on Saginaw Bay walleye by all sources including commercial by-kill does not appear to threaten the current healthy population. The Statistical Catch at Age model made use of the MSU estimates both the primary value for May through August and also the larger expanded yearly total estimate. Dave Fielder cautioned that the model’s calculations for the estimate of by-kill before 2010 had considerable uncertainty since several assumptions were made. Dave’s presentation included some graphics that attempted to indicate the relative size of harvest or by-kill for each source of mortality. Dave indicated that there are several research projects that are currently being conducted on Saginaw Bay walleye that will shed more light on the subject in the near future and help refine the model’s estimates. In addition, anticipated is a decision analysis method that will be a tool to help fishery managers evaluate various management options.

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator, remarked that the commercial by-kill of walleye in the Bay is not a new phenomenon and that there is just a measure of it for the first time. He pointed out that there may be some options to regulate trap net soak time and other potential options in the future in an attempt to minimize by-kill but no decisions have been made regarding changes to management of the Saginaw Bay walleye fishery

Question and Answer session for Eric MacMillan’s and Dave Fielder’s presentations:

1) How many commercial licenses are there in Saginaw Bay? There are 20 licenses (14 trap net licenses) on the Inner Bay. However, only 10 are actively fishing. The Outer Bay has two licenses (10 nets each) that are both trap net fisheries. 2) Soak time was clarified as the time the net is in the water between lifts. 3) It was suggested by an Advisor that a buy-out of some commercial fishing licenses in the Inner Bay would reduce conflicts and be better for economy. 4) There was a discussion of the next step that might be taken to reduce bycatch and it appears that more onboard monitoring is needed to better evaluate alternatives such as soak time and seasonal adjustments.

An update and video of the new artificial reefs in Thunder Bay – Jim Johnson, MDNR:

The Thunder Bay Reef Restoration project investigated three problems: 1) the extent that lake trout and whitefish require clean rocky substrates for egg incubation, 2) why lake trout reproduction is low and 3) why whitefish reproduction has declined to near zero since 1998.

Cladophored Reefs: Jim presented a video that showed a Cladophored reef that was once used for spawning. Jim developed the term Cladophored by illustrating how a clean rocky reef that was recently exposed to a profuse growth of the

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filamentous algae known as Cladophora was clobbered into an unrecognizable mass of weeds thus becoming Cladophored. Prior to the food web changes, these rocks were clean but since 2003, much prime spawning habitat has been Cladophored.

Goals: The Reef Restoration project had four goals: 1) mitigate for loss of reef habitat, 2) improve spawning habitat and reproduction of lake trout, 3) enhance spawning habitat for walleye and whitefish and 4) and provide habitat attractive to smallmouth bass and other bottom dwelling species.

Number and Size of the New Reefs: There were two years of preconstruction investigation of existing reefs, mapping and studying reef design. The study will continue for a total of 5 years to compare artificial and native reefs. We have successfully placed 1.82 acres of added artificial spawning habitat in Thunder Bay just offshore of the Cement Plant. The reefs were either 5 or 10 feet high and there were 8 round reefs 30 feet in diameter, 24 study reefs 35 x 75 feet and 1 large reef 300 x 75 x 5 feet.

Monitoring for 3 Years: The reefs will be monitored for the next 3 years with egg traps and bags during the fall, fry traps in the spring and fall survey netting for spawning lake trout and whitefish. A netting of spawning lake trout and whitefish on the reefs was conducted in October and November of 2011. Most of the spawning lake trout and whitefish were caught on the degraded and weed covered natural East Reef including 224 wild lake trout, 153 hatchery lake trout and 92 whitefish. In addition, other species were caught on the reefs including 399 rock bass, 336 smallmouth bass, 199 sucker, 89 walleye and 50 burbot.

Questions to be Answered: There were very few lake trout and whitefish caught on the new reefs therefore; if you build a reef, will they come to spawn? Is there an odor that attracts the spawners to the old reef? Are the fish using precise navigation abilities to return to the same location? Is there something about the new reefs that repel the spawners? How long before the new reefs become degraded by weeds? Can fish reproduce successfully on the Cladophored (weed covered) reefs? What is the best design for the new reefs? These are questions that we hope to answer.

Mass marking currently of Chinook salmon and lake trout with potentially other species – Charles Bronte, USFWS:

This is a comprehensive, coordinated fish tagging/marking and data recovery program. All of the state and tribal fishery management agencies in the Great Lakes region are supporting the project. This program will provide better information on performance of hatchery reared salmon and trout and make it easier to determine fish of wild origin. The fishery is too valuable not to have the best information possible to make management decisions. This program will provide knowledge about natural reproduction of native and non- native salmonines; movement; contribution to sport, tribal commercial and subsistence fisheries; identify fish and hatcheries that have the greatest returns to the fishery and determine accurate year class strength.

The tagging technique is the insertion of a tiny metal Coded-Wire-Tag into the nose of fish with a clipped adipose fin. This process is conducted automatically by a Northwest Marine Technology AutoFish SCT Mass Marking Trailer. The trailer automatically sorts fish by size, measures the fish, records the data, clips the adipose fin and inserts a Coded-Wire-Tag tag at a rate of 5000-8000 fish per hour. The fish are never dewatered!

The program has been funded yearly through earmarks and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Earmarks are no longer allowed so with no base funding after 2012 there is no financial support on the horizon. To

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finish capitalization of the program, $4.8 million is required. To operate the entire program annually (tagging, salaries, head recovery, database management service, etc) approximately $5.9 million is required each year.

During 2011, all of the hatchery produced lake trout and Chinook salmon stocked in Lakes Michigan and Huron were mark by the program. If a base funding source is obtained there is the potential of marking other species such as steelhead.

An update on the fall yearling brown trout study and committee recommendations for future brown trout stocking in Lake Huron – Jim Baker and Jim Johnson, MDNR:

Last year, 2011 was the third year of stocking fall yearling jumbo brown trout. The plan included stocking fish for three years and evaluating the return for an additional 2 years. The stocking sites included Alpena (20,000), Tawas (20,000), Harbor Beach, (20,000), Rogers City (5,000), Port Sanilac (10,000), and Lexington (10,000). Stockings totaled 85,000 per year. The yearling fish were raised an extra 5 months in the hatchery from a size of 6 to 7 inches to 11 to 13 inches. To justify the cost of these large stocked fish, a goal of at least a 5% return to the anglers at each stocking site was established.

It was hoped that these much larger fish would be too big for most predator fishes to eat and by stocking late in the fall it was also hoped that the fish-eating birds would have already migrated south for the winter. The onshore migration of vast numbers of emerald shiners gave hope that there would be an abundant food supply for the newly-stocked brown trout. The thinking was that if the brown trout could make it through their first winter, learn to feed, grow, and disperse away from the stocking sites, brown trout might again find a place in the Lake Huron fish community.

Brown trout rarely live beyond 3 years and over 70% of the brown trout return to be harvested as 2-year-old fish after spending only one winter in the Lake. Because of this, at the end of 2011 the survival and growth rates for the vast majority of fish stocked during 2009 and 2010 could be estimated. The criteria set for success was to count harvested brown trout that were at least 16 inches long to ensure that the fish survived at least the first winter after stocking.

An analysis of the fish harvested showed that the 2-year-old brown trout averaged 16.9 inches in length and weighed 2.5 pounds which was much smaller than 2-year-old fish stocked during 2002 to 2005. The 2-year- old brown trout from the earlier plant averaged 22.9 inches in length and weighed 6.7 pounds. The lack of alewives probably contributed to the decline in size.

Creel studies at Lexington and Port Sanilac suggest that the brown trout harvest is about 20% higher if surveys are conducted through the months of November to March. Adjustments were made to the harvest data to reflect this factor at the other ports yet the information through 2011 still showed that the return to the angler’s harvest is only about 0.68% of the number stocked which is far short of the goal of 5%. The creel data for 2012 will be evaluated at the end of the season and if the current trend continues the stocking of brown trout in Lake Huron will not be resumed.

Grant obtained for a new nearshore fishery survey in Lake Huron – Jim Johnson, MDNR:

The food web changes have shifted more of the offshore open water fish production to the bottom of the shallow water areas. The near shore zones contain vast amounts of rocky habitat in Lake Huron which has prevented extensive survey work of not only of the fish but bottom organisms because most standard sampling equipment was not designed for use over hard bottoms. This grant will allow the use of modified sampling equipment to assess the fish community from shore to a depth of 100 feet. Species that could be benefiting from the food web changes and will be represented in the survey include musky, smallmouth bass,

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walleye, lake sturgeon, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, yellow perch and round gobies. Funding is provided through the EPA Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative for Lake Huron. This year, 2012 will be a period of intensive sampling and research in Lake Huron by multiple agencies.

The study will focus on Thunder Bay and Southern Lake Huron and sampling techniques will include beach seining, bottom trawling, large and small mesh gill netting, trap netting and electrofishing. Five vessels will assist with the survey and a masters student will complete a thesis by participating in the study.

The goals of the study include: 1) use beach seining to describe nearshore fish communities, 2) study the populations of smallmouth bass, walleye and yellow perch, 3) study the food items consumed by the shallow water dwelling fish, 4) determine the type of habitat that each species prefers and 5) determine sampling errors caused when the survey gear interacts with rocky and snag filled bottom habitat. In addition, the Thunder Bay River will be studied to determine if nutrients are drifting into Thunder Bay from the River or if the exotic mussels are utilizing the nutrients before the they arrive in the Bay. In addition, if the nutrients make it to the Bay, efforts will be made to determine if any of the nutrients drift beyond the shallow water to support the offshore communities.

Discussion of the focus and format for the 2012 Spring Sea Grant Workshops – Brandon Schroeder:

We are still in the initial planning process and are soliciting recommendations, opinions and feedback. The workshops had a lot more participation with the 3 hour evening format that was used during 2011. Last year the meetings started at 6 p.m. and concluded at 9 p.m. The hosts and speakers were great and the feedback was from the participants was good.

For 2012, there are no big-ticket items like Chinook salmon stocking reductions, so suggestions on topics and locations were discussed. It was suggested that a theme approach be used that would focus on the “The Positives of Lake Huron”. Some agenda suggestions included, excellent walleye and improving yellow perch fisheries, forage update with a discussion of the surging comeback of smelt, Atlantic salmon hatchery updates, steelhead study with emphasis on anglers returning tagged fish heads, success with cormorant treatments, cisco hatchery production update, increasing wild lake trout reproduction, the diet study and the excellent diverse fishery that has developed throughout the Lake.

The committee continued to discuss potential topics and locations, with three locations being established including Ubly, Alpena and Cedarville. The plan is to rotate each year between Ubly and Harbor Beach and between Alpena and Oscoda. Frank and Brandon will work on establishing agendas and obtaining the speakers.

Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates:

Jim Dexter, Acting Fisheries Chief – Lake Michigan is in the same place that Lake Huron was last year evaluating the stocking levels of Chinook salmon. They are using a new decision analysis model, working with constituents on management strategies, and hosting public meetings.

The Department’s budget is not good because of declining revenue. Both hunting and fishing license fees were down for 2012 and the trend has been downward for several years. Also, since matching federal dollars depend on the number of licenses sold that source of income has decreased by 6% from 2011. There is no choice but to implement significant reductions for 2012.

Craig Milkowski, Law Enforcement – The Coast Guard asked for a group patrol in November. Larry Desloover is out with the Coast Guard now pulling Canadian gill nets in US waters. During this time of the year, there are often reports of mystery boats on the water that must be investigated.

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Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor – Typical winter work is occurring including aging scales and spines; mending nets; trailer repair and writing up survey summaries.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor – We are working on fall walleye assessments from inland lakes and the large Inland Waterway Study. The crew is also working on the Wild Rose and Sturgeon River brown trout strains. Additional winter activity includes habitat work and report writing.

Gary Whalen, Hatchery, Tribal Coordination Unit and Habitat Supervisor – Gary reported on a conference he attended that had a presentation by Mark Duda from Responsive Management Research Firm, http://www.responsivemanagement.com/. The business conducts surveys throughout the country to determine attitudes of people toward the natural resources and outdoor activities including hunting and fishing. A highlight was that there is very good support over the country for hunting and fishing opportunities but participation is decreasing because individuals have less time available and some are losing interest. Family and work responsibilities are increasing which leaves less time for outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. The presentation Gary mentioned from the conference presented by Responsive Management is attached.

The meeting dates for the remaining 2012 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meetings are: April 11, 2012, June 19, 2012 October 16, 2012.

The meeting adjourn at 3:00 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Minutes Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) RAM Center, Roscommon, MI Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Attendees: Jim Baker, Ed Barr, Dave Borgeson, Pete Butchko, Jim DeClerck, Dave Fielder, Todd Grischke, Tom Hamilton, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Frank Krist, Bill Leichtman, Steve Lepeak, Shirley Martin, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Doug Niergarth, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Ken Pletcher, Nick Popoff, Ron Ramsey, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Jeff Schaeffer, Brandon Schroeder, Dana Serafin, Rick Kretzschmar, Jerry Serafin, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Fred Sterns, Paul Wendler, Gary Whelan, Dennis White, Forrest Williams

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

The minutes from the January 11, 2012 meeting were acknowledged and approved as is.

General Update – Frank Krist:

For the Tuesday June 19, 2012 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting, Atlantic salmon and cisco plus one or two additional items will be on the agenda. This should allow plenty of time for committee discussions. The Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee just had their meeting. They are struggling with Chinook salmon stocking decisions since the forage base in Lake Michigan is now similar to the forage base in Lake Huron when the alewife crashed. The Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee voted to recommend no salmon plants in Lake Michigan for the next two years followed by a reevaluation. The Director, Rodney Stokes was present to witness the debate and he noted that even though it was a very challenging issue there was an excellent exchange of information that was discussed in a professional manner. The Director indicated his support for the Citizen Advisory Committees.

2011 Creel Summary – Jim Johnson / Ed Barr MDNR:

The report, A summary of creel survey harvest estimates, Lake Huron 2011 was distributed. There has been a trend of relative stability for the trout and salmon fisheries for the last 6 years with some high points. Note on page 7 of the attached report, steelhead catch rates broke an all time record. Also on page 9, the walleye fishery in the main basin has increased 7 fold since the alewife crashed and are providing fish to all areas of Lake Huron during the summer months.

In 2011, Alpena ran a day/night creel comparison. The evening creel ran from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. to evaluate walleye anglers for 3 months. During the four-hour night creel, three times as many walleye were caught as compared to an eight-hour day shift. The complete report is attached*.

The Natives Strike Back – Jim Johnson:

Lake Michigan has trillions of zebra mussels and quagga mussels. Lake Huron has fewer mussels which leads to the question, ‘Why’? Native species such as lake whitefish, smallmouth bass, lake trout, walleye and lake sturgeon are thriving. Therefore, looking forward we need to ask, ‘Who’s eating the mussels’? In Lake Huron mussels appear to be a staple in the diets of round goby, freshwater drum, suckers, diving ducks and lake whitefish; with each whitefish eating as much as 6.3 pounds of larger mussels per year. Not only do round gobies eat the mussels, but also the native smallmouth bass, lake whitefish, walleye and lake trout eat the gobies. It is estimated that there are 100 million gobies in Lake Huron that eat around 20 trillion mussels each year.

Nearshore Fish Community Study – Jim Johnson:

The nearshore areas appear to contain the most productive fisheries but the dilemma is that only the offshore waters have been monitored regularly. The mussels could be capturing the nutrients that drive productivity of the fisheries before the nutrients move to deeper water. Fortunately, in 2012 funding was provided for the:

Nearshore Fish Community Study which will explore the following: • Focus: Thunder Bay & Lexington and; • Compare with Saginaw Bay and Les Cheneaux area; • Describe the fish community; • Describe the prey consumed; • Distribution of fish by depth and substrate; • Effect of substrate or bottom types on assessment catch; • At Lexington compare with 1977 data The goal is to learn much about how the bottom substrate affects the fishery. Lake Huron has much more hard and rocky bottoms than Lake Michigan and harder surfaces provide more cover than sand and mud so Lake Huron could have more productive nearshore fisheries.

The water from shore to about 60 feet will be sampled intensely including: • Beach seining: • Electrofishing – Trap nets – Gill nets – Trawling • Nearshore lower food web – Role of the newly introduced exotic “Bloody Red Shrimp” (Hemimysis) – Diets of round gobies – Diet analysis of predators

Several DNR and other agency researchers will participate including: • Alpena Fishery Research Station – Hiring a 6-month summer worker • Lake St. Clair Fishery Research Station – Hiring a 2-yr technician to assist with field work and process all data • Central Michigan University – Graduate student and student assistants • Fish and Wildlife Service: Electrofishing boats for sampling smallmouth bass and gobies

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In support of the Nearshore Study the EPA’s Coordinated Science & Monitoring Program will participate by focusing on Lake Huron during 2012. The effort rotates to a different Great Lake each year with intense monitoring occurring on Lake Huron during 2002, 2007 and 2012. This year’s effort will focus on the Thunder Bay watershed, nutrients, lower food web and the offshore fishery since the MDNR is focusing on the nearshore fishery.

The other collaborators for the Coordinated Science & Monitoring Program include: • EPA: Providing funding, and conduct water quality work; • DEQ: Watershed nutrient work, fund administration (Office of the Great Lakes); • USGS: Watershed rivermouth nutrient flow, offshore prey fish assessments; • NOAA: Bathymetry and benthic invertebrate monitoring • Environment Canada: nutrients and benthos • University of Michigan: Substrate mapping, water quality

An example of a potential outcome is to learn more about smallmouth bass which may be the fish of the future in the near shore fishery. They are present in the north from the Les Cheneaux Islands to the south in Saginaw Bay. Smallmouth bass are a perfect predator on rusty crawfish and round gobies. They can spawn efficiently since the males guard the nests. They also contend with long warm summers better than other species. A discussion of the Nearshore Study is attached*.

The Expanding Walleye Fishery with highlights from Thunder Bay – Dave Fielder, MDNR:

In 2003, walleye populations boomed with numbers peaking in 2007 at over 12 million fish. Numbers have come back down a bit, but appear stable and still remain at high levels. Fishery biologists have been jaw tagging walleye for many years, with the returns helping to track movement. A new study specifically designed to track walleye movement via an implanted transmitter placed in adult walleyes has begun. During April 2011, 200 walleye were implanted from the Tittabawasee River and another 200 walleyes from the Maumee River. The batteries have a 3 year life span so much information should be obtained from the transmitters. To determine the direction and distance that the walleye are traveling a large number of receivers were located from the Maumee River to Bois Blanc Island along the shoreline.

Early evidence is showing that a large percentage of the walleyes in Saginaw Bay move out of the Bay by June 1. The fish have been recorded at that time as far north as the Straits of Mackinac with some fish moving toward Southern Lake Huron. It appears that a significant number of walleyes that contribute to the excellent fishery in Thunder Bay travel from Saginaw Bay during early summer. Before the study is completed there should be a good understanding of the extent that the Saginaw walleye population contributes to the fisheries throughout Lake Huron.

Atlantic Salmon Experimental Rearing Study Progress and Overview – Dave Borgeson, MDNR:

Overview of the Study: Atlantic salmon have traditionally been reared at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) and released in the St. Mary’s River. With Atlantic salmon showing up throughout Lake Huron and considering the low number stocked, the numbers showing up were staggering. The Atlantic salmon have adapted well to the ecosystem changes and appear to offer much potential to improve the Lake Huron fishery. After extensive discussion, it was decided that an experimental rearing study would be established to determine if the fish could be raised at production level in the Platte River State Hatchery. Difficulties were encounter early when an attempt was made to raise eggs to the yearling stage and whirling disease was detected in the very young fish. It was determined that whirling disease could be bypassed if Atlantic salmon were reared starting with

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fall fingerling transferred from other hatcheries. To address whirling disease a UV water treatment system was installed in the fall of 2011 on the Brundage Creek water supply to disinfect the water. Dredging of Spring Pond is scheduled for this August which should provide additional safeguards against the disease. To test the UV upgrade, eggs obtained last fall were moved to the Platte River Hatchery and currently 116,000 fingerlings show no sign of whirling disease, however, the disease usually manifests later in the rearing cycle so it is too early to determine if the changes were successful. The completion of this stage will determine if full production from egg to yearling size can be successful at this hatchery.

Other Atlantic salmon rearing capabilities at the Platte River Hatchery need to be determined including documenting the full production capacity of the small outdoor raceways, finding the capacity of the large indoor raceways and determining the possible upper limit of the Atlantic salmon production for the facility. Finally, an evaluation will be conducted to determine if the production affects the effluent discharges which must comply with established standards.

The Status of the Atlantic Salmon Rearing Study: St. Marys River fish continue to be used as the brood stock. About 80,000 yearlings have been reared in the Platte River Hatcher and are surviving well and are scheduled to be stocked in the St. Marys River during May at approximately 6 inches in length as yearlings.

Future phase production: Work will continue to determine the capability of the Platte River Hatchery to rear Atlantic salmon on a full production scale in 2013-2014 providing up to 120,000 Atlantic salmon with production reaching 120,000- 160,000 yearlings in 2015-2016.

Entering Phase II of the project to determine potential new locations for stocking Atlantic salmon: There will be a discussion at the Tuesday June 19, 2012 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting reviewing information about potential stocking locations for Atlantic salmon.

An overview of the Atlantic salmon experimental rearing study is attached*.

Status of the Prey Fish in Lake Huron and Related Research Projects – Jeff Schaeffer, US Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center:

Prey Fish Status: The 2011 bottom trawl survey of the forage species had a slight uptick, largely due to increases in bloater. The acoustic survey also showed a slight increase in bloater and an increase emerald shiner numbers. There was a strong hatch of smelt during 2011 but the adult smelt density remains low. The system is starting to look very stable with not much change from year to year.

Another project that is ongoing is the ‘Rivermouths and the Great Lakes, Freshwater Estuaries in Freshwater Seas’: This study is investigating the function that rivermouths provide to the ecology of both streams and adjacent lakes. One full year of data is now complete. The importance of rivermouths is not well known, however, these areas are important because they are where people interact, commercial shipping and recreational boating take place and fishery and wildlife resources thrive. Rivermouths are often major nurseries for larval fish. We began studying rivermouths extensively in 2011. Rivermouths provide a mixing zone of lake water and river water and one amazing fact is that rivers often flow backward with lake water present far upstream! In 2012, the Rivermouth Survey will be moving to Lake Huron to extensively study the Thunder Bay River!

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Cormorant Management in Thunder Bay and Saginaw Bay – Dave Fielder, MDNR:

Thunder Bay has been at near goal levels for a few years, however, reproduction of whitefish has not recovered. Since the cormorants have stabilized at much lower levels there have been no complaints from Grand and Long Lakes about cormorant management problems.

Cormorants in Saginaw Bay largely originate from nesting birds on the Little Charity Island and Spoils Island at the mouth of the river. The population on Little Charity is still increasing while the bird density on Spoils Island remains stable. There are a substantial number of nests and birds! Cormorants affect fish in two main ways, 1) by eating the species (predation) and 2) by eating the food of the species (competition).

Walleye diets contain high numbers of yellow perch. Therefore, the yellow perch population is decreasing for more reasons than just cormorants. Potential mortality of yellow perch is as high as the 80%. Rookery growth for cormorants in Saginaw Bay is not yet at carrying capacity. No direct connection has been established yet between fish populations in Saginaw Bay and cormorants.

A discussion followed that focused on determining if work could be started in the Bay to show the potential impacts cormorants might be having on yellow perch, walleye and other fish populations. Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator and Peter Butchko, US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services Director agreed to coordinate on a plan that may begin preliminary work during 2013. The lack of funding and personnel is the largest challenge that may slow the work.

Volunteers Perspective: Citizen Cormorant Control Group – Ed Retherford:

Harassment on the Thunder Bay started eight years ago. The first goal was simply to keep the cormorants off of the fish plants. They began by making noise with household goods (pots and pans), and then progressing to pyro’s (bangers or screamers). Harassment was finally expanded to lethal control. This is hard work, with mounds of required paperwork and reports. Without this effort the fisheries of Thunder Bay and the area lakes would be heavily impacted.

Direction for Restoring Cisco – Todd Grischke, MDNR:

A summary of the Division’s efforts and pilot cisco rearing study were discussed. Going forward the DNR is looking to partner with the Federal Government due to the amount of manpower needed, processing such a large number of eggs, and because our facilities are not capable of full production.

A Fisheries Brief Report, Pilot Cisco Egg Take and Culture Study, which is attached* reviewed the many objectives of the study that have been achieved and the remaining questions that need to be addressed which include:

1) Since live brood stock are essential, how can live-capture spawner collection methods such as trap netting and electrofishing be improved? 2) The existing egg source in the St. Mary’s River is not sufficient so what other eggs sources should be explored which might include, Lower St. Marys River/Drummond Island, Georgian Bay/North Channel and Apostle Island offshore source? 3) Which egg source sites above are acceptable form a fish health or genetics perspective? 4) Can satisfactory fry survival be realized with a stable rearing temperature of approximately 7.5 degrees C or is a colder regime desirable? 5) What appropriate rearing densities are required for optimal production of ciscoes?

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6) What is required to rear cisco at production numbers?

An expanded discussion will take place at the Tuesday June 19, 2012 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting to discuss these remaining questions.

Sea Grant Workshops – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant:

Brandon distributed a draft agenda and promotional fliers. Committee members were encouraged to take multiple fliers for distribution. A large mailing, press releases, and website (social media) postings have all been done. Media releases will come out closer to the actual workshops. It was agreed that workshops will be held at three locations including Cedarville, Alpena and Port Huron. Workshops will be switched annually between Alpena - Oscoda and Port Huron - Ubly.

Discussion of the 2012 MH-1 Lake Trout Harvest Regulations – Todd Grischke:

The harvest model for 2012 is showing a greater number of lake trout available for harvest which will allow for more liberal size limits. Therefore, three options were presented to the committee for recommendation.

1. 27” max, no more than 1 greater than 32” 2. 22” minimum (same as MH-2) 3. 15” minimum (MH-3 thru MH-5)

Group discussion indicated that a minimum size of 15 or 22 inches would make no difference. Therefore, if 15” works out better scientifically, than the committee agrees to support it. The final decision on size limits will be presented at the June Natural Resources Commission Meeting and will be implemented immediately after approval of one of the options. There is an effort underway during the next two years to establish one lake trout size limit for all of the Michigan waters.

Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement Updates:

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – Congratulations to Ken Merckel! The new Michigan Salmon Steelheaders President.

Bill Moritz, former Wildlife Division Chief, was appointed DNR Deputy Director. The Fisheries Division Chief position has been posted as well.

Our budget situation is dire. We had to reduce the Fish Division budget by 2.2 million dollars this year, and we expect that there will be further reductions needed next fiscal year beginning October 1. This is a direct result of continued and increasing declines in license sales, both fishing and hunting.

Fisheries Division is undertaking a Strategic Planning Process and there will be 24 members, meeting from April through November. It is time to refocus and re-plan. Rodney Stokes, MDNR Director, created implementation teams that aligned with his four major priorities; recreation passport, customer service, increase participation in outdoor recreation, and fostering growth in the economy. Each implementation team will be submitting reports to the Director. Todd will look into forwarding the four team reports to the committee.

In an effort to be more transparent, the Division would like to post committee meeting minutes online. Member names would be posted, but no personal data including addresses and phone numbers will be shared except for the Chair and Basin Coordinator.

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A Kids Fishing Issue Statement was distributed. The Division is looking at developing regulations/guidance specific to kids fishing. Please review the issue statement and provide input. The issue statement is attached*.

Rockport Boating Access Site will close April 21 for maintenance. Port Austin and Grindstone harbors are also closed for a portion of this season.

Craig Milkowski, Law Enforcement Division – Commercial Fishing Unit is down to four boats and four captains. Law Enforcement Division is also busy preparing for the 125th Anniversary celebration in August in Bay City.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Supervisor – This has been the earliest season ever to prep walleye ponds. Creel clerks also return this week. There are three days of training, and then they will begin at their assigned ports!

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Supervisor – The unit has been busy with regulation meetings regarding muskellunge, northern pike and brook trout. If interested parties cannot make the meetings, please comment online! Survey work continues on the Inland Waterway as well.

Meeting Adjourned.

Next Meetings will be Tuesday June 19th and Tuesday October 16th at the Ram Center in Roscommon, MI.

* The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected]

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) RAM Center, Roscommon, MI Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Attendees: Jim Baker, Dave Borgeson, Dick Bornais, Thomas Buhr, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Ed Eisch, Roger Fechner, Todd Grischke, Tom Hamilton, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Ron Kinnunen, Scott Koproski, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Steve Lepeak, Terry Lyons, Charles Marcinkiewicz, Ken Merckel, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, Bill Olar, Ron Ramsey, Ed Retherford, Kim Scribner, Aaron Switzer, Dennis White, Tod Williams

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Frank introduced Dick Bornais from Sarnia Canada. Dick is a very active stakeholder and is involved with the Canadian recreational fishery. Attendees introduced themselves.

Reminder – Frank Krist: Meeting minutes were previously approved via email and are already posted on the website.

Cisco Egg Take and Fertilization for Culture at Distant Locations and an Overview of the Various Morphotypes Available from Lake Superior – Dr. Ron Kinnunen:

There is a commercial fishery for cisco in Lake Superior and a significant roe fishery operates out of Cornucopia and Bayfield, WI and Thunder Bay, Ontario. The eggs are used to make caviar and most is shipped overseas. The fishery in Minnesota is unique since it operates nearly year around and much cisco is sold for its flesh.

Lake Superior provides a long cisco (lake herring) egg take window extending from November to mid- December. Ron works with commercial fisheries to obtain ripe ciscoes. The egg take involves striping free flowing eggs from live females, and mixing with milt from two live males per every female. Fertilized cisco eggs are resilient and several batches have been successfully shipped to such locations as Purdue University. Care must be taken to ensure that the eggs are clean and no blood is present. Commercial fish feed works very well and the fish have been raised to two years of age.

Historically, cisco was the most abundant fish in the Great Lakes. They are still strong in Lake Superior and increasing in Lake Huron. Recent declines in exotic planktivores such as alewife in the lower Great Lakes has renewed interest in re-establishing cisco.

Prior to the collapse of cisco in the Great Lakes, Walter Koelz published a report in 1929 that identified different morphotypes or strains of this species. He recorded 15 body measurements from each fish sampled and concluded that there were three morphotypes in the Great Lakes including Coregonus artedi artedi (slim shape), Coregonus artedi albus (deep compressed shape) and Coregonus artedi manitoulinus (deep bodied). Koelz reported that Coregonus artedi artedi was predominate in all the Great Lakes except Lake Erie where Coregonus artedi albus was predominant. Besides Lake Erie, Coregonus artedi albus was found in small

numbers in Lake Ontario and in the northern Bays of Lake Superior. Coregonus artedi manitoulinus was only found in the North Channel of Lake Huron.

A new project by Dan Yule and other authors has surveyed cisco in Lakes Michigan, Superior and Huron to determine if the morphotypes described by Koelz were still present in these Lakes. Samples from the North Channel, Drummond Island area and the St. Mary’s River showed that currently Coregonus artedi manitoulinus was the most common morphotype, with Coregonus artedi albus second in abundance and Coregonus artedi artedi the least common even though it was the predominant form historically. This same study showed that morphotype Coregonus artedi artedi is still the most predominant form in Lake Superior which spends much of its time in the open water. According to Ron, fertilized eggs from this strain are potentially readily available from Lake Superior for stocking in Lake Huron.

Genetic work was conducted during the Yule study but the results are pending, however, populations having similar shapes and habits compared to the lost cisco population warrant special consideration as a potential donor source.

Genetic Considerations when Selecting a Broodstock for Cisco Restoration in Lake Huron – Dr. Kim Scribner:

Genetic Principles Genetic principles and data must be applied and considered when discussing re-establishment of cisco in Lake Huron. Recent changes in lake conditions with the loss of alewife have provided an opportunity to aid the restoration of native fish communities. Benefits and costs of alternative management actions should be considered. Management actions would be best founded based on scientific data. Supplementation and/or re-introduction have been widely embraced as a viable management action for native Great Lake species including cisco.

Genetic variability of a species provides the flexibility needed for a population to evolve and adapt to changes in the environment. Over time, a population can become sexually isolated and develop gene pools that are specifically adapted for the location and habitat that it occupies. An isolated population within a species is known as a strain. Genetic testing can identify different strains or populations that normally do not interbred.

Care must be taken when stocking hatchery fish that potentially can mix and breed with wild fish. Naturally reproducing populations have a pool of genes that have developed over a long period that enabled the fish to adapt and survive. When genes of wild fish and hatchery fish are mixed there is a chance that some of the good genes in the wild fish could be lost or diluted resulting in a loss of fitness. On the other hand, very low levels of immigration into a wild population can improve fitness.

Hatchery production can result in a loss of genetic variability because eggs and milt often are taken from a relatively small number of individuals that may not be a good representation of the gene pool of the entire population. This may gradually reduce the adaptability and fitness of the population. If the wild and hatchery fish each home or return to different locations to spawn the chance of the hatchery fish negatively impacting the wild population is reduced.

An example of negative potential impacts caused by stocking the wrong strain in a location would be stocking the faster growing southern largemouth bass in the north. Even though the southern strain grows to a larger size it does not survive well in the colder northern temperatures and the offspring of the hybrids of these two strains may not survive and could decimate the existing northern bass populations.

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Steps for evaluation of restoring a species by supplementing the existing population with hatchery fish:

Step 1 – Identify the genetic stocking population (units) or group of populations to be used for the egg and milt source. This step determines which existing populations are most genetically similar to the cisco population that is being considered for restoration.

Step 2 – Identify existing populations that are a priority to protect. Care must be taken to stock hatchery fish that will not have significant negative impacts on existing populations. For example, there are currently spawning populations of cisco in the extreme northern part of Lake Huron and efforts need to be made to reduce interference by hatchery fish. One method of reducing genetic interactions between the hatchery and wild cisco would be to stock a strain that home backs to a different spawning location.

Step 3 – Complete a stocking decision tree. The following are some questions to ask. a) Since the goal is to restore a wild population of cisco throughout Lake Huron have the impediments that caused the collapse of the original population been removed? Progress has been made by controlling overfishing and the collapse of the alewife reduced heavy competition.

b) Is it likely that a significant existing population of cisco lives in the locations where restoration efforts will take place? Since 1989 only 3 cisco have been found by DNR fishery surveys in the central and southern sections of Lake Huron where restoration would be implemented.

c) Is it likely that the existing population in the north will expand to the central and southern regions of Lake Huron? Even after 55 years, the northern cisco population still has not moved below the Straits.

Step 4 – A stocking program must be designed and implemented.

Step 5 – Assessment needs to be conducted to determine success of the program.

For additional background on restoring a fish species by stocking, Professor Scribner suggested for review, “Genetic Guidelines for Stocking of Lake Sturgeon in the Great Lakes Basin”. The report is attached*

Questions, Comments & Discussion of Cisco Restoration in Lake Huron:

1) Question: Due to isolation and adaptation are there hybridized lake herring and whitefish? Answer: That is a possibility.

2) Question: Will Chinook salmon feed on cisco? Answer: Yes. Research from Lake Superior showed that Chinook salmon will feed on ciscoes which live in the mid water.

3) Question: What is the average size of cisco? Answer: Adult ciscoes normally range from 11 to 15 inches but an occasional fish can grow to 20 inches.

4) Question: Lake Superior and Lake Huron are slowly becoming similar. Considering cisco do not appear to migrate far and the egg supply from the St Mary’s River is very limited would it be practical to bring Lake Superior eggs to Lake Huron? Answer: It has not been determined if the Lake Superior strain of cisco would survive well in Lake Huron.

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5) Question: Cisco historically was the most abundant fish species in Lake Huron and it was the commercial catch of choice 60 years ago in southern Lake Huron. There are currently no significant numbers of cisco in Central and Southern Lake Huron. Can you suggest one of these forms that Ron described to stock down here? Answer: Probably the best choice is Coregonus artedi artedi which is the open water morphotype or strain.

6) Question: Why do we have to study it do death? We have data and choices, simply pick one. Are we going to do it, or not do it? Answer: Progress is being made but there is limited space in the hatcheries and funding is limited.

7) Question: Considering the difference in open water temperatures between Lake Huron and Lake Superior could cisco adapt to that temperature difference? Answer: Since waters of Lake Huron stratify the cisco can easily find cooler water by simply swimming to deeper water. The warmer water of Lake Huron may actually be beneficial because fish usually grow faster as the water warms.

8) Comment: Scott Koproski, manager of the Fish and Wildlife Service Office in Alpena was asked if he wanted to comment on cisco restoration. Response: Scott indicated that the Fish and Wildlife Service is interested in working with the State on restoring cisco in Lake Huron but a Federal hatchery would have to be expanded to accommodate the additional production. A trip to Finland is being arranged so that interested fishery biologists will be able to meet with experts that have much experience raising cisco.

9) Comment: Todd Grischke was asked if he wanted to comment. Response: The ability to raise ciscoes in the State’s hatcheries is limited and financial resources are limited so the Fisheries Division is pursuing to form a partnership with other agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake restoring cisco throughout Lake Huron. Todd stressed the largemouth bass example that shows that care must be used when introducing new strains of a species into a new area. Todd mentioned that the productivity of Lake Huron has decreased since the establishment of the zebra and quagga mussels and it is not clear that cisco can survive in large numbers throughout Lake Huron.

MDNR Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement Updates:

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator: The Department recently issued a press release regarding updated lake trout regulations in Lake Huron zones MH-1 and MH-2 (Alpena to Drummond Island). All of Lake Huron now has a 15” minimum size limit. This was an attempt to simplify regulations, and allow anglers more opportunities to choose the size of lake trout that they want to keep. Many anglers prefer to eat smaller fish and there was concern expressed by anglers about poor lake trout survival after releasing fish that did not comply with the previous slot limit. Zones MH-3 to MH- 6 (Alpena to Port Huron) still have a different season. The Department will try to establish one season for all the zones next year if there is an opportunity. This new size regulation for MH-1 and MH-2 is not in the current Fishing Guide so please spread the word. A copy of the updated regulation is attached*.

Larry Desloover, Law Enforcement Division Commercial Fish Specialist: There have been few complaints. There was one illegal net removed that blew out of place during the winter. Law Enforcement Division is working on the definition of a ‘dead fish’ due to Asian Carp that have

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been illegally transported. It is not always obvious when the fish are dead. To date, six Asian Carp cases have been made at the Canadian border.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor: The new angler Noble Road Access Site and Parking Lot located near the East Branch of the Au Gres River is finished. Fisheries Division and the Parks and Recreational Division completed much work and the site turned out to be excellent. Special thanks to the Thumb Steelheaders! During their May tournament they collected a large amount of lake trout biodata for us. The spring lake surveys have also been completed and walleye ponds are finishing up today. The walleye pond production was down this year possibly because the zooplankton hatch was too early.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor: The spring lake surveys are completed and walleye pond harvest is wrapping up. Production was fair, but we worked with the tribes to insure all the Saint Mary’s River sites were stocked. The Inland Waterway walleye survey is still ongoing with MSU and much data are being collected. Dave participated in a Citizens Advisory Council Meeting in Canada with Frank Krist to discuss our experiences and collaborations. The Canadians have similar advisory committees that are much newer than the advisory committees in Michigan. The visit was very successful and much information was exchanged. The work at the sturgeon hatchery located along the Black River was successful.

Atlantic Salmon Rearing Study Update – Ed Eisch, MDNR:

Lake Superior State University (LSSU) historically reared Atlantic salmon. The Platte River State Fish Hatchery began looking into the feasibility of rearing Atlantics in 2008 and 2009. The following is a summary of the Atlantic salmon year classes tested at the Platte River Hatchery:

The 2008 year class - Platte received 19,000 fall fingerlings from Lake Superior State University (LSSU) during October 2009. They were reared outdoors, reached 5.7 inches, and had no major health problems. 12,698 yearlings were stocked in the East Branch Au Gres in 2010.

The 2009 year class - Platte received 39,000 eyed eggs during December 2009 from LSSU. There were early signs of Whirling Disease in April 2010. Whirling disease was confirmed in June 2010 all fish were euthanized on 6/21/10.

The 2009 year class continued - Platte River Hatchery also received 27,627 fall fingerlings from LSSU during September 2010. These fish were treated in January for bacterial gill disease, treated in January and May for Flavobacterium and Aeromonas. They reached 6.1 inches and 21,742 were stocked in the St. Marys River in June 2011.

The 2010 year class - Platte received 85,000 fall fingerlings from Thompson State Fish Hatchery in September 2011. They were treated with formalin on the transfer truck to reduce disease problems. These fish were reared on 3rd pass water, and had significant health issues (Flavobacteriosis, CWD, Furunculosis, BGD, etc). However, 54,000 Atlantics measuring 6.2 inches were stocked during June 2012 with 20,000 being stocked in Torch Lake and 34,000 being stocked in the St. Mary’s River. Because of the warm temperatures in the hatchery during June an effort will be made next year to stock the fish earlier to avoid disease issues.

The 2011 year class – A UV filter was installed on the water system at the Platte River Hatchery to eliminate the disease organisms and reduce the chances of Whirling Disease infecting the young Atlantic salmon. There were enough funds left from the grant to dredge the spring pond which should also help significantly to reduce disease issues. 128,000 eyed eggs were obtained from LSSU. These eggs hatched and are very

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robust overall and the current plan is to keep them inside the entire time. Current inventory is 115,000 fish measuring 2.5 inches.

Questions that still need to be answered include, how will the fish do on low phosphorus feed, will the UV equipment be enough to control Whirling Disease and other pathogens, can Atlantics handle the poor water quality due to surface water variability over the long term, and will the yearlings reach a desired size?

An Update from the Internal Atlantic Salmon Working Group – Dave Borgeson, MDNR:

The Department formed an Internal Work Group to look at the issue ‘If rearing Atlantic salmon is successful what would we do with them?”. To begin looking at that question, an Atlantic salmon stocking location suitability spreadsheet was created. The spreadsheet looks at; accessibility, local angler base, staging water temperatures, probability of good post stocking survival based on environmental factors, regional perspective, tribal issues, minimum stocking numbers estimated to provide a fishery, potential to complicate existing studies or current management, brood stock potential, etc. This spreadsheet is currently being disseminated to managers to complete and collect data. Frank Krist will forward the spreadsheet to the committee for comments. In addition, a background report by Jim Johnson is nearly completed and will be provided to the members to provide and overview of the biological requirements of Atlantic salmon. This report will assist members and others in completing the potential stocking site spreadsheet.

* Note: An updated copy of the spreadsheet is attached in both PDF and Excel formats . The Excel version allows the entry of your comments in most spreadsheet boxes or cells. Notice the dropdown arrow when clicking the boxes and then click the arrows to see the choices. Click a choice and it will be placed in the box. The managers are encouraging anyone interested in potential Atlantic salmon stocking sites to complete the spreadsheet.

Questions, Comments and Discussion of the Atlantic Salmon Project:

1) Question: Could we consider net pens?

Answer: These appear to be a sensitive fish, and are susceptible to disease. We will keep it on the table, but we not even sure how the fish with handle the ride in the truck.

2) Comment: Todd Grischke, Dave Borgeson and the other managers are considering all suggestions that might be added to the spreadsheet and the managers will review all completed spreadsheets. The types of fishing opportunities being considered are streams, off shore, near shore, harbors etc.

Response from a Member: This project is a work in progress! He thanked the DNR for the work on this project and today’s discussions were very healthy.

3) Comment: Au Sable River stream anglers are very excited about an Atlantic salmon stream fishery and information needs to be disseminated.

Response: Keep in mind that we are still working on successfully rearing Atlantics and we are not sure how many healthy spring yearlings can be raised. We are still transitioning from experimenting with raising Atlantic salmon to determining the best locations to stock them.

4) Comment: A Member discussed a summary of why Atlantic salmon should be stocked in Thunder Bay and he stressed that local economic impacts should be considered. Another Member also expressed the importance of economic impacts being considered.

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Response: Dave Borgeson indicated that an economic point would be added to the spreadsheet.

5) Question: Regarding a column on the spreadsheet, what does it mean ‘potential to complicate existing studies of management’?

Answer: We need to determine if stocking Atlantic salmon would interfere with current studies. For example, there is a net pen study being conducted on the Au Sable River and we would need to consider if stocking Atlantics in that area would cause difficulties with that project.

6) Question: Why was Torch Lake stocked with 20,000 Atlantic salmon?

Answer: Historically Torch Lake has been stocked with Atlantic salmon. The project had stopped and managers were interested in reestablishment and evaluation. One thing to keep in mind is that these fish are a state resource. We all have interest in Lake Huron, but we have other Division commitments as well.

Follow-up Comment by the Chair: For Lake Huron, 25,000 to 30,000 stocked Atlantic salmon yearlings were enough fish to determine if the fishery was successful in this large lake and that was a stocking of 1 yearling per 490 acres. A stocking of 20,000 Atlantic salmon yearlings in Torch Lake is over 1 per acre. Stocking Atlantic salmon in Inland waters is a suitable use of the resource but 20,000 is much too many since there is little evidence that the previous returns justify this high rate of stocking. From 1998 to 2006 approximately 30,000 Atlantic salmon have been stocked in Torch Lake and yet the fishery has received small notice throughout the State and little is known about it. Fishery surveys conducted in 2002 and in 2004 caught a total of only 12 Atlantic salmon. A creel survey has not been completed so the return rate is not known. The sport fishery is concentrated in shallow water less than 10 feet deep yet much of Torch Lake is over 200 feet deep. According to the report “Maine Landlocked Salmon Life History, Ecology and Management” by David Bourcher and Kendall Warner, Atlantic salmon prefer water less than 60 feet deep and they recommend stocking between 0.4 to 0.7 yearling Atlantic salmon per acre. This report summarized over 100 years of Maine’s management of over 300 inland lakes that contain Atlantic salmon. The authors indicate that if there are other predators in a lake like lake trout then the lower stocking rate of 0.4 should be used. Since Torch Lake has very deep habitat and there are other predators it would appear that stocking 5,000 yearlings per year would be reasonable until more is known about the Torch Lake fishery and hatchery production is increased. These comments are made not to criticize past decisions but to make the point that as the program moves forward with a limited number of Atlantic salmon being available, allocation of the resource should be based on the best evidence that is available.

Fisheries Division Budget Update – Todd Grischke:

The state of Michigan’s Natural Resources can be looked at as a blessing and a curse. We have such abundant resources, that it becomes a problem to manage them all effectively. Michigan has 1,300 access sites; more than all other states combined! A national poll was conducted indicating the US average number of employees per acres of water to manage is 15,725 acres/employee. Michigan averages 133,334 acres/employee! In addition, Fisheries Division manages 6 hatcheries producing 14 million fish annually for stocking. The scientific management of these resources results in a large economic boost to the State and generates an annual economic value of $1.67 to 3.69 billion with 27,348 jobs being created.

Fisheries Division is funded 56% through the Game and Fish Protection Fund which is mainly hunting and fishing fees, 36% is federal matching funds and 8% are from settlements, private donations and grants. Unfortunately, the number of fishing licenses sold nationally and in Michigan have been declining steadily since the mid 1980s. Not only does this reduce the revenue from fishing fees but it also reduces the amount of matching federal funds which depend on the number of licenses sold. Since 1987 the decrease in licenses

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each year has been approximately 3% or a loss of about 30,000 anglers per year. During the last two years, the rate has accelerated to a 4% loss of anglers per year. Since there has not been an increase in revenue since 1996, inflation is taking a major toll on the ability of the Division to operate. For example, during 1996 the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $1.23 but today the average is over $3.50. There has been an average loss of about 4% per year for each revenue dollar.

To deal with this constant loss of revenue value many adjustments have been made including a major reduction in employees from 247 full-time and seasonal positions in 2006 to 196 full time seasonal positions in 2012 with currently only 153 full time positions being funded. With the fiscal year 2012 cuts and anticipated 2013 cuts; reductions are being made across the board. Six reduction categories have been identified; some specifics positions not being filled due to budgets include the Marquette Research Station Manger, the Central Lake Michigan Management Unit Manager, the Institute of Fishery Research Manager, ADRA Fish Biologist, the Thomson State Fish Hatchery Assistant, the Habitat Management Unit Supervisor, and on. The creel program also took a $200,000 hit. The division is NOT purchasing an emergency generator for Wolf Lake Hatchery. The Department lost a crucial grant opportunity to replace the RV Chinook Lake Huron survey vessel which is not only outdated and inefficient to operate but has turned into a money pit because of the constant need to repair the boat for safety reasons. Unit base budgets are also taking a 4% cut which will affect surveys, travel, overtime, and meeting attendance.

The Fisheries Division Strategic Planning Committee is meeting Thursday June 21, 2012 to discuss ways stakeholders can contribute to the planning process. The Advisory Committees will be an important forum for obtaining input and assisting in getting the draft plan to the public.

Todd’s PowerPoint presentation is attached*.

Much discussion followed and it is apparent that the funding shortfall is impacting moving forward on many projects that could improve the fisheries throughout Michigan. For example, cuts in the creel program make it difficult and inefficient to measure the success of new projects like the Atlantic salmon rearing study. Loss of revenue to update equipment in hatcheries, survey boats and other items have dramatic negative impacts on maintaining even the current fisheries resulting in many lost opportunities to improve fishing. Several members felt that the Conservation Coalition, which is composed of over 40 fishing, hunting, trapping and related organizations is setting the groundwork to ask the legislature to address the need of sustainable funding for the Department. The Coalition meets with the Director every other month to deal with major issues affecting the natural resources of the State.

Adjourned

Next Meeting will be Tuesday October 16th at the Ram Center in Roscommon, MI.

* The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected]

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Approved Minutes Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) RAM Center, Roscommon, MI Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Attendees: Ron Beyer, Dave Borgeson, Tim Cwalinski, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Jim Dexter, Bud Donnelly, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Terry Lyons, Douglas Mankiliie, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Kenneth Pletcher, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Kathrin Schrouder, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, James Shutt, Fred Sterns, Terry Walsh, Dennis White, and Blake Wroblewski

Welcome and Opening Comments: Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

Introduction to the Atlantic Salmon Project – Todd Grischke:

Todd Grischke summarized the three documents provided regarding Atlantic salmon stocking including the ‘Draft Lake Huron Atlantic Salmon Stocking Location Rating Sheet’, the ‘Draft Strategy for Stocking Atlantic Salmon in Lake Huron’ and the ‘Review of Attributes of Landlocked Atlantic Salmon in Relation to their Management in Lake Huron’.* He expressed many thanks to Jim Johnson for his work on the Attributes document mentioned above.

Todd also summarized the outlook of Atlantic salmon being reared at Platte River State Fish Hatchery. Currently 80,000 to 90,000 fish are healthy and growing well. It is anticipated that there will be 60,000 to 70,000 for stocking in the spring if no unforeseen problems develop. There was no marking proposal for these fish, however, after discussion with Roger Greil from Lake Superior State University (LSSU), it was decided to try and mark the State fish. The mass marking trailer has been moved from the Jordan River Federal Hatchery to the Platte River State Fish Hatchery. Test marking will begin next week and if all goes well the State fish will have an adipose fin clip.

An overview of the Atlantic salmon Workgroup’s potential stocking sites evaluation – Dave Borgeson:

The Internal Atlantic Salmon Workgroup met several times to suggest criteria to be used to determine the best new sites to stock Atlantic salmon as they become available. The members of the Committee included – Tim Cwalinski, Neal Godby, Todd Grischke, Kathrin Schrouder, Jim Baker, Jim Johnson, Ed Eisch and Aaron Switzer with Dave Borgeson as the Chair.

In order to maximize the fishery, review criteria were assigned a numerical rating. Review criteria included such categories as evaluation potential, accessibility, economic benefits, angler base, summer temperature window, pier opportunities, stream fishing potential, etc.

LSSU has a very successful Atlantic salmon program. Atlantic salmon have been stocked in the St. Mary’s River for 27 years resulting in the best return to anglers of all the trout and salmon species stocked in Lake Huron. One of the goals of stocking the fish at other locations is to determine if the success can be duplicated at new sites. The St Mary’s River program managed by Roger Greil of LSSU has several points in its favor that may be a challenge to duplicate at new sites. The eggs are collected, raised to yearlings and stocked at the same location. Atlantic salmon can be difficult to raise in hatcheries because of disease issues and fish culture techniques have been developed and adjusted for over 2 decades to improve survival at the LSSU hatchery. Conditions are quite different for DNR in raising the Atlantic salmon as every hatchery varies. Much is being learned at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery, for example, this year the Atlantic salmon developed disease issues due to the warmer water in late May. So in 2013 an attempt will be made to accelerate smolting of the fish to enable stocking earlier to avoid the warmer water in the raceways. It is important to ensure that the fish have smolted before stocking since studies have shown that stocked smolted Atlantic salmon quickly migrate from the planting site to offshore waters increasing the chances of avoiding predators. The Atlantic salmon stocked in 2012 by the State were over 90% smolted compared to steelhead that are often only about 50% smolted. Fish that are not smolted may spend more time near the stocking site where they are vulnerable to be eaten by other fish and birds.

It is anticipated stocking will occur during April and May of 2013, therefore, there is still time available to consider modifications to the stocking location rating sheet. Suggestions can be forwarded to Todd Grischke at [email protected] or 517-373-6762. We will look to finalize the stocking location-rating sheet in January at the next Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting. In the meantime, please carefully review the ‘Recommended Strategy for Stocking Atlantic Salmon in Lake Huron in 2013’.

Questions, Comments & Discussion of potential stocking sites for Atlantic salmon:

1) Comment – A category and points should be established in the evaluation sheet for sites that provide handicap accessible facilities.

2) Comment – The points value for the two criteria measuring survival after stocking should be increased by 1.5 times.

3) Question – Were harbors considered as stocking location? Todd responded that harbors are being considered since several are listed in the evaluation sheet and parameters such as piers and accessibility are considered.

4) Comment – There was much support from many participants that stocking a few sites with a good number of yearling Atlantics is the best method to determine if a stocking location can be successful. The numbers suggested in the ‘Draft Strategy for Stocking Atlantic Salmon in Lake Huron’ are realistic for sites like the Au Sable River and Thunder Bay. If too few were stocked at a location, there was concern that little information would be learned.

5) Comment – Since the egg source of the Atlantic salmon stocked in Lake Huron originated mostly from the West Grand Lake strain in Maine, which are outlet spawners, there is a chance that stocking yearlings in the St. Clair River could be a success and provide a fishery in southern Lake Huron. The St. Clair River is the outlet of Lake Huron and has potential spawning habitat. Todd mentioned that the Workgroup discussed that possibility but it was left off the evaluation sheet because it was part of the Lake St. Clair/Lake Erie Basin. However, this site has much potential and should be evaluated with input from both the Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair/Lake Erie Basins.

6) Comment – Concern was expressed about the Torch Lake fishery that a large number of yearling Atlantic salmon up to 18,000 per year could be stocked if fall fingerlings are not available. It was

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stressed that very limited information exists on the extent of this fishery and the percent return to the anglers. It was suggested that if yearlings are needed that number should be reduced until it can be shown that the fishery is substantial.

7) Comment – All the Atlantic salmon stocked in Lake Huron should be marked so that the survival from the new sites can be compared to the return in the St. Mary’s River.

8) Comment – Several participants commended the Workgroup on the excellent job of reviewing the current information known on Atlantic salmon and preparing the stocking site evaluation sheet. The participants appreciated the opportunity to comment on the proposals.

9) Comment – It was suggested that in the Stocking Strategy Proposal that after the first 5 sites are stocked and before stocking the remainder up to 100,000 in the St. Mary’s River that 15,000 to 20,000 yearling Atlantic salmon should be stocked in a harbor in the Thumb to test if a pier/harbor type of fishery can be developed. Since the southern part of Lake Huron is most strongly feeling the effects of lost fishing opportunities from Chinook salmon this proposal would help determine if Atlantic salmon could provide significant fishing potential in that area of Lake Huron.

10) Comment – There is much enthusiasm about the stocking of Atlantic salmon in the Au Sable River and efforts are being made by organizations to obtain grants to improve fish habitat and reduce stream erosion in the lower part of the river.

11) Comment – Stocking the Atlantic salmon in the Thunder Bay and the Au Sable River is a good choice which should enhance the fishery in all nearby ports. For example, several Atlantic salmon are being caught in the Harrisville area and these two new stocking locations should improve the fishing at Harrisville.

12) Comment – There is much that is not known and it should be identified early what more needs to be learned to help the program move forward and insure that those parameters are being measured.

13) Comment – Tim Cwalinski mentioned that the Internal Workgroup struggled with many of the points that were being discussed today and he welcomed very much the input from the participants. The feedback is important and will be considered before any decisions are made.

14) Comment – There was strong support for the Atlantic salmon program and no one spoke against it.

15) Comment – It was suggested a stream’s potential for accommodating natural reproduction of Atlantic salmon should be an item considered in the Stocking Site Evaluation Sheet.

16) Comment – It was mentioned that the groups in the Thumb area would be interested in trying to acclimate Atlantic salmon in pens to improve survival.

17) Comment – A participant indicated that he caught Atlantic salmon early this spring at several locations along shore from the mouth of the Au Sable River to Rogers City. The fish are very catchable.

18) Comment – An angler with some experience fishing the East Branch of the Au Gres River in the fall noticed that the spawning Atlantic salmon do not appear to move upstream beyond where they were stocked.

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19) Comment – An angler with much experience catching Atlantic salmon off of Presque Isle noted that even though the fish have to travel long distances from the St. Mary’s River they catch Atlantics regularly along Presque Isle.

20) Comment – Atlantic salmon being caught at Harrisville appear to be often identified as steelhead which would reduce the number of Atlantic salmon showing up in the creel surveys.

21) Final Comment by Todd – Natural reproduction potential would be added to the evaluation sheet and that item along with others would be discussed at the next Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting in January. For example, what is a reasonable percent return of Atlantic salmon to anglers? Please let us know if there are other items should be considered since the discussion will continue at the January Meeting.

Status of the wild lake trout in Lake Huron and the outlook for rehabilitation and future stocking – Ji He:

Ji gave a presentation on the status of Lake Trout in Lake Huron and the decisions that will need to be made in regards to stocking in the near future. He showed an example of how stocking in Lake Superior could have been discontinued years prior to actual stocking efforts getting discontinued. We need to be receptive to not making the same mistakes, and to evaluate the status indicators well in advance. Various committees and task groups have been examining indicators to determine when stocking should cease. For example, a high percentage of wild fish in the spawning population is needed but that is only acceptable if there are a large number of adults that are spawning each year. Another factor often considered is the survival rate of stocked hatchery fish. If few stocked fish survive then it is not productive to continue stocking. These and other factors are being consider along with determining if enough biological data are being obtained to make a quality decision on reducing or eliminating stocking. These data are being gathered from multiple survey types and agencies. The goal is for the Lake Huron Technical Committee to have a paper ready for discussion at the March 2013 Great Lake Fishery Commission Lake Committee Meetings. Ji’s presentation is attached.*

A potential change of homeport for Gauthier & Spaulding Fisheries Inc. – Todd Grischke:

Gauthier and Spaulding have raised the question of moving their commercial fishing operation to Harrisville for a portion of the year. They are not requesting a modification of their agreement, only a partial change to their homeport location making tending nets easier.

Committee members mentioned logistical issues and potential recreational fishing conflicts with bringing a commercial operation into Harrisville. The water levels are very low and it is difficult to enter and exit the harbor and load boats at the launch site. It might be difficult to accommodate a larger commercial fishing boat. It appears that a good first step would be for Gauthier and Spaulding Fisheries to contact the Harrisville Mayor, discuss the issue and conduct a public meeting to obtain input.

The DNR is interested in hearing about conflicts/issues. It is Gauthier and Spaulding’s responsibility to secure docking and access for commercial operations. Just a reminder, that distribution of nets will not change, they just want boats closer for tending them. The DNR contact regarding this is Tom Goniea and he can be contacted at 517-373-7341 or [email protected]. Attached are charts showing the depth zones that the nets are set and the location of the nets during early October.*

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An update on the progress of the Lake Huron cisco restoration efforts – Jim Dexter:

Lake Huron Basin Team brought the cisco restoration information to the Management Team last month. At this time, the Management Team has made the decision not to move forward with this effort. Rearing facilities do not have the necessary space or staff and there is concern on using the Apostle Island strain. The Management Team would like us to look at other sources within Lake Huron (Georgian Bay). The staff in the hatchery is at low levels so it is too difficult to move forward on this project right now. This is not a closed door; we simply need to spend our limited resources on projects that have successes. Todd indicated that he will be discussing with the Lake Huron Technical Committee the possibilities of obtaining cisco eggs from new sources within Lake Huron. See the attached statement on the status of the cisco program.*

MDNR Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates and an overview of the progress of the strategic planning process:

Jim Dexter, Fisheries Chief For fiscal year 2012, Fisheries Division took a $2.2 million reduction. All indications were that we would need to take that same reduction in fiscal year 2013. However, there will not be further funding reduction this year! Fishing license sales were up $1.7 million and the Game and Fish trust fund invested funds in bonds and the bonds returned $3.5 million more than what was expected. Staffing levels have been on a downward slide for 10 years. We are working on guidelines that in the event we grow or shrink, we will have a process that maintains an efficient and effective Division. Keith Creagh, the new Director is concerned about the funding challenges of the DNR and there is interest in obtaining General Fund money for the Department.

Craig Milkowski, Commercial Fish Specialist, Law Enforcement Division Asian carp continues to be a hot topic. One company was banned from operating in Michigan for 10 years and prosecution of a case is pending in Midland. The Law Enforcement Division is training US Coast Guard, Motor Carrier Division and conducting seminars throughout the Great Lakes on techniques used to identify vehicles that may be carrying Asian carp. Often the tanks and equipment are completely enclosed inside large trucks and it is difficult to identify that carp are onboard. The US Coast will now be boarding commercial fishing vessels. To aide in handling complaints, GPS coordinates are a huge help.

Kathrin Schrouder, Southern Lake Huron, Fisheries Biologist The field season is winding down and currently we are relocating vehicles and research vessels. The walleye in Saginaw Bay look good with no big changes. The East Branch of the Au Gres River was shocked from the mouth to Noble Road but no Atlantic salmon captured. One member indicated that Atlantic salmon were being caught along shore and in small boats near the river mouth.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron, Unit Supervisor One Chinook salmon harvest was conducted at the Swan weir. Representatives from Michigan State University will be conducting one additional harvest for disease testing. The harvest number appears similar to the number harvested last year. Fall walleye population surveys are currently taking place along with the brown trout strain study.

An update on documenting the need for management of the Saginaw Bay cormorant population -- Todd Grischke:

The Charity Islands are Federal and fatal harassment for population control is not permitted. However, research studies are acceptable. The DNR Internal Cormorant Group chaired by Steve Scott and the Citizen Cormorant Management Group Chaired by Larry Meier will be meeting soon to discuss potential work in Saginaw Bay. Completing a diet study would be the first step in developing a cormorant management plan

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for the Bay. It was mentioned that there are volunteers from the Saginaw Bay area that are willing to assist in a cormorant management project.

Potential directions for the important steelhead fishery in Lake Huron -- Todd Grischke:

Small fall fingerling steelhead were stocked in several Lake Huron streams including the Ocqueoc River with 100,000 fish, the East Branch with 200,000 fish, the Rifle River with 200,000 fish, and Au Sable/Van Etten with 165,000 fish. A table was provided that showed the number and location of yearling steelhead stocked in Lake Huron each year.* Over the past several years the Au Sable River/Van Etten River location has been receiving about 165,000 yearlings annually, whereas no sites on Lakes Huron or Michigan has such a large number stocked in one watershed. In Lake Michigan the Muskegon, Manistee and St. Joe Rivers were stocked with 165,000 yearling fish combined. All the steelhead stocked in Lakes Michigan and Huron need to be marked so that the survival of the fish planted at each stocking site can be determined and adjustments made to stocking if needed.

Since 2009 steelhead catch rates have drastically increased. Stockings have been consistent, so something else is causing catch rates to go through the roof. A member mentioned that good numbers of steelhead were being caught this year at Harbor Beach but it appeared that few fish had adipose fin clips. Since during 2011 100,000 steelhead were marked with these clips, where are the marked fish? Possibly, the marked fish are too small to show up in good numbers in the fishery yet.

Steelhead is becoming a very important component of the Lake Huron recreational fishery and the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee needs to continue to focus on learning more about the fishery. Todd mentioned that during the evaluation period of the Steelhead Pen Study from 2014 to 2015 the project steelhead would continue to be stocked at the current numbers and locations.

It was suggested that we use the Atlantic salmon location rating spreadsheet for the redistribution of steelhead. More information is needed including which stocking sites produce the best steelhead survival, how many steelhead are wild and the migration patterns of the fish.

Establishing Committee meeting dates and locations for 2013 with emphasis on reducing costs: Todd and Frank

Meetings at the RAM Center with lunch, cost the Department a minimum of $600. There are many other locations that would suit our needs at a much reduced cost to the Department.

The committee would like to continue to meet four times per year. Todd Grischke agreed to pay for the RAM Center twice per year. Frank will work on establishing meeting dates and locations with Shirley Smith, Fisheries. A meeting is being scheduled for January 2013.

Meeting Adjourned.

*The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected]

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) RAM Center, Roscommon, Michigan Monday, January 14, 2013 Approved

Attendees: Jim Baker, Dan Blough, Dave Borgeson, Dave Clapp, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Ed Eisch, Neal Godby, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Charlie Heins, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Terry Lyons, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, William Olar, Eric Plant, Ken Pletcher, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Brandon, Schroeder, Steve Sendek, Dana Serafin, Jerry Serafin, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Chuck Shaver, Fred Sterns, Aaron Switzer, Forest Williams

Welcome and Opening Comments:

Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves. Todd Grischke acknowledged the outstanding partner award presented to Frank at the December Fisheries Division training.

Scale analysis provides clues to where many of the steelhead in Lake Huron are originating – Jim Johnson:

The Fisheries Division has obtained a vast amount of steelhead scale samples from Lake Huron each year since 2001 and we are analyzing catch data using scale analysis. When steelhead are being raised in a hatchery the scale growth rings are more uniformly spaced than the growth rings on scales of wild fish. This results from more uniform temperatures in hatcheries compared to the more extreme temperatures endured by wild fish. Usually, colder water results in slower growth. Examining the patterns of the steelhead scale rings provides an estimation of the percent of wild fish caught each year. These data indicate that the percent of wild fish produced in Lake Huron from 2001 through 2006 averaged about 18%, from 2007 through 2009 averaged about 34% and from 2010 through 2011 averaged about 58% were wild.

The analysis of the scale data from the steelhead indicate how often the fish spawned. The results showed that 72.4% of the caught fish did not spawn, 17.9% spawned once, 8.1% spawned twice, 1.4% spawned three times and 0.1% spawned 4 times. Of those steelhead that spawned at least once, 34.9% were repeat spawners.

There has been an incredible rise in catch rate of steelhead per hour (a record level not seen before). That leads us to question what could have caused this trend. And if the population is increasing, do we have the food for these fish to survive? The average weight at various ages of the steelhead in Lake Huron are less than the average weight of steelhead in Lake Michigan. This does not appear to be density related. The steelhead in Lake Michigan have available additional larger prey like alewives to eat which increases growth rates. In Lake Huron, steelhead eat smaller food items including a significant amount of insects and other invertebrates. Steelhead are opportunistic feeders and will readily eat food items of various sizes on the surface, midwater and bottom. This enabled them to survive well after the food web changes occurred in Lake Huron.

The table below shows the average weight of steelhead at various ages in Lakes Michigan and Huron from 2007 through 2011.

Lake Michigan Lake Huron Age Weight Weight

2 4.2 3.3 3 6.0 4.8 4 7.4 5.7 5 8.2 6.4 6 8.6 7.0 7 9.9 7.7

Why the rise in catch rate? • Increasing reproduction since 2006 - YES • Both wild & stocked fish contributing - YES • Adequate prey supply - YES • Reduced competition from Chinook – MAYBE • Cormorant control and hazing – MAYBE • Smaller, fewer walleyes in recent years – MAYBE • Cessation of fin clipping (stress) - MAYBE • Acclimation pens - NO

Why the rise in reproduction? • Alewife collapse resulting in the rise of egg thiamine - YES • Diminished competition for food by alewives and large smelt – YES • Reduced competition from Chinook salmon in streams – Probably not • Reduced predation on steelhead from Chinook – MAYBE • More favorable temperature and increased precipitation/stream flow – MAYBE

So what is next? • The 2002 scale data were not available originally so add to the creel biological data base (Tracy Kolb working on it) • Add 2012 harvest and scale analysis to the database • Summarize reproduction by year class in addition to harvest year (better view of which years produced highest reproduction rates) • Report by summer 2013

Status of the splake in Northern Lake Huron – Neal Godby:

The only Lake Huron plant of splake takes place in the Les Cheneaux Islands at Hessel. These are fertile hybrids of lake trout and brook trout which grow quickly and reach maturity in about 3 years. Splake live to at least 9 years and grow quicker than either parent. Because their characteristics are intermediate, the only definitive way to identify a splake from a lake trout is to kill it and count the pyloric caeca. That is the reason splake regulations mirror those of the very similar appearing lake trout.

About 30,000 yearling splake have been stocked consistently in the Les Cheneaux Islands since 1992. Harvest has been reasonably stable but consistently low at around 100 fish each year. Return to creel averaged 0.33% - 0.5%. The zone MH-1, which extends from Rogers City to Drummond Island, is managed for lake trout harvest under regulations of the 2000 Great Lakes Tribal/State/US Consent Decree. Since splake must be included in the lake trout regulations, splake are typically unavailable during the winter when

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the most productive fishing occurs because the lake trout season is closed at this time. The splake are most readily available to the anglers very early in the season and during the winter through the ice. Can we address this to improve our splake fishery by expanding the season? Can splake be marked so that they can be identified without killing them? Other concerns include, stocking 30,000 fish per year at a cost of $72,600 dollars with a limited return, splake are fertile and provide a potential for genetic issues with cross breeding with lake trout, limited hatchery space. Therefore, does it make sense to keep stocking splake?

With the current low return to creel, the approximate cost per fish harvested is about $700. There are many dollars going into this project and perhaps it is time to evaluate if the harvest can be improved with changes in regulations or the efforts should be redirected. Todd Grischke will present an issue statement on the splake fishery at a future meeting. There was concern that the cost was high per fish but it was mentioned that the overall picture should be evaluated to see if there is a significant benefit to the economy. It was also mentioned that the plant works but some adjustments may be needed. The fish are surviving and are present to be caught but the current regulation prevents the maximum potential harvest.

A discussion of the low water levels in Lake Huron – Todd Grischke:

Low water levels will be an issue on the top of our list to deal with over the next year. We are heading towards the lowest water levels ever recorded. The December Lake Huron/Lake Michigan water level was broken by about a half inch. Environmentally, it is not just a Lake Huron issue but also an entire Great Lakes Basin concern.

Todd Grischke showed a presentation by Mollie Mahoney, US Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, titled ‘Great Lakes Navigation system dredging update’. The fiscal year 2013 dredging requirements indicated 139 federal harbors with dredging needs; only 15 were funded (6 in Michigan, with 2 on Lake Huron).

DEQ Office of the Great Lakes has been appointed as the lead agency for State of Michigan. A report is due in February/March. Jim Goodhart is the lead representative.

There was a discussion that the low water levels in many of the harbors and launch sites along much of the Michigan shoreline of Lake Huron will make it difficult or impossible to launch boats in April. One of the Committee Advisors traveled from Lexington to the Northern Saginaw Bay. He reported that there is much work to be done and in some locations launching a boat may impossible.

Todd mentioned that he will be contacting representatives from the US Corp of Engineers, MDNR Waterways Commission, the Office of Great Lakes and possibly others to attend the next Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday April 16, 2013. At least 2 hours will be reserved for this discussion since pressure is mounting and if nothing is done by spring the negative impacts to the State’s economy could be substantial.

MDNR Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates:

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator Fisheries Division’s ‘Strategic Plan’ is available online and can be reviewed and comments provided at the following link, http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-292572--,00.html. Within the Department, we are putting together workgroups to work on and finalize the plan. A final draft is expected around February 2013.

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We saw EEDV virus at the Marquette Hatchery. This resulted in mortality of 70,000-80,000 lake trout (25% of production). This lose will affect spring plants. This disease is believed to be associated with warm weather or drought (or both). This disease is specific to lake trout.

Dave Clapp, Acting Research Section Manager Dave is acting Research Section Manager since Tammy Newcomb transferred to assisting the DNR Director on fishery matters. Dave is working out of the Charlevoix Research Station on Federal grants and reports. Also, he is working to get the inactive Hunt Creek and Saline Research stations back on line.

Ed Eisch, Manager of the Oden/Platte River/Harrietta State Fish Hatcheries At all three facilities, the fish are hatched and are looking good including the browns, rainbows and Atlantic salmon. Things are on schedule for what looks like an early stocking this spring. There are approximately 100,000 yearling Atlantic salmon that are healthy and will be ready to stock this spring as long as nothing unforeseen happens.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Management Supervisor There are discussions occurring about an earlier season opener for sucker dip netting. Because of the warmer springs much of the sucker run is being missed with the current regulations. Previously the date could only be changed by the legislature; however, a law was passed recently that gave the authority to establish the date back to the DNR. Walleye season ends March 15, and we do not want that time to overlap therefore, the new date will be between March 15 and April 1. Saginaw Bay shoreline ice fishing is underway with good perch fishing on the early ice until the crowds came out. Since the fish school in very shallow water under the ice shelf the noise from the crowds dispersed the fish. Jim stressed that the motorcycle helmet law does not apply to ORVs and a helmet is required by everyone riding on the machines.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Management Supervisor Biologist/Technicians are working on 2013 work plans and survey schedules, prescriptions, etc. The St. Mary’s River joint survey as part of the St. Mary’s Assessment Plan is taking place this year. Upcoming events include the Black Lake sturgeon season, spring Inland Waterway walleye movement study, population estimates on Black Lake sturgeon and assessment of hatchery produced sturgeon survival.

Craig Milkowski, Law Enforcement Division, Commercial Fish Specialist Craig has worked with the Coast Guard training them on commercial fishing regulations and an overview of the fishery. In addition, Craig is conducting training with the Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Divisions to educate and train them on Aquatic Invasive Species. Homeland Security has been out on Lake Huron regarding the mystery boats which get reported occasionally.

Finalizing the Atlantic salmon new stocking locations priority list – Todd Grischke:

An updated draft of the ‘Recommended Strategy for Stocking Atlantic Salmon in Lake Huron in 2013’ was distributed. After discussion, the final version will contain the priorities as listed below.

1. The St. Mary’s River will receive sufficient Atlantic salmon so that the number stocked by LSSU and the State will total 50,000 yearlings. 2. The Au Sable River will receive 30,000 yearlings (a minimum stocking level of 15,000 is recommended). 3. The St. Mary’s River will receive an additional 15,000 yearlings. 4. The Thunder Bay River will receive 20,000 yearlings (a minimum stocking level of 15,000 is recommended). 5. A Great Lakes Port (i.e. Lexington, Port Sanilac) in Southern Lake Huron will receive up to 15,000 spring yearlings.

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6. The St. Mary’s River may receive additional yearlings if needed up to a maximum of 100,000 (this total would include both the State and Lake Superior State University stocked yearlings). The 100,000 yearling amount is not a target but the maximum that is permitted by an agreement under the State/Tribal Fishing Decrees. NOTE: Spring yearlings will be stocked in Torch Lake at prescribed levels of 16,200 to 18,000 only if fall fingerlings were not stocked the previous fall.

It was discussed which Southern Lake Huron Port would best to accommodate an initial stocking of Atlantic salmon. Lexington Harbor was suggested as it has more piers open to anglers than Port Sanilac which has mostly private docks and piers. In addition, Lexington receives more fishing pressure.

There was a short discussion about other potential stocking sites when Atlantic salmon production increases and additional sites may be needed. It was mentioned that the Rifle River is a good candidate because of acceptable temperatures, good habitat and much public access. Other sites mentioned were Cheboygan River, Ocqueoc River, Swan River Weir and other harbors. The Atlantic salmon stocked at the new sites in 2013 will begin to appear in the fishery in 2014 so much should be learned within a few years. As this new information is compiled and production increases better decisions can be made about adding additional stocking sites in the future.

In order to determine if stocking of each new site is a success, an acceptable rate of return needs to be established. Currently, Atlantic salmon stocked in the St. Mary’s River return about 5% to the anglers. Since the eggs of the Atlantic salmon in the St. Mary’s River are collected, raised and released at the same location it is not likely that survival of the fish raised in the State hatcheries will survive as well so a return to anglers of 2% was suggested as a reasonable “Benchmark of Success”. A stocking site will be considered successful if anglers catch at least 2% of the number stocked at that location. Consideration will be given that the fish travel throughout Lake Huron and not all the fish will be caught at the site where they are stocked.

We currently have about 100,000 Atlantic salmon yearlings that are surviving well at the Platte River State Hatchery and this priority stocking plan needs to have a final approval soon so that the fish can be planted before any stressors develop. These are larger fish and when warm water hits we need to move them out.

The group also discussed the marking effort for Atlantic salmon. All the fish were marked this year and many of the fish were able to go through the mass marking trailer. Unfortunately, some of the fish were too BIG and had to be marked by hand. The adipose fin was removed from each fish but no coded wire tags were used for this year. The fish tolerated the marking process extremely well and there were no mortalities.

It was stressed that avian predation control efforts need to be coordinated with Atlantic salmon plants. The DNR needs to make sure the avian predator list gets updated once the stocking sites are finalized.

Since the Atlantic salmon start showing up in the creel early in April and can be caught through November there was interest in the possibility of extending the creel survey season. Depending on funding, this option may be considered.

A discussion of the format and number of the Lake Huron Spring Sea Grant Workshops to be held and an introduction to the new report on Sustainable Coastal Tourism Development in Northeastern Michigan – Brandon Schroeder:

Sustainable Coastal Tourism Development Report Laura Johnson (through her Masters Degree) and Brandon authored a coastal tourism report, ‘Sustainable Coastal Tourism’. The report provides many resources, tools, suggestions and links for anyone interested in

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developing tourism opportunities and businesses along the Great Lakes. This report has been shared with legislatures and you can view this report at http://www.nemcog.org/downloads/sustainablecoastaltourism_101012.pdf.

Lake Huron Spring Sea Grant Workshops The Committee finds these workshops extremely valuable and is interested in coordinating these meetings with Brandon. Last year, Sea Grant hosted three evening workshops with attendance averaging 70 participants per workshop.

For 2013, Sea Grant is going to host three, three hour, evening workshops. They will be in Ubly on April 18, Alpena, and Cedarville. The dates, agendas and speakers will be arranged soon.

Potential Topics of Interest – Identification of Atlantic salmon, splake management directions (Cedarville), walleye movement (Dave Fielder), prey base, general changes on Lake Huron, Department finances, Fisheries Division Strategic Plan, water levels (bring experts in to talk about great lakes hydrology), lake trout movement (Ji He), final conclusions of the predator diet study and steelhead.

Turning Point will be used again in 2013. Brandon will work with Todd Grischke, Dave Borgeson, Jim Baker and Frank Krist to develop some turning point questions.

Can the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee be Improved: Everyone

The Committee discussed location and format. As background, the RAM Center charges an a.m. fee, lunch, and a p.m. fee. We could reduce that by meeting in the afternoon without lunch. Other options include the Grayling Township Hall, which only charges a $10 flat fee. The Doherty Hotel in Clare waives all fees as long as the Committee eats lunch on-site. BJ’s Restaurant in Gaylord also waives all fees, if the committee eats on-site.

The Committee agreed to meet at the Doherty Hotel for the April 16 meeting. All attendees will pay for their own lunch.

Next Meetings: Tuesday April 16 – Revised from previous April 17 date Tuesday June 25 Tuesday Oct 15

Adjourned

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Joint Lake Huron and Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meeting

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Joint Lake Huron and Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meeting Tuesday April 16, 2013 Doherty Hotel Clare Michigan Approved

10:00 Meeting called to order by Co-chairs Frank Krist and Denny Grinold

Chair Grinold will handle the morning session. He apologized for being a little bleary eyed and tired as he was at the Governors Convention on tourism the night before. Catch and Cook received an award for the success of that program. 2013 Governor’s Awards for Innovative Tourism Collaboration were presented at the April 14 - 16 Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Detroit. The awards were presented by the Michigan Travel Commission and the Tourism Industry Coalition of Michigan.

The Governor’s Awards for Innovative Tourism Collaboration were created by the Michigan Travel Commission, in conjunction with the Governor’s Office, to elevate the status of Michigan’s tourism industry and to promote innovative collaboration as an effective, efficient and creative operating principle for the industry. The inaugural awards were presented at the 2009 annual Tourism Conference.

In the Experience Development & Presentation category, The “Michigan Catch & Cook” collaboration took the honors. This collaboration included six partners: the Michigan Charter Boat Association, the Michigan Restaurant Association, the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Sea Grant and the Michigan State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Anglers on the Great Lakes can set out on a charter boat in the morning and enjoy their fresh catch at a restaurant in the afternoon as a result of the collaboration of Michigan Catch and Cook. The program is an innovative and compelling experience that brings recreational fishing and the restaurant industry together – expanding the services offered to clients by charter boat fishing companies, generating new business for restaurants and promoting Michigan’s Great Lakes. The concept of lake to plate has enhanced the visitor experience not just with the catch but with the anticipation of a great meal ahead. (source MDNR press release)

Chair Grinold made mention of the passing of Paul Wendler , a member of the Lake Huron committee, an Advisor to the GLFC, and a conservation advocate for the resources of the State. Also mentioned was the passing of charter Captain Ron Beyer a member of the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee. They will be missed. Also recognized were Dr. Ken Merckel and wife in attendance after surviving a terrible car crash and intensive hospitalization. A voice that sounded like Jim Johnson indicated he (Ken) was now known as answering to “Lazarus.” Chair indicated we were glad to have him back, seconded with a vigorous round of applause, Attendees provided self- introductions and sign in sheets were circulated Todd Grischke, Paul Jensen, Chuck Pistis, Steve Lepeak, Ken Merckel, Lenore Merckel, Jack Nobel, Jerry Lawrence, Bud Donnelly, John Robertson, Jim Bedford, Jim Vander Mass, Dennis Eade, Tom Hamilton, Bill Winowiecki, Jim DeClerck, Ed Retherford, Jim Johnson, Julie Shafto, Judy Ogden, Mollie Mahoney, Keith Kompoltowicz, Brandon Schroeder, Rick Kretzschmar, Todd Kalish, Dennis Gulan, Larry Desloover, Craig Milkowski, Steve Huff, Wade Hamilton, Terry Walsh, Lance Campbell, Alan Sieferlien, Scott Carey, Jim Fenner, George Freeman, Bob Reider, Mark Tonello, Chris Hettinger, John Stegmeir, Terry Lyons, Jim Schram, Jay Wesley, Jim Dexter, Ken Lee, Keith Wils, Ron Westrate, John Schrouder, Jim Baker, Frank Krist, Dave Borgeson, Chip Klein, Ken Pletcher, Tom Keerl, John Dobis

Overview of State wide low water issues.—Todd Grischke The topic affects both basins so this is the appropriate forum to hear the issues. There are many facets to the discussion so it will be broken into segments with different perspectives. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will give an overview of the hydrology and the permitting and funding process. Denny Grinold wearing his Waterways Commissioner hat will give a report on the Michigan initiative. Jim Dexter will provide information on the related fisheries issues. USACE Chief of Watershed Hydrology Detroit District Keith Kompoltowicz was introduced by Todd. Keith provided an overview of the Great Lakes Basin (GLB). The GLB contains 20% of the world’s fresh water and 90% of the US fresh water. Water management and flows are jointly managed by two countries thru agencies like the USACE here and Environment Canada. Six water level monitoring gauges are stationed around Lakes Michigan-Huron giving real time hydrological lake level readings. Gauges located in Ludington, Harbor Beach, Milwaukee, Mackinaw City maintained by NOAA and in Escalon and Tobermory by the Canadian Hydrological Service. In January water level was at 576.02 feet which was the lowest recorded since 1918. The top 1” of surface water on Lake Michigan-Huron represents 800 billion gallons. The hydrologic cycle was explained-- low levels in winter, increasing levels thru spring and summer, and declines beginning in the fall. Evaporation rates typically exceed inflows from precipitation and runoff. If a theoretical inflow of 100” of water is received on the Michigan-Huron basin –evaporation will take away 32”---St. Clair river diversion takes 57”---Chicago Waterway (CAWS) will divert 1”. Largest outflow without question is the water flowing under the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron. Forecast predicts that we should see movement away from the current record lows for the next year, with the precipitation being received. Not projecting returns to long term average levels thru 2015. Chuck Pistis noted that the system took 4 years to recover in the 1960s, record lows to average levels. Paul Jensen asked for clarification that the Lake St Clair diversion was the largest and was uncontrolled. Keith noted that the Chicago diversion was limited to 3200 cubic feet per second, no limits on St. Clair River. Jim Johnson expectations about rise effects of more possible extreme storm events. Jack Noble referenced a study by USGS that looked at the years from 1855 to present that detailed precipitation received and the effects of evaporation and diversions. Apparently recent precipitation has averaged an increase of 4.5 “over average levels. Despite increased precipitation, levels continue to drop and it was questioned if the change in the St. Clair River channel depth from 22 ft. to 27 ft. is part of the problem? Keith explained that an earlier dredging program had authorized compensation works to slow water flow, however since at the time water levels were very high the logic of spending money to slow it down did not make sense. Episodic erosion during 1962 to 2000 has been attributed to a 3 to 5 inch decline in water levels. There is no on-going erosion since 2000; river bed is stable, probably because it has washed down to bedrock. There is a St. Clair River Compensation Study that determined that “speed bumps” could be installed that would slow the outflow. Keith believes that language exists to maintain the 27 ft. depth levels. USACE does have authority for compensation implementation, but congressional approval is needed for the dollars. Detroit District has sent the study report to Cincinnati, which agrees on compensation, Washington D.C. is still looking. Question was asked as to the cost for the compensation work; believe the answer was that no real costs had been determined. Jack related that a 10 year old acquaintance had asked why don’t we just plug it up? USACE Operations Project Manager Mollie Mahoney presented an overview of the scope of work that they are handling. There are 140 harbors in the mix -80 commercial -60 recreational. Lake Michigan harbors from New Buffalo to Muskegon benefitted from dollars appropriated for hurricane Sandy relief. Fiscal year budget 2014 (FY14) has more funding increases than those in 2013 budget. $ 38 million dollars has been appropriated for the FY14 budget. USACE has allowed dredging deeper than projected project depths. There is an existing dredging requirement for the Great lakes of 3.3 million cubic yards annually just to handle sediment buildup. A backlog of dredging projects builds as the funding for the expanding dredging requirements does not Contact phone numbers Mollie Mahoney-Project Operations manager-313-226-2033 Dave Wright-Detroit District Operations manager-313-226-3573

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Mike O Bryan-Great Lakes Navigation manager 313-226-6444 Marie Strum Business Line manager-313-226-6794 Todd Grischke asked how the 3.3 million cubic yards is factored into the plan for the future if that amount is used as the basis with the decrease in water levels. Frank Krist asked if congress had released more dollars in the past? It was agreed that congress traditionally released larger budget amounts. Chuck Pistis asked if an explanation of the “pecking order” concerning the harbors and how they get addressed could be clarified? Commercial harbors handling more than 1 million tons per year are the top priority. Coal fired power plants serviced only by water were mentioned second. Recreational harbors fall into the mix after that. Jim Johnson asked if USACE operates any equipment? Reply was that all dredging is done by private contractors. Question was asked of the cost per yard to dredge? Currently the dredge cost averages $5.00 /$6.00 per cubic yard for hydraulic dredging being pumped to adjacent beachfront or containment. If dredge spoil has to be moved upland the cost approaches $20.00 per cubic yard. Environmental concerns have ultimately increased the cost of dredging. Mentioned that dollars have been made available to address emergency shoaling situations, however these need to be tied to an emergency event. (Hurricane Sandy) Michigan State Waterways Commission—Denny Grinold Obvious connection between fishing / boating and the need for harbors and launch ramps. Statistics indicated that 90% of all Michigan registered boats are less than 26 ft. Aluminum hulls 46%-fiberglass 25% with 71% being open types. Currently there are 800,000 boats registered in Michigan. In 1947 the Waterways Commission was created and is made up of 7 members appointed by Governor. Members serve three year terms and typically meet 6 times annually ---unless you have a low water/dredging crisis which created the need for additional meetings. Waterways oversees 84 State run harbors and approximately 900 boating access sites. Funding for Waterways comes partially from marine fuel taxes—2% is allocated from gasoline sales of which 80% goes to Waterways. A portion of Recreation Passport funds are also allocated, along with 51% of boat registration fees. It was discovered that no tax dollars are being received from marine diesel sales which will hopefully be addressed by the new transportation act. The economic impact concerns of low water levels on communities and the economic implications prompted the generation of a survey of all State harbors. The response was 80% of those surveyed, which produced a target of $20,961,070 required to address the needs of those responding. The Waterways Commission was able to produce $9,461,000.00 from its Michigan Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund with the Governor and legislature allocating $11,500,000.00 from the 2013 general Fund budget, as a supplemental. Senator Levin was able to direct $18 million out of the federal budget dollars allocated for hurricane Sandy relief of which $5.5 million went to Michigan. Michigan FY14 transportation package might begin to address future needs and other sources of funding. Comments were made on the difficulty surrounding smaller communities with limited dollars utilizing the emergency funds. The needs to upfront fund engineering studies and the competitive bidding requirements were costly expenditures that required small communities to scramble to cover the costs before they could get reimbursed. Paul Petersen from the DNR was identified as the go to guy to solve these types of issues. Next Waterways meeting 4/26/2013 Port Austin 9 AM. Chuck Pistis asked where the $5.5 million go’s? A decision has not been made yet on how these dollars will be handled. Paul Jensen related issues with the DEQ dissolving the Permit Consolidation Unit in Lansing and spreading the cases to district offices around the State. While the more local hands on approach should expedite the process, communication with USACE seems to be falling thru the cracks. Judy Ogden asked how the prioritization of where or when dredging occurs happens? Port Sanilac harbor has shoals of 1.7 ft. off the boat launch ramp. Contacting DNR, specifically Paul Petersen seems again to be the answer. The focus is on both slips and ramps.

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Harbor Beach /Harrisville thanked the commission and people involved to make it work. Jim Johnson asked if any funding was designated for extending launch ramps? Not specifically, however could be made part of a project proposal. John Robertson commented with money available it is best done locally—building those relationships will provide good benefits over time. However, it will take time!

USACE Hotline 800 493 6838 Keith Wils provided handouts on concerns with the Bays de Noc Walleye fishery and issues surrounding its’ continuing viability. Lunch Break 12:45 Fisheries Chief Jim Dexter The low water /dredging focus brings another follow on issue—spawning closures stopping dredging from May 1 to June 30th or other time periods depending on location to protect larval fish. DEQ asked that the window requirement be dropped because of the large number of dredging projects. The Fisheries Division position was to leave the window in effect and review and evaluate requests on a per case basis. Jim indicated that requests would be approved for 2 to 3 week intervals not just across the board. A new license fee proposal is underway—there were 4 versions of legislation. They were all well received with a lot of support for the package. The MCBA polled members and came back with a daily license fee proposal cost of $10.00, instead of proposed $15.00. A three day license (which would cover a weekend) is available for $30.00. An all species license can be purchased for $25.00. This license makes up 2/3 of the license sales dollars. New license package is projected to raise $18 million across the board. Fisheries Div. share will be 5 to 5.5 million when implemented. The new program of grants is $2.5 million spread over 10 grants for habitat projects. There is $.5 million towards hatchery upgrades and enhancing facilities to raise different species effectively. The creel clerk program will receive $2 million. Strategic plan – in works for 15 months and is available on website. Tactical details of implementing each strategy in the plan are being developed. Chuck Pistis asked about senior citizen licenses—the discount will continue. Dennis Eade pointed out that the tactical plans should have stakeholder involvement. Dexter indicated that it was still a work in process. Paul Jensen asked whether the new bill giving military and disabled free licenses would impact receiving Wallops Breaux dollars from the feds. Answer was no real apparent impact.

Chinook Stocking—Todd Kalish Developing concerns with predator prey relationships basically caused by the declining forage (alewife) led to reevaluations of the Chinook program. A comprehensive collaborative relationship between stakeholders and managers developed an initiative to cut Salmon plants by 50% is being implemented. Lake Michigan formerly was planted with numbers ranging around 3.3 million Chinook salmon. The numbers stocked in Michigan waters will be reduced from 1,688,500 in 2012 to 558,500 in 2013. Michigan plants are actually being cut by 67/ 70 % because of the influence of higher natural reproduction in our river systems. The Lake Michigan Technical Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission will document the process. Steve Robillard of the Illinois DNR is the current chair. The survey station will be the monitoring of returns to Strawberry Creek Weir in Wisconsin which will determine if the stocking cuts will continue. Rick Clark is reviewing the “Red Flags” analysis being used to evaluate and direct the Salmon program. He is re accessing the trigger method analysis and developing metrics that address changes introduced by the new stocking protocol. Tom Hamilton –asked if the reduced stocking will cut hatchery costs and are we getting a higher quality of fish from the hatcheries? Jim Dexter responded that those savings are being offset by increasing energy and fish food costs.

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Todd Grischke related that Gary Whelan, Hatchery Manager, reports that you still have to run the hatchery and that the fixed costs are still there. Jim Dexter mentioned that brook trout are still costing $3.75 a fish, while raising 35,000 fish. Chip Klein commented on concerns with dropping fish populations. Acoustic and bottom trawl surveys show the prey fish community has dropped significantly and several forage species are at or near record low levels. He indicated reports that some are happy when sewer spills occur because that adds nutrients to the system. Scott Carey asked about return results? Strawberry Creek returns currently showing age 3 females returning with an average weight of 11.64 lbs., which is the 2nd lowest in the time series. The results leave some doubt about the accuracy of the data since the low water levels may have discouraged several larger fish from entering the stream. Jim Johnson mentioned that this is the 1st year of coded wire tag returns and that indications are that 4 out of 5 Chinook in Lake Huron are wild fish. There appears to be significant movements of Chinook from Lake Huron to southern Lake Michigan. Atlantic Salmon –Todd Grischke Plantings were made two weeks ago yesterday (April) which is the results of 2 to 3 years of hard work. Lake Superior State University (LSSU) has been stocking in the St. Mary’s River for about 25 years. The Platte River State Fish Hatchery instituted UV technology that appears instrumental in reducing disease issues for Atlantic salmon fry. The yearlings stocked this spring were very healthy. Managers looked for locations that would fit the matrix and after long discussions with the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee 4 locations were selected---St. Mary’s River where 35,000 were stocked—Au Sable River, 30,000 stocked (13 to 14 miles of public access by every type of angler) ---Thunder Bay River, 20,000 stocked (short run –less than a mile to 1st barrier and potential for a good offshore fishery) and Lexington Harbor, 15,000 stocked (hopes to bolster the southern Lake Huron fishery and determine if a harbor plant will provide a local fishery). 50% of fish were clipped by the Auto-fish mass marking trailer-the rest clipped by hand (Size issues with fish growth put them above the equipment size constraints). The fish moving through the marking trailer tolerated the process very well and the plans are in the future to mark all of the Atlantic salmon in the trailer. The LSSU clips are different from the DNR Atlantic salmon plants clips so survival from each hatchery can be compared. 100,000 fish were stocked this year and the plan for 2014 is to continue stocking the same locations and similar numbers depending on hatchery production. Jim Vander Mass asked about natural reproduction. Not seeing positive indications at this time. Frank Krist related that the collapse of alewife may not be all bad news. Atlantic salmon are sensitive to thiamine issues so not having alewife for forage might help them reproduce. He noted that about ½ of the fish return to spawn after spending one winter in the Lake and most of the rest return after two winters. The fish are not programmed to die after spawning and some may spawn several times. The fish run from about 3 to 12 pounds with the possibility of larger fish. They are opportunistic feeders and eat a variety of food items from insects to larval fish to adult gobies and smelt. Canada has an Atlantic stocking program in Lake Ontario none in Lake Huron. Fish have been moving from the St. Mary’s River to southern Lake Huron providing a lake-wide fishery in spite of the small numbers originally stocked (25,000 to about 35,000 annually). Terry Walsh asked about being able to increase hatchery production. Dexter mentioned that evaluating hatchery utilization is part of the new strategic plan. Avian control during and after stocking is working on keeping birds away. The Atlantics were in excellent condition when stock this year and stocking the fish earlier before large numbers of cormorants arrive is helping. Kudos to fish production staff and the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee !! Law Enforcement –Wade Hamilton-Supervisor Commercial Fish Enforcement Conservation officers have issued 1954 fishing related citations during the past year, 3435 verbal warnings, 473 marine citations – 4219 marine verbal warnings. Commercial Law Enforcement Division has 4 boat captains and 1 investigator conducting 5000 hours of tribal commercial fishing enforcement and 2500 hours of State commercial fishing enforcement. Commercial Fish Enforcement has been working with Motor Carrier Enforcement to update and train their officers on invasive species and how to profile suspects and the equipment involved. Farley’s Pond Stockers of Arkansas was the company involved in delivering and selling prohibited species (Grass Carp) near a Tractor Supply Store in Midland. The State filed civil suits and has collected $20,000.00 in fines. The driver was incarcerated for 5 months.

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Garden Peninsula –had a case involving 200 Lbs. of Perch and Walleye. Subsistence Fishers were using dummy markers and fishing nets in excess of 300 ft. Found guilty and required to pay a fine of $6850.00 with $1200.00 upfront and $35.00 per week after that. There were citations issued. Issued citations for 3 abandoned nets and Little River Band fishers paid $100.00 fines. Training programs on going with the United States Coast Guard to familiarize them with commercial fishing rules and regulations. USCG will begin enforcing tighter regulations on vessels more than 3 miles from shore. Patrol action in Sault St. Marie In November on reported illegal activity. There is an on-going program to monitor and apprehend illegal charters. There is a Coastal Zone Management program monitoring shipwrecks and artifact protection. Both of these programs welcome support from “eyes on the water”, if you see questionable activity be sure to pass on the information. Terry Walsh commented that getting convictions against Native American fishers is difficult. Chris Hettinger emphasized the importance of using the RAP hotline as it documents complaints for later reference. Marquette State Fish Hatchery –Todd Grischke indicated that there had been a virus outbreak at the hatchery and that stocking of fish from the facility was questioned. Lake Trout were infected with EEDV. Fish now have a clean bill of health. 140,000 fall fingerlings from USFWS hatchery will be stocked in Northern Lake Huron to comply. The 100,000 fish from Marquette are going to Southern Lake Michigan for Indiana. Update on GLFC Lake Committee Meeting –Duluth US Section Advisors to the commission advanced three issues that they believe need to be addressed thru the resolution process. Mass Marking—funding sources needed to provide $5 million for operating budget per year starting in 2013. Earmarks used to be the financial vehicle to fund these programs. Need to encourage Congress to provide funding alternatives. Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund –accumulated dollars need to be allocated to projects that need them. Congress has to decide and agree to allow this money to be distributed. Dam Removal / Modification-Black Sturgeon Dam-Canada and the 6th Street Dam in Grand Rapids, Mich. have become “poster children” for exposing a much larger problem in dealing with invasives. Projections for lamprey control projected costs range up to $4.8 million if the Grand River is opened up. These could be significant costs and impacts on a total budget ranging from $15 to $20 million yearly on a treatment protocol that has to be spread basin wide. John Stegmier voiced his agreement that the removal of a dam is not just a local problem; it presents basin wide implications both ecologically and monetarily. Chuck Pistis commented this is a positive experience (Grand Rapids 6th St. Dam) since it brings in another constituency to help the Great Lakes as they learn and observe the issues surrounding the fishery issues. John Robertson suggested that when a perceived threat comes up it may be viewed as a problem or an opportunity. Tom Hamilton asked that more information be provided by USFWS and the GLFC on all the program facets. Jim Schram and Jim Bedford noted that dams can be removed successfully and that the lamprey concerns can be addressed such as was done with Tippee dam. Frank Krist presented an overview of his take away information from the Lake Committee meeting. The lower food web has problems directly related to prey fish which have been monitored by USGS since 1973 and the 2012 data show a total biomass at the lowest levels in the time series. Smelt, bloaters, deepwater sculpins and ninespine sticklebacks were at record low levels and there is intense predation on alewife by salmon. Trawl survey showed that 84% of alewife biomass was composed of the 2010 year class. Older adult alewives are becoming rare and as early as 2007 there were 9 year classes but in 2012 only ages up to four years were found. Lakes Huron and Michigan are experiencing different biological factors as the ecology shifts to the huge growth of the dreissenid mussel population that traps nutrients on the bottom. Red Flags data were not all available. Charter catch rates were the highest in the series. Angler success rates were the third highest in the time series. Sea lamprey

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abundance was up-(estimate 88000) in Lake Michigan above the target level of 57,000. USFWS still is thinking the Manistique River is the primary source for the lamprey problem. The State of Michigan, USACE, and GLFC have a working plan to get the dam repaired. USFWS is targeting several sampling sites in 2013 for Asian Carp DNA testing which are listed in priority order Sandusky, Maumee, Ottawa, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, St Joe River, Grand River, Milwaukee and Fox Rivers. Sampling will be done as time and funding allows. Jim Bedford asked about the steelhead egg take. Mark Tonello reported that we went from the earliest egg take last year to the latest this year, with the take not yet done. An issue developed with a power surge at hatchery knocking out pumps which contributed to the loss of some fish (211). They have been seeing a few steelhead, however they have not been ripe. Estimating 500 / 600 fish still available. Facility built in 1957 which presents a lot of maintenance and repair issues. Scott Carey asked if the Manistique River dam was on schedule. It appears that construction will begin in 2014. Chip Klein related concerns that the salmon are being blamed for eating everything, answer appears that the ecological regime shift is the culprit. Lake wide mussels increased from 12.5 to 95 kilotons based on USGS estimates, which is responsible for removing huge levels of nutrients from the water column. Todd Grischke provided an overview on Lake Huron mentioning an uptick in lamprey from about 110,000 in 2011 to 275,000 last year. There was an uptick in prey fish –specifically the bloater. Native species are recovering –lake trout and cisco are recovering. The Lake Huron Technical Committee is studying data on determining when to stop lake trout stocking as rehabilitation and wild reproduction continues to increase. Whitefish are indicating problems in recruitment –younger year classes are missing. It appears that the young whitefish are not surviving as well as in the past and lamprey predation may be increasing. Seneca Lake (strain of lake trout) appears to be showing better resistance to avoiding lamprey attacks. Jim Johnson indicated that the average age of lake whitefish caught by commercial fishers in Lake Huron was 15 years. Frank Krist provided a wrap up of the parallels between Lakes Michigan and Huron and the huge ecological shift in these systems. He noted that the lamprey production may be impacted by the availability of bloaters and ciscoes soon after the juveniles emerge from the St. Mary’s River giving younger lamprey a forage base that may be causing a growth spurt in the population numbers. Not all doom and gloom as the indications are that Lake Huron is moving towards positive changes with an excellent diverse fishery and near record catch rates for some species. Frank thanked the participants and the Secretary, indicating he was looking forward to the next joint meeting opportunity. Paul Jensen –Secretary Adjourned Remaining Meetings for 2013:

Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Monday October21, Old Boys Brewhouse, Spring Lake

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Tuesday June 25, 2013, Jays Sporting Goods, Inc. Clare Tuesday October 15

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc, Clare, Michigan Tuesday, June 25, 2013 Approved

Attendees: Jim Baker, Dan Blough, Dave Borgeson, Lance Campbell, Gary Decker, Vicki Decker, Jim DeClerck, Bud Donnelly, Ed Eisch, Neal Godby, Todd Grischke, Kory Groetsch, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Lindsey Henski, Jon Jackoviak, Jim Johnson, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Steve Lepeak, Terry Lyons, Ken Merckel, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Ken Pletcher, Ed Retherford, John Robertson, Brandon Schroeder, Alan Seiferlein, Julie Shaft, Steve Shafto, Chuck Shaver, Julie Sims, Fred Sterns, Aaron Switzer, Forest Williams and Michelle Bruneau.

Welcome and Opening Comments: Frank Krist called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Attendees introduced themselves.

An overview of the data collected during the Brown Trout Evaluation Project through 2012 – Jim Johnson, MDNR:

Jim Johnson presented the report, ‘Evaluation of Recreational Fishery Performance of Brown Trout Stocked as Fall Yearlings During 2009-2011 Lake Huron’. The report summarized brown trout survival and growth in Lake Huron from 1992 through 2012 but emphasizes the current study. The benchmark of the jumbo fall brown trout project was to have a return to the anglers of at least 5%; the compiled results show a return of less than 1.6%.

Todd Grischke clarified that the original study design called for annual fall stocking from 2009 through 2011 and continued evaluation for an additional three years. We are not through that period, but we wanted to bring the current information we have and share what we are anticipating. The last fall yearling brown trout stocking was in 2011 and the largest return to creel is the following year. Therefore, 2012 should have received 70-80% of the fish that were going to return. The next year or two would provide very minimal numbers so Fisheries Division poses the question: What do we do with this program? Continue or discontinue?

Advisors and other participants comments and discussion of the future direction of brown trout management in Lake Huron:

1) There was a discussion of how the hatchery space required for the brown trout study could be used to raise other species if brown trout would no longer be stocked in Lake Huron. It was stressed that each species of fish raised in the hatcheries has different space and environmental requirements and one species cannot be simply substituted for another species in the raceways. In addition, environmental conditions including water sources and temperatures vary at each hatchery limiting which species can be effectively raised at each facility. For example, it was mentioned that potentially 200,000 more spring yearling steelhead could be raised at the Thompson State Fish Hatchery but upgrades would be needed. Because this is a complex issue it was agreed that at the next couple of meetings the potential of raising more steelhead or Atlantic salmon in the State hatcheries would be examined.

2) It was suggested that stocking much smaller spring fingerling brown trout might be an option. It was pointed out that the reason the very large fall brown trout were being stocked in the study is that stocking smaller fish produced very poor returns to the anglers.

3) Several comments indicated that some brown trout were being caught but apparently by only a few anglers that mainly fished early and late in the season.

4) There was concern that the creel survey was not being conducted long enough each season to accurately estimate the catch. This item was addressed in the study by surveying Port Sanilac and Lexington during the winter to obtain an estimate of the late season catch rate and adding an additional 26% to the creel results at the other sites to compensate.

5) Diversity is an important aspect of a fishery to help ensure a reliable stable fishery so a thorough evaluation should be made before discontinuing stocking any species. The fall brown study did provide intensive monitoring and review of the fishery.

6) It was pointed out that by cutting the stocking of the Chinook salmon in Lake Huron during 2012 there was additional space available in Platte River Hatchery to raise Atlantic salmon and expand stocking to Central and Southern Lake Huron.

7) There was concern that not stocking brown trout would eliminate fishing opportunities for small boat and shore anglers. It was noted that if the Atlantic salmon survive well a new spring and fall shore fisheries should develop. In addition, the improving steelhead fishery has increased quality fishing opportunities in many rivers and harbors all along the Lake Huron shoreline.

8) It was strongly stressed that brown trout survival was very short of the goal and more fishing opportunities could be created by switching resources to other species.

To summarize, the participants indicated that based on the study evaluation, the project obviously failed and the benefit to cost ratio is poor. Nevertheless, there are data showing a small, shallow water local fishery. Also, diversity is important and eliminating a species is unfortunate but the developing Atlantic salmon fishery has the potential to provide added diversity.

Frank Krist clarified that according to the Terms of Reference only Committee members can vote on the issue. In the case of a split decision, the chair can make a final decision.

A motion was voted on to discontinue the Brown Trout Study. The results were 13 to discontinue the study, one to continue and one undecided, but could live with discontinuing the study.

The motion was approved to eliminate the Brown Trout Study and not stock brown trout in Lake Huron.

Summary of the Spring Sea Grant workshops – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant:

Brandon Schroeder thanked the Committee for their role in the Spring Sea Grant Fishery Workshops. Over 260 participants attended. MSU has created a write-up sharing some turning point data feedback. Overall, there has been a shift in Lake Huron fishery attitudes and currently most anglers think Lake Huron is again a great fishery. There was strong support for continuing the Workshops in the spring of 2014. Brandon indicated that on the Michigan Sea Grant website (http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/positive_attitudes_toward_an_improving_lake_huron_fishery) there is a summary of the outcome of the Workshops along with links to several documents that describe the dramatic changes occurring in the food web and fisheries.

Assisting the headhunters, collecting samples from marked steelhead and documenting caught Atlantic salmon – Jim Johnson:

There has been an upward trajectory in harvest of steelhead. Since this species was contributing much to the offshore and shore fishery, a study was drafted in 2009 to determine if steelhead returns could be increased. Two size groups were stocked over three years with half of the fish directly stocked into Lake Huron and the other half acclimated in pens. The steelhead in the study were marked with coded wire tags to indicate the stocking location and whether the plant was a pen or direct stocking into Lake Huron. Even though the stocking phase is now officially completed, stocking will continue during the evaluation phase because the steelhead fishery continues to be very productive. Fish

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quality assessments have been completed and fish conditions were good. Smolting rates averaged 50%. Future study design includes continuing creel on the Au Sable in 2013-2014, electrofishing the harbors in the spring as opportunity allows and using headhunters to collect coded wire tag heads in 2013-14. It is highly important to continue encouraging voluntary return of coded wire tagged snouts. The coded wire tagged steelheads are marked with a missing adipose fin.

Please Help! To make the study meaningful we need many heads from legal size, coded wire tagged steelhead (marked with missing adipose fins) turned in to the DNR.

The Atlantic salmon stocked by the MDNR this spring had adipose clips (AD) but because there are no coded wire tags in the heads this year the Atlantic salmon heads will not be collected at this time. The plan is to insert coded wire tags in all of the Atlantic salmon stocked next spring and so collecting Atlantic salmon heads will not start until at least 2014.

An overview of Fish Contaminant Advisories – Kory Groetsch, Michigan Dept of Community Health:

The Department of Community Health tracks trends of chemicals in Great Lakes fish. Trends show PCB’s, DDT and dioxins are all going down. In inland lakes mercury is a concern, however, mercury remains stable or is increasing slightly. There are differences in wild fish vs. purchased fish and the Department of Community Health issues advisories for both. The Department issues only advisories not regulations.

Keep in mind when following these guides that the mission is to protect, preserve and promote the health and safety of the people of Michigan.

The Department of Community Health has produced an easy to follow website at www.michigan.gov/eatsafefish that provides advice on eating both angler caught and store purchased fish. In addition, there are recommendations about eating wild game, considerations for children, advice about fish caught in specific areas and technical reports for more in depth information.

New 2013-2014 guidelines are being developed and are less restrictive than previous years and will be out at the end of summer. Any questions or concerns, you can contact Kory Groetsch at 517-335-9935 or visit their very informative website as noted above.

Discussion of the St. Marys River Little Rapids Restoration Project and its potential impact on the Lake Huron fishery – Neal Godby, MDNR and Julie Sims, NOAA:

This project has been on the radar and ongoing for decades. Recent funding has allowed for progress! The main rapids provided significant habitat for whitefish and other species but currently it receives only 10% of its historic flow. The west side of Sugar Island is the location known as the Little Rapids Area. In 1891 dredging for the shipping channel and the construction of a causeway greatly reduced the water flow through the area. Restoration project goals include re-establishing flow/stream velocity, bottom substrate changes from silt to gravel and cobble, delisting of an area of concern (AOC), benthic organism composition shift and increased game fish habitat. This will be completed without impacting navigation. Phase 1 has been funded. This phase is to develop the engineering and design necessary to restore up to 70 acres of rapids habitat within the Little Rapids portion of the St. Marys River AOC with the primary goal to restore water flow. Culverts will be removed and a 600-foot wide flow area will be installed. Julie Sims (NOAA) highlighted the next steps of the design and feasibility phase with a completion goal of 2013. Construction is anticipated to start in 2014.

A continuation of the Les Cheneaux Island splake fishery discussion, can the fishery be improved or are there other options – Todd Grischke, MDNR:

Splake in the Les Cheneaux Islands have harvest regulations driven by lake trout stipulations due to limits established within the 2000 Great Lakes State/Tribal/U. S. Consent Decree. Because lake trout and splake are similar in appearance and are difficult to tell apart, specific regulations for splake cannot be implemented. The data the Department has compiled on splake in the Les Cheneaux Islands indicates the return to the anglers is poor.

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The Committee discussed lake trout regulation effects on splake and whether the regulations were the problem, whether the Department was missing a component in gathering the data and whether the fish simply are not there.

Splake were originally stocked for diversity. However, much fishing opportunity is lost because anglers cannot identify splake without killing them resulting in the fishery being closed part of the year. Committee members requested a model evaluation to determine if expanding the splake fishery by lengthening the lake trout season would result in a permissible number of lake trout being harvested. Todd will have a model report generated to present at the October meeting. If the model does not indicate a lake trout overharvest, perhaps season adjustments will be attempted.

DNR Fisheries Management Updates:

Note: Law Enforcement Division was involved in training and could not send representatives to the meeting.

Ed Eisch – Fish Production: They just wrapped up spring stockings. The stocked steelhead were huge with many reaching 8 inches long because the warm weather last year enabled the eggs to be collected earlier in the spring providing more growing time. Next year the stocked steelhead will be smaller because the cold spring this year resulted in a later steelhead run and egg take. The Great Lakes musky egg take was completed and we are trying to establish a musky brood stock. Currently, the fish are showing very good fertility. The results of the walleye rearing have been mixed this year. We encountered problems with low dissolved oxygen and poor fertility rates in the ponds, however, we were still able to stock out 22 of 23 ponds. Platte River State Hatchery stocked over 100,000 AD clipped Atlantic salmon. We are learning much about Atlantic salmon production and we have another strong class on hand right now.

Todd Grischke – Lake Huron Basin Coordinator: There will be a meeting next week with an internal workgroup to discuss how to best mark the Atlantic salmon that will be stocked next spring. The goal is that these fish will be stocked with site-specific coded wire tags (missing adipose fin). This will assist in determining how much each stocking site is contributing to the fishery. We are also working on the hunting and fishing license package. The Senate passed a different version than the House, so the bill now has to return to the House, however, the House has adjourned for the summer. Fisheries Division is also working on the specifics or tactics to implement the goals and objectives of the new Strategic Plan with a self-imposed deadline of August 1 and obtaining public input prior to November. Todd will keep the Committee posted. Todd was also approached regarding representation on Citizen Advisory Committees and Workgroups by retailer representation. The Committee needs to spend some time discussing how that would work and Frank will place this topic on the October 15 meeting agenda.

Dave Borgeson – Northern Lake Huron Unit Manager: Dave expressed thanks to Southern Lake Huron Unit for 1.7 million walleye fingerlings stocked throughout the State including some in the Northern Unit. Meanwhile, the Northern Unit is planning the St. Marys River Assessment, the Black Lake sturgeon survey, along with typical lake and stream surveys.

Jim Baker – Southern Lake Huron Unit Manager: Unit work involves inland work and fish rearing/harvest. The entire walleye fingerling production goes to inland waters throughout the State and this year 1.7 million fingerlings were stocked. The northern pike marsh was also successful. Other projects for this year included inland lake surveys, assisting hatcheries with stocking and helping with the Lake Erie musky egg take, all in addition to the busy spring workload. Walleye fishing in Saginaw Bay this season is fantastic!

Next Meeting Location: Tuesday October 15, 2013 – Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan

Adjourn 2:59 p.m.

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc, Clare, Michigan Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Approved Minutes

Attendees: Jim Baker, Dave Borgeson, Jerry Brown, Lance Campbell, Dave Clapp, Tom Connon, Gary Decker, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, John Dobis, Ed Eisch, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Lindsey Henski, Mick Higgins, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Tracy Kolb, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Jerry Lockhart, Terry Lyons, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Dave Orr, Ken Pletcher, Ed Retherford, Brandon Schroeder, Alan Seiferlein, Randy Terrian, Jan VanAmberg, Terry Walsh, Dennis White

Welcome and Opening Comments – Frank Krist called the meeting to order at 10:00 am. Attendees introduced themselves.

A presentation of Fisheries Division’s Statewide Angler Survey Program (SASP) and the importance of fish creel surveys in fisheries management – Tracy Kolb, DNR

The Statewide Angler Survey Program is a monitoring program that collects information from anglers and conducts an analysis of the data. This Program has been used since the mid-1980s. Creel Clerks interview and count anglers and the information is used to estimate how many hours are spent fishing and which species of fish are harvested and released. These are catch estimates of the various fisheries because not all anglers are interviewed so the results are similar to public opinion polls. In addition, Clerks record angler characteristics such as age, sex and zip code along with providing outreach, education and listening to the anglers comments. Since 30,000 to 40,000 interviews are conducted each year the Clerks exchange much information and ideas with the anglers and the public.

The Clerks at least once per day stop interviewing and count the number of anglers fishing by determining the number of boat trailers in a parking lot, counting the number of boats on the water, determining the number of anglers on a pier or using other similar methods. If the area being surveyed is very large and access is limited, airplanes can be used to conduct the count.

Currently, there are 30 Creel Clerks stationed on the 4 Great Lakes while there are only 2 clerks available to cover the inland waters. Because of budget concerns the number of inland Clerks was reduced the last several years but with the fee increase more effort will be redirected to the inland waters.

How is an estimate generated? We use “like” to estimate “like”. That is we do not use information collected during a weekday to estimate what took place during a weekend. We do not use perch catch rates to estimate salmon catch rates. We do not use pier data to estimate boats angler catches; we do not use morning information to estimate what took place in the evening. We do not take information from one place and apply it to another. And we do not take information from one month to fill in the gaps for another. We subdivide the information we get from sampling into the most specific unit of data, make one estimate and then add all the individual units together to estimate the total.

These results are available on the Fisheries webpage at www.michigan.gov/dnr by clicking on Fishing, Fishing in Michigan then clicking on Great Lakes Creel Data or the direct link is http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/chartercreel/. This is a searchable database by date, lake, port and other parameters.

Another important task of the Creel Clerks is to collect biological data from the fish the anglers harvest. The information includes the length, weight, scale samples, clips and tags. These data are used to determine the age and health of the fish along with whether the fish are wild or hatchery raised. Supporting and promoting working with Creel Clerks when they collect biosamples will assist in learning which fishery management directions produce the best results.

An overview of the Fisheries Division research program and a discussion of how the Advisory Committee can assist the Division – Dave Clapp, DNR

In Natural Resource Management it is easy to take research for granted, however, Fisheries has 4 Great Lakes research stations and 2 inland stations. The Research Program is nationally and internationally recognized and conducts research for the Field, Management and Hatchery Sections. The work includes surveying and studying fisheries along with developing tools to better manage the fishery. Emerging issues are investigated such as dealing with introduced species and developing new fisheries. This work makes possible science-based management of the fisheries which increases the chances of being successful. An excellent way to understand and learn about the work being conducted is to visit a station or go out on a research vessel for a day.

All the Stations have a strong partnership with various State universities. The Research Section’s budget is 31% of the Division’s budget and besides Fish and Game funds the budget includes a significant amount of federal aid and grants. The Research Section focuses on long-term fishery assessment and inventory, fish population estimates, fishery allocations to users, regulation research, stocking success evaluations, fishery management tools, developing new field techniques, and researching emerging issues. Some current project highlights include, the Lake Superior lake trout assessment, the forage fish survey in Lake Michigan, the Lake Huron/Lake St. Clair/Lake Erie walleye assessments, the lake sturgeon assessment, research and rehabilitation of certain species, mass marking of stocked fish, the Statewide Angler Survey Program and surveying the fisheries in lakes and streams throughout the State.

You can assist the Research Section by visiting the stations to learn about the work and share the information with others to generate support. Anglers and other interested individuals can be very helpful by collecting data such as fish tags, fish heads with Coded Wire tags, diet data and other study information. In addition, providing input, supporting research and grants and bringing attention to fishery issues are very important.

Future goals include expanding inland assessment activity with funds from the fee increase, review the Statewide Angler Survey Program, enhance the use of the field stations, modernize the Great Lakes Vessels, continue to improve communications and emphasize publication of the work so it is readily available.

The Division’s Research Program is one of the longest existing in the country and one of the most respected. A large amount of the best fishery research information was produced at these research stations.

Season fishing reports

St Marys River – Atlantic salmon fishing on the St. Marys River was very good. The season in the River started in May and continued into October. The most consistent fishing was from June through August. The

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Atlantic salmon stocked by the State contributed to the catch. Chinook salmon were larger but fewer pinks were caught. Cooler water temperatures this season resulted in consistent catches.

Saginaw Bay – Last winter there was little ice in the Bay which reduced winter fishing opportunities. During April and May, low water levels and then extensive flooding reduced the walleye catch early. By June, however, the walleye fishing was excellent and good fishing throughout the summer continued. Usually, walleye fishing in the Bay slows as the water temperatures warm but there was no slowdown this year. The cooler summer temperatures may have contributed to this excellent fishery. Limit walleye catches were common from Linwood to Port Austin. Large schools of shiners were observed. Weigh-ins at tournaments indicated an improvement of size and weight for walleyes, however, smaller walleyes and sublegal fish were also plentiful. Many 6 to 9 inch walleyes were caught in May. Yellow perch fishing was slow in July, August and September but has become productive recently. Cormorants appear to be decreasing. Smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing is excellent and continues to improve. Large northern pike and flathead catfish up to 34 pounds are being caught in the Saginaw River.

Au Sable River – Steelhead size and numbers were excellent with fish ranging from 3-20 pounds. The spring steelhead fishery started in April and continued into June and was phenomenal. Walleyes are also regularly caught in the River. The Foote Dam Project was great with improved access for shore anglers and better parking. Some Chinook salmon were in the River this fall.

Oscoda – Lake trout were being caught. Fishing was good offshore starting in June. Steelhead and walleyes were also caught and a productive fishing method is stacking lines from near the surface down toward the bottom since many of the fish suspend.

Harrisville – Walleye fishing was consistent from spring through the summer. During the spring, walleyes were caught in 25 to 35 feet of water and as the water warmed larger walleyes were caught in 100 to 130 feet of water close to the surface. Fishing with 3 to 10 color lead core line worked well for walleyes and other species like steelhead. Lake trout, salmon and steelhead were also caught. Some steelhead were caught in the Harbor during the winter and spring. This fall some Chinook salmon were caught in the Harbor.

Cheboygan River – Steelhead fishing was phenomenal in the spring through late May. Steelhead were larger this year with some over 9 pounds. Chinook salmon fishing this fall has been phenomenal with anglers coming from all around the country to fish. The Chinook were larger this year with many over 12 pounds and some in the 20 to 23 pound range. The DNR access site around the Cheboygan Dam provides extensive opportunity for shore anglers. In addition, there is much angler public access downstream along the banks below the Dam.

Lake Michigan – Coho in the Platte Bay area were good this year with 32,000 adult fish showing at the weir. The fishery has been good, and anglers are happy. Chinook salmon numbers were down but the fish were much larger. Strong winds significantly limited fishing opportunities this season.

Tawas Bay – Last season wading fly anglers were targeting lake trout during November and early December and were having a ball landing several fish up to 13 pounders during each outing.

Alpena and Presque Isle – There was great run of steelhead in the Thunder Bay River. Fished May through the first part of October and a lot of Chinook and lake trout were caught. Atlantics and steelhead were down due to cool temperatures during the season and the strong winds starting in mid July. It appears that natural reproduction of lake trout must be successful in the area since numerous wild fish 13 to 17 inches long were caught from Rockport to Presque Isle. Smallmouth bass fishing in Thunder Bay was very good. Fishing in shallow water was very good for lake trout during the first two weeks of June at Presque Isle. There was

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good coordination between the DNR truck drivers and the volunteers this spring to minimize the cormorant impacts during stocking in Thunder Bay.

Harbor Beach – A few walleyes were caught early in shallow water then the heavy winds scattered the fish but fishing from 85 to 100 or more feet of water was excellent throughout the summer. Stacking lines up and down the water column was very productive for lake trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon and walleyes. A surprisingly large number of walleyes were caught suspended over deep water. Lake trout were being caught at times in water as cold as 42 F degrees. This was the best fishing in many years and the best Chinook fishing since the 1990s. The fish looked very healthy with many Chinook not fin clipped and possibly wild. Smallmouth bass could be caught until an angler was tired of it! The frequent strong winds were the main challenge of the season.

Port Sanilac and Lexington – There was a good mixed bag in the spring that included Atlantic salmon, Coho, Chinook, lake trout, walleye and brown trout. Lake trout up to 8 pounds were common in the spring and lake trout 12 to 14 pounds were common in the summer. The good fishing continued through the summer as the thermocline moved to over 100 feet of water about 6-7 miles offshore. Some anglers were traveling 20 miles out near the Canadian Border and had good catches in water as deep as 170 feet. Good numbers of larger yellow perch were harvested in July.

Rogers City – A few Atlantic salmon were caught early in the spring along the breakwall. Lake trout, steelhead and Chinook salmon fishing was good and improving until mid July when strong winds were common for about 6 weeks. The fish scattered but fishing improved greatly after mid August with good catches of Chinook salmon and lake trout along with some steelhead and walleyes. Steelhead fishing offshore was down from last year but possibly the strong midseason winds and colder water temperatures impacted the fishery. Steelhead fishing in the Ocqueoc River during the spring, however, was excellent. The Swan Weir had the best Chinook salmon return in 9 years with about 70% of the fish being jacks. This indicates that the return over the next two years may also be strong. This is the second year that gobies were found regularly in the stomachs of Chinook salmon so possibly the Chinook are becoming more opportunistic feeders. Fishing during September and October offshore was excellent for immature Chinook salmon and nearly all the fish caught were wild. During this period, the baitfish formed large schools in 50 to 90 feet of water and attracted many predators.

Update on the Sea Grant Workshops planned for the spring – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant

Brandon distributed a new invasive species pocket guide, “The Invaders of the Great Lakes”, that contained descriptions and photos along with suggestions on reducing the spread of each invader. Included in the guide is an overview with background information of the problem dealing with invasives.

There are plans to have 3 workshops next spring. Dates and locations suggested were April 9th in Port Huron, April 22nd or 29th in Alpena and an April date and location to be determined for Cedarville. If there are any reasons those dates were not acceptable then Frank needs to be contacted within the next 10 days, otherwise, Brandon will begin moving forward. There will be an extended discussion at the January 14, 2014 Advisory meeting about the agendas and other aspects of the spring workshops.

Proposed nuclear waste dump in Canada – Judy Ogden Blue Water Sportfishing Association

There are 33 nuclear facilities on or near the Great Lakes. When these plants were built there was no long- term plan on where to store the radioactive waste. Currently, these facilities have a significant problem storing the accumulated waste. Ontario Power has a facility in Kincardine Ontario and they are requesting Federal approval to bury waste at this location from 20 other sites. The burial location is only 5/8 mile from

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Lake Huron! It is proposed that low and intermediate level nuclear waste be placed in limestone formations where it would take thousands of years for the material to decay. The comment window was less than two weeks with little public outreach conducted. Judy submitted a proposal from the Blue Water Sportfishing Association and the Michigan Salmon and Steelhead Fishermen’s Association stating concerns about impacts to the fishery. Please contact Judy if you are interested in joining forces or would like to know more about the proposal.

Discussion of business representatives participating on Citizen Advisory Committees – Todd Grischke DNR

Would you like business representatives participate on the Committee? Who and what type of business representatives would you like at the table? Are there businesses that we specifically want to target? This has been talked about at many of the other Advisory Committees. At this time, please submit recommendations to Frank or Todd. We are looking for a few individuals that represent many aspects of the industry. Since the Committee already has many members the number of new representatives needs to be limited. There are many excellent choices so be prepared to share your ideas at the January 14, 2014 Advisory meeting.

Atlantic salmon production at the Platte River Hatchery and a Committee discussion of where additional fish will be stocked as they become available – Todd Grischke and participants

In 2012-2013 there were 100,865 spring yearling Atlantic salmon produced at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery, the stocking site evaluation matrix was developed, and a marking/evaluation plan was prepared. After much public input 3 new stocking sites were designated including the Thunder Bay River, Au Sable River and Lexington Harbor. Because of increasing production there appears that 130,000 Platte River Hatchery spring yearlings will be available for stocking in 2014 and possibly 150,000 for 2015.

The question is should the additional fish be stocked at the existing sites or should additional new sites be designated. It was stressed that these stocking sites are experimental with the goal of determining if Atlantic salmon will produce fishing opportunities at various types of ports and rivers. In order to determine if the program is successful it is important to have a good number stocked so enough information can be obtained for a meaningful evaluation. It was asked what is an adequate number to stock. It is difficult to say but approximately 40,000 would be ideal but if enough effort was made to collect data possibly 30,000 or less would be satisfactory.

There were concerns that the St. Marys River was already receiving enough Atlantic salmon to produce an excellent fishery and all the additional fish should be stocked at the new sites. It was mentioned that it was desirable for the State to stock 50,000 in the St. Marys River to ensure an adequate brood stock for an egg source.

There was interest in stocking the additional fish in streams where natural reproduction had a chance to be successful. Currently, there is almost no evidence of natural reproduction of Atlantic salmon occurring in Lake Huron but that could change since alewives have crashed. Atlantic salmon are very sensitive to thiaminase poisoning that occurs when the fish eat alewives but with alewives being rare there is a chance that wild Atlantic salmon may eventually be produced.

There was a question asking how strong of a return is needed to consider stocking to be a success at a location. With input of the Advisory Committee the “Strategy for Stocking Atlantic salmon in Lake Huron in 2013”( see attached page 4)* was approved in the fall of 2012 and the Strategy specifies that at least a 2% return to a stocking location will be considered a success. Fish that are caught in open water and at other

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locations around the lake will be credited to the stocking location. Starting in 2014 all the Atlantic salmon stocked by the State will be marked with coded wire tags that will indicate the stocking location.

After much discussion there was a consensus that the additional yearling Atlantic salmon that will be available should be stocked at the existing stocking sites. The table below shows the stocking numbers for 2013 and the proposed numbers for 2014 and 2015.

Finally, it was discussed that it appears that 200,000 Atlantic salmon could be raised at the Platte River Hatchery but the goal for 2015 was raising only 150,000 spring yearlings. Jim Dexter indicated that progress will be made in steps but the issue can be discussed next year after more experience is obtained.

The potential of opening the lake trout season during the winter in the Les Cheneaux area and all of MH-1 from Rogers City to Drummond Island – David Borgeson DNR

Background: The splake fishery in the Les Cheneaux Island area is popular but much fishing opportunity was lost because the winter fishery had to be closed. Splake and lake trout are difficult to tell apart by most anglers and because rules from the 2000 Great Lakes Consent Decree required a winter lake trout closure the splake fishery had to also be closed.

The Consent Decree specifies lake trout harvest allocations and penalties for the waters of MH-1 (Rogers City to Drummond Island) and the north part of MH-2 (Rogers City to the Thunder Bay River). MH-1 historically had the smallest room for error because of the smaller harvest limits for anglers. In MH-1 during 2009 and 2010, there was an overharvest by the State recreational fishery; consequently, more restricted regulations were implemented for 2010 and 2011. The lake trout model during 2011 began to show more lake trout available for harvest so the regulations were relaxed in 2012 to a minimum size limit of 15 inches. A review of the model in 2013 showed that opening the lake trout season in MH-1 in January would not result in an overharvest by anglers. Since this modification of the lake trout regulation would increase fishing opportunity for splake and lake trout during the winter and early spring the Department will recommend a lake trout and splake regulation change for MH-1 and MH-2 to have the season extend from Jan 1 – Sept 30 with a minimum size limit of 15” and a lake trout and splake combination possession limit of 3 fish per day. Currently in these zones, the season opens on May 1 and closes on September 30.

The Advisory Committee felt this was not a controversial issue and recommended that the Division move forward with this regulation change as soon as possible.

MDNR Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates

Craig Milkowski, Commercial Fish Specialist, Law Enforcement Division – The Department is in the process of hiring 30 new Conservation Officers in January. There will be an 18-week academy in the spring with a potential second hiring round in the fall of 2014. Commercial Fish Enforcement has been working the borders often for illegal activities with Asian carp and invasive species. A complaint came in regarding a gill net wrapped around a shipwreck. Michigan State Police completed a dive at Whitefish Point and pulled

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600’ of net. A Northern Lake Huron Hammond Bay investigation will be wrapping up in the spring and an update will be provided next year after the investigation is completed.

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator, Fisheries Division – The Warmwater Resources Steering Committee put forward a proposal to evaluate bass season expansion for catch and release statewide. The Division is putting together a plan to evaluate that proposal. Todd wanted to make the Committee aware since it is a statewide issue. The topic will be on the agenda for discussion at the January 14, 2014 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor, Fisheries Division – The crew has been conducting stream surveys, participated in the Asian carp field exercise on the St. Joe River, participated in annual assessment on Saginaw Bay, conducted walleye pond rearing and maintenance, undertook habitat and access management on the Flint River and continue to assist the Wildlife Division.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor, Fisheries Division –The Swan River Weir egg take was completed and over 6,000 Chinook salmon were harvested, continued the gill net fish survey on the St. Marys River, evaluated the St. Marys River walleye stocking program, conducted Sturgeon River brown trout strain evaluations on the Manistee and Au Sable Rivers, completed stream surveys, conducted fall juvenile walleye electro-shocking surveys in the Inland Waterway, finished the 10 year commitment on large woody debris project on Au Sable River and conducted inspections on dam infrastructure (Big Creek impoundment failed its inspection).

Ed Eisch, Hatchery Section, Fisheries Division – Fall was a busy season for egg takes at weirs. The Chinook egg take was a week later this year and will be completed within a week or so. The Coho salmon harvest is just getting started. The salmon look good and are bigger than what we have seen in recent years. The brown trout egg take is just getting started at Oden. The staff worked with the Northern Lake Huron Management Unit on the sturgeon and other large surveys. Oden received a grant for putting a pier on one of the ponds at the interpretive center. Atlantic salmon at Platte are looking real good. They are smaller than last year, which is okay for the marking trailer. The Black River sturgeon hatchery had a great year and they shared some fish with the Little Traverse Bay Band in Harbor Springs which has just completed a new hatchery.

Jan VanAmberg, Hatchery Section, Fisheries Division – The lake trout egg take is just getting started and the brook trout egg take will start soon. We finished another phase of major maintenance updates. Vandalism has been a problem so the raceways have been fenced which provided the added benefit of keeping out the mink and otter. The steelhead at the Thompson State Fish Hatchery are doing very well but they will be slightly smaller when stocked next spring because of the colder temperatures. Wolf Lake produced a record number of Great Lakes musky this year for stocking which totaled 40,000.

Jim Johnson, Research Biologist, Fisheries Division – Many thanks to the lake trout tagging team for the lake trout mortality study. The four-year marking phase is finished, the tags will continue to be collected and the data compiled over the next few years. We are currently in the midst of fall assessments around the Les Cheneaux Islands and Thunder Bay. Pike in the Les Cheneaux Island area are getting large. The pike are plentiful and full of perch. If you catch a legal size pike, keep it! Yellow perch are doing well and assessments show reproduction is up. Smallmouth bass fishing around the Islands is excellent.

Jim Dexter, Division Chief, Fisheries Division – Assistance of angers and the public is a common theme and is key for the Department to continue making progress. The new license package was approved which will allow the Division to hire new staff, but collaboration continues to be crucial!

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Meeting Dates and locations for 2014

Tuesday January 14, 2014 at the Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. Note the time change is for this meeting only Tuesday April 8, 2014, location to be announced Wednesday June 25, 2014 at the Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan 10 am to 3:00 pm. Wednesday October 8, 2014 at the Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan 10 am to 3:00 pm.

Adjourn 2:57 pm.

*The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected]

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc., Clare, Michigan Tuesday, January 14, 2014 Approved

Attendees: Tony Aderman, Jim Baker, Dave Borgeson, Aaron Brown, Charlie Brown, and Leslie Brown, Pete Butchko, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Robin DeBruyne, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Dave Fielder, Bob Golochowicz, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Wade Hamilton, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Dan Kimmel, Elmer Kloha, Frank Krist, Steve Lepeak, Jerry Lockhart, Brad MacNeil, Ken Merckel, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, Eric Plant, Bob Reider, John Robertson, Ed Roseman, Brandon Schroeder, Alan Seiferlein, Joe Sumera, Randy Terrian, Terry Walsh, Dennis White, Tod Williams

Welcome and Opening Comments: 10:30 a.m. Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Attendees introduced themselves.

Summary of the steelhead catch and harvest in the Au Sable River from the fall of 2012 through the spring of 2013 – Jim Johnson, DNR:

The Au Sable River saw a great decline in steelhead catch rates in the 1990s and angler opinions and observations indicated cormorants were impacting the fishery. To improve the Au Sable River fishery, the birds have been managed and a net pen study has been implemented to determine if acclimating the stocked fish in pens before release will increase survival. Each year from 2011 to 2013, 15,000 steelhead were stocked into net pens with another 15,000 stocked as a control group directly into the Lake at Harrisville and Harbor Beach, with an increase to 20,000 stocked each in pens and directly in the Lake Huron at Oscoda. All of these steelhead were marked with coded wire tags to determine if the pens are increasing survival. The evaluation period will continue during 2014 and 2015. During this period, efforts are continuing to collect the heads from the marked steelhead which had their adipose fins clipped, see attached handout*. The same number of steelhead will be stocked at these test sites during the evaluation period but the fish will not be marked.

To assist in measuring the results of the study and the overall survival of the 150,000 yearling steelhead stocked annually in the Au Sable River a creel survey was implemented during October of 2013. The surveys included boat and bank counts and biological measurements of the sampled fish including length, weight, fin clips, snouts from Coded Wire Tagged fish (CWT), etc. The study area extends from the mouth of the Au Sable River to Foot Dam.

Because of excessive warm water during the summer, there is only a minor amount of natural reproduction occurring (in the Pine River) so nearly all fish caught during the survey were stocked fish. In addition, 90% of the fish caught were steelhead. Steelhead were caught regularly during the entire period but the best months were November and May. The most heavily fished month by a wide margin was April. The results of the angler fishing effort shows that this fall-winter-spring fishery is as popular as many offshore fisheries at the 10 Index (main) Ports and its value to the local economy was estimated at $801,705. The return rate

for the Au Sable River was 3.28% which is considered very good and if the steelhead caught in the offshore fishery are added to the return the catch rate for Oscoda steelhead is excellent.

Theme, agendas and meeting format for the 2014 Lake Huron Spring Fishery Workshops – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant:

Brandon provided a flyer with dates, times and locations for the 2014 Lake Huron Spring Fishery Workshops. Registration this year is only requested and is not required but it does assist in estimating the number of participants that will attend.

The following are the locations and dates of the 2014 Sea Grant Workshops:

 Port Huron: April 9th – hosted by Blue Water Sportfishing Association  Alpena: April 22nd – hosted by NOAA Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Visitor Center  Cedarville: April 23rd – hosted by local Les Cheneaux Sportsman’s Club

After much discussion the following items were suggested as potential agenda items to the Workshops:

 The improving wild reproduction of lake trout and benchmarks to reduce stocking.  The Atlantic salmon program including identification, clipped fish, why the fishery was expanded, smolting advantages and what will the fishery look like in 2014.  Incorporate into a discussion the need to return adipose fin clipped Atlantic salmon and steelhead.  The Lake Huron Top-Down Bioenergetics Study showing the interaction between predators and their food sources.  USGS Predator Diet study final summary.  Forage fish survey update.  Cormorant work being conducted in Saginaw Bay.  Walleye tagging study with updated results and videos.  The future expansion of the splake fishery by opening the lake trout season in January after approval from the NRC.  Michigan Sea Grant Salmon Ambassadors Program.  License fee package.  VHS with no receipts required for bait.

The above list is long so the items most pertinent to the meeting site will be included. In addition, some of these items might be incorporated into the management updates. Comments at previous workshops expressed interest in more time being provided for comments and questions from the participants. Since these are workshops we should make an effort to hear the concerns of the attendees.

A discussion of Michigan Bass Nation’s proposal to extend the smallmouth and largemouth bass catch and release season: Todd Grischke, DNR

Smallmouth and largemouth bass history:  1980’s Bass fishing groups expressed a desire to expand fishing opportunity.  1988-90 DNR established early catch and release season on 6 experimental lakes and no catastrophic effects were found but there were inadequacies in the study.  1990’s Bass groups again expressed a desire to expand fishing opportunities.  2002 – SALBRC (smallmouth and largemouth bass regulation committee) was formed to evaluate a Catch-and-Immediate-Release season.

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 2006 Current Catch-and-Immediate-Release season was established (from walleye/pike opener to the bass opener).  2011 Bass Regulations Evaluation Task (BRET) Group completed a 5 year evaluation of Catch-and- Immediate-Release season. The conclusion was that there were no catastrophic effects, but, there were uncertainties and BRET recommended an additional 5 years for evaluation (through 2016).

Michigan BASS Nation’s proposed regulation changes for smallmouth and largemouth bass (black bass):

Proposal 1 – Catch-and-Immediate-Release for black bass from January 1 to the Friday before Memorial Day; harvest from Saturday before Memorial Day to December 31 for all waters.

Proposal 2 – Remove closed seasons for all fish. “Illegal to possess fish outside of the open season”. Exceptions would still allow areas closed to all fishing at specific sites.

Initial Evaluation – Fisheries Division is only reviewing Proposal 1 and a briefing paper is being completed that summarizes, what data need to be gathered, staff time, data gathered since 2005 and current concerns.

Synthesis of Information – Uncertainty remains regarding the numeric and genetic effects of angling on black bass populations. What level of risk are we willing to accept?

Concerns Discussed:  The proposal has two different objectives: 1) Extending the Catch-and-Immediate-Release season statewide and 2) Extending harvest season on Lake St. Clair so it is the same as the rest of the State.  The expansion of Catch-and-Immediate-Release season will result in more anglers being on the water during the closed seasons for walleye and northern pike. Representatives from Law Division indicated that the regulations changes would provide more challenges but the decision should be made on a biological basis and not on law enforcement issues.  There was some concern expressed that there was not enough time since 2006 implementation of the new Catch-and-Immediate-Release season to see population level effects. There is a feeling by some that we are rushing. BRET recommended no changes until 2016 although the report was open to an adaptive management approach.  The majority of research has been conducted on largemouth bass in southern waters, however, a large smallmouth bass population in Lake St. Clair is monitored. There is not much information on smallmouth bass in the northern latitudes.  Only about 4 states have statewide closures on bass yet the bass populations are surviving well. The main reasons cited for the healthy bass populations around the country are the large increase in anglers releasing most of the bass caught and many states increasing the minimum size limit. In Michigan the minimum size limit is 14 inches which allows the fish to spawn once or twice before they are legal to keep.  If the harvest season on Lake St. Clair was opened consistent with the rest of the State there would be additional mortality but the extent would not be known. It was mentioned that the newly updated DNR bass tournament website encourages bass organizations to submit catch results from each event to help build a database used to monitor trends in abundance and size of the fish. The website also provides dates and locations of the larger events to minimize conflicts and encourage more use of the resource.  Heavy survival of bass fry to the fall does not always reflect the size of that year class the following spring. If there is a large hatch of fry, they may overwhelm the food supply resulting in poor growth and survival during the winter.

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An internal DNR workgroup has been formed and they are on a tight schedule. If changes are to be made in the regulation for 2015 then the new rule must be formulated by late this spring. The proposal must also be brought to the public for their comments. Since the new Fishing Guides will be published every 2 years starting in 2015, if changes are not completed early this year then there will be a delay of an additional 2 years.

Dan Kimmel – Michigan BASS Nation – Michigan Bass Nation’s mission is to promote bass fishing and encourage youths to become involved in fishing and learn about the natural resources and conservation. Their rules are designed for safety and ethics. Bass fishing is currently the best it has been in over the past 25 years. After reviewing the excellent status of the fisheries around the country, Michigan BASS Nation is convinced the extra fishing will not harm bass populations. It was stressed that currently, only four states do not have open year round bass fishing. Surveys have shown that bass anglers have been catching and releasing spawning bass with little harm for decades before the new Catch-and-Immediate-Release seasons were implemented. In addition, bass organizations and others have been successfully promoting catch and release fishing which has greatly improved the quality of the fishery.

Lake Huron 2013 Forage Update and an overview of the Lake Huron predator diet study – Ed Roseman, USGS Great Lakes Science Center

2013 Lake Huron forage fish surveys The completion of the 2013 forage fish surveys in the Great Lakes were unique since they were completed in spite of the federal shutdown. The bottom trawl results for Lake Huron showed a small increase in newly hatched alewife and rainbow smelt with low numbers of adults. Overall their numbers remain low especially for alewife. There are many young bloater with another good hatch, however, there was a decrease in the number of larger bloaters. In addition, there was a decrease in the other forage species including sculpin, stickleback and trout perch. There was a decrease in the round goby abundance compared to the high levels in 2012. Forage fish biomass is still dominated by bloaters and the total forage fish biomass was down 50% from 2012. This is the first decrease in prey biomass in the past three years which is 13% of the long term maximum.

2009-2011 Lake Huron Predator Diet Study Since the alewife crashed in 2003 most predators like trout, salmon and walleye have altered their diet to eat more insects and smaller fish. Chinook salmon appeared to be the only species not able to switch to a more varied diet. The following is a summary:

Chinook continued to pursue mid water smelt and the rare alewife. Lake trout ate primarily round goby and smelt. Rainbow trout (steelhead) diet consisted of 56% invertebrates which were mainly terrestrial insects along with a variety of forage fish. Atlantic salmon and Coho consumed smaller amounts of invertebrates but they ate a variety of smaller forage fish including significant numbers of emerald shiner and sticklebacks. Walleye consumed mainly yellow perch. This is a switch from the 1980s when walleye ate mainly alewives, shad and shiners.

Since the alewife crashed, forage fish over 6 inches in length have become rare resulting in young trout and salmon being about the only larger food items available for the larger predators. Because of this, it should be beneficial for fishery managers to concentrate on stocking species that are better able to avoid being eaten immediately after being planted. Recently, the brown trout program has been terminated in Lake Huron because the stocked fish spent many months near shore where they were very vulnerable and a switch in emphasis has been placed on Atlantic salmon and steelhead that smolt before and during stocking and quickly move off shore into safer waters.

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Update The Grayling Research Vessel stationed in Cheboygan is over 40 years old and it is being replaced. Construction on the new RV Arcticus has begun and is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2014.

Update on a future review and report on the yellow perch fisheries in Lake Huron with emphasis on Saginaw Bay – Jim Baker and Todd Grischke, DNR

A report is being completed that compiles information on the yellow perch fisheries in Lake Huron over the last 40 years including the history, biology, commercial and sport impacts, regulations and other material. The report will examine what factors are within management control and what directions might be pursued to improve the fishery. It was suggested that the importance of the fishery to the economy should be added to the report. The first draft was sent to Todd Grischke last Friday. It is being designed magazine style without literature citations so it is understandable by all. Other managers still need to add information from their respective areas. Once the report is completed it will be discussed in detail with the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee. The goal is to have it completed by this summer.

Work completed during 2013 in Saginaw Bay to determine if managing the cormorant population is necessary – Dave Fielder, DNR; Robin DeBruyne, USGS Great Lakes Science Center and Peter Butchko, USDA Michigan Wildlife Services

In 2003, authority was granted to the State to identify problem areas for treatment. USDA and tribal organizations were also recognized as agencies to manage cormorant control. Much work has been conducted in Northern Lake Huron and at various locations in Lake Michigan but control was not started in Saginaw Bay.

Little Charity Island and Spoils Island are the only two islands with breeding populations of cormorants within Saginaw Bay. Currently, it is estimated that there are over 2,500 pairs and because of increasing complaints about the expanding population in the Bay a diet study was started last April and extended through September. During each month 25 stomach samples were collected from the birds on each island for a total of 303 samples.

The stomachs taken from Little Charity Island contained high amounts by weight of yellow perch in April with a lesser spike in August. Yellow perch were found during the other months but in much smaller amounts. High numbers of goby were present in stomachs during May, June, July with smaller amounts in August and September. Significant amounts of walleye were present in May and September. The diets were the most varied in August and September with other species appearing in the stomachs throughout the entire sampling period including emerald shiners, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, pumpkinseed, white perch, white sucker and others.

The stomachs taken from Spoils Island contained a more diverse diet and were dominated with fresh water drum in April, white perch in May, walleye in June, and goby in July, August and September. Yellow perch were present in each month but the amounts were relatively small.

The main concern with having a large population of cormorants is the sport fishery will be negatively impacted. The annual trawl for age 0 walleye has shown considerable strong year classes since the alewife crashed in 2003. That translated into excellent adult walleye abundance, which is an enormous success story! Therefore, the goals have been reached and stocking has been discontinued.

In addition, trawl catches for age 0 yellow perch increased after the alewife declined. Numbers have declined since 2003, but overall numbers of juvenile age 0 yellow perch are very strong. These high numbers however, are not translating to adult abundance. Yellow perch reproduce very well, but are not surviving indicating a mortality problem on young perch in Saginaw Bay.

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A walleye Diet Study has shown that in 2005 yellow perch became a dominant part of the walleye diet. With the first year of the Cormorant Diet Study complete, the challenge is to put those numbers into context and determine if the birds are also significantly reducing recovery of yellow perch in the Bay.

In 2011, cormorant total consumption in Saginaw Bay was estimated at 1,755,143 pounds of fish annually. By comparison, walleye consumption from age 2+ individuals is estimated to be around 3,122,959 pounds of fish/year, therefore cormorants are consuming 56% as much as walleye. By comparison walleyes are estimated to consume 498,553 pounds of yellow perch in Saginaw Bay during 2011 while cormorants consumed 257,094 pounds.

A model estimate shows that during 2011 36% of the age 1 yellow perch survived, 9% were eaten by cormorants, 12% were eaten by walleye and 43% were eaten by others. Would management of the cormorants make a difference in yellow perch survival? Cormorants are eating a variety of prey and nongame species are the larger majority but the consumption of yellow perch is not negligible. Even if the number of yellow perch consumed by the birds is a smaller percentage, the impact could be large. More analysis is needed to fully evaluate the cormorant’s significance so a second year of collection is planned. Most likely a decision will not be made on implementation of cormorant control in the Bay until 2015 after the 2 year diet study is complete.

MDNR Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement updates:

Law Enforcement Division, Larry Desloover – A recruit school for Conservation Officers with 31 students has begun. This should provide all counties with up to 2 officers. Law Enforcement went to Belle Isle and surveyed the island and the bridge. The Law Enforcement Division, State Police and Detroit Police Department are working together and coordinating to ensure that Belle Isle is a safe resource to enjoy. A draft annual report per State/Tribal/US Great Lakes Consent Decree requirements indicated 99 complaints, 133 patrols, 264 net inspections, 283 wholesale inspections and much more. Regarding the bass proposals, having an open season vs. closed season would be more challenging on Law Enforcement Division, however, the decision should be made biologically.

Law Enforcement Division, Lt. Wade Hamilton – A second recruit school will hopefully be planned in the fall with an additional 20 recruits. Law Enforcement Division is going through the strategic planning process right now. If you would like to share in the communication and input process, please grab a business card at the end of the meeting or email Frank.

Fisheries Division, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator, Todd Grischke – Fisheries Division is working with the legislature regarding replacement of the Lake Huron Research Vessel the Chinook. There is much interest and progress. The new license structure is in place. Fishing licenses have been reduced to one license type. The Lake Huron Technical Committee is meeting next week. There has been much positive exchange at those meetings and there is going to be movement on lake trout stocking cessation. Todd will follow up with a report to this Committee in April. There is a new Aquatic Habitat Grant Program and applications will be accepted February 1 to March 15. A handbook, forms and other resources on applying for a grant can be found on the DNR Fishery Website at http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153- 58225_67220---,00.html.

Fisheries Division Platte River State Hatchery, Eric Plant – Atlantics are doing very well. During the tagging process there was an increase in dirty water causing a very small loss. The hatchery uses surface water and the water quality can vary depending on the amount of runoff. Overall, the Atlantics are doing great and they are marked for stocking. The eggs for the 2015 stocking are at the hatchery.

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Fisheries Division Southern Lake Huron Management Unit, Jim Baker – Saginaw Bay winter creel started January 2 with four clerks. Walleye catches are steady, perch are spotty and conditions were good until the rain and warm weather that contributed six inches of slush! The crew is busy reading scales, spines, repairing equipment and writing surveys.

Fisheries Division, Northern Lake Huron Management Unit, Dave Borgeson – The crew is doing the same as Southern Lake Huron Management Unit along with preparing for the February 1 Black Lake sturgeon opener. The quota this year is 5 fish. We are also developing our work plan for the 2014 season.

Fisheries Division Alpena Great Lakes Research Station, Jim Johnson – The Alpena Office is getting a facelift. Management team is funding new siding and insulation. Otherwise, we are preparing for the Symposium. Ji has completed much work on the Lake Huron Top-Down Bioenergetics Study to assist in getting his reports completed.

USDA Michigan Wildlife Services, Peter Butchko – Cormorant funding is through a grant, and congress has not acted on that yet. We have just completed our 10th year of cormorant control. This has been a great accomplishment! It has been an excellent experience working with the various agencies, Tribes and volunteers to accomplish many goals.

USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Ed Roseman – We just renovated our wet lab, worth a few million dollars! The lab is up and running, with a grand opening schedule for this summer. Renovation of the dry lab starts any day now.

Discussion of business representatives participating on DNR Citizen Advisory Committees – Todd Grischke, DNR

There has not been a lot of progress on this even after the topic has been presented to the other Citizen Advisory Committees. All Committees are struggling with how to choose a (or possibly more) representative for each Committee to represent the appropriate businesses? One option is to expand the idea to an advisory committee comprised of business representatives. We would work with them in a virtual environment via email or phone. This larger group with diverse interest could provide input in a virtual aspect. There were concerns that such an independent committee of business representatives would be too remote from the other Committees and it would be better if the business representatives served on the various existing committees.

If anyone has names or suggestions send them to Frank by the April 8th meeting.

Adjourn: 3:10 p.m.

Next Meeting: April 8th RAM Center Roscommon MI

Additional Meeting Dates and locations for 2014

Tuesday April 8, 2014, RAM Center, Roscommon Wednesday June 25, 2014 at the Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan 10 am to 3:00 pm. Wednesday October 8, 2014 at the Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan 10 am to 3:00 pm.

*The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected]

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee RAM Center, Roscommon, Michigan Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Approved Minutes

Attendees: Jim Baker, Dave Borgeson, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, John Dobis, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Wade Hamilton, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lockhart, Terry Lyons, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Kenneth Pletcher, John Robertson, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Mark Stephens, Fred Sterns, Dr. Howard Tanner, Jan VanAmberg, Terry Walsh, Gary Whelan

Welcome and Opening Comments:

Frank Krist called the meeting to order at 10:00 am. Attendees introduced themselves. Frank and Brandon Schroder presented Jim Johnson with two plaques in recognition of his dedication.

The Near Shore Multiagency Study from Thunder Bay to Lexington which focused on changes in shallow water (0-100 feet) fish habitat and fish behavior in the new food web – Jim Johnson, DNR Alpena Great Lakes Research Station).

Other than Saginaw Bay and the Les Cheneaux, the near shore fishery along Lake Huron has been neglected. To determine what changes have taken place the Department partnered with several agencies to conduct a comprehensive survey of the waters from shore to about 100 feet of water in Thunder Bay and along Lexington. These partners included:

• Central Michigan University – Beach zone, food habits of predators • EPA: Nutrients nearshore and offshore • USGS & NOAA Plankton, nearshore and offshore • USGS and DEQ: Nutrients in Thunder Bay River and its dams

The Thunder Bay and Lexington Areas vary greatly. Thunder Bay has an extensive watershed while Lexington has almost no watershed with a series of very short streams draining the area. These differences provided an opportunity to compare Thunder Bay with possibly a significant nutrient source from the river with the open water of Lexington that receives little nutrient input from streams.

In Thunder Bay, USGS found that during the spring in the mid water, nutrients and plankton where scarce offshore and were especially scarce close to shore. In order for phytoplankton (tiny microscopic plants) to grow, phosphorus, which is normally the most limiting nutrient, must be present. The April plankton bloom that provided much food for fish growth was gone as phosphorus discharged into the Bay has declined. As the water moved downstream through the reservoirs and out into the Bay the amount of phosphorus dropped below each dam. The

reservoirs were acting as nutrient “sinks” as, the zebra and quagga mussels were taking up the nutrients and depositing them on the bottom. In addition, improvements in sewage treatment facilities and other pollution control measures have reduced nutrient discharges to the Bay.

Since the food web changed in the last decade, much work has been done looking at the nutrients, plankton and other small organisms but little has been undertaken to see how these lower food web changes have affected fish communities, especially in shallower water from shore to about 100 feet. Three hypothesis were tested with this project:

1) It was hypothesized that surveys would catch more fish in Thunder Bay than near Lexington because the larger watershed flowing into the Bay should provide more nutrients to the water than the small streams flowing into Lake Huron near Lexington. 2) Since the mussels were concentrating the nutrients near the bottom and mussels prefer hard surfaces it was hypothesized that fish production would be higher and better fish catches would be obtained over hard bottoms. 3) Since the mussels were concentrating the nutrients near the bottom in shallow water it was hypothesized that more fish would be caught in shallow water during the study than before the mussels became established.

To investigate these ideas, fish surveys were conducted using trap nets, fyke nets, experimental gillnets, micromesh gillnets, bottom trawling and electrofishing.

The Thunder Bay April electrofishing results were very low and only 19 fish per hour were taken. The species included freshwater drum, smallmouth bass, rock bass and walleye. No electrofishing was done at Lexington.

Trap nets were fished at both locations and approximately 3 times more fish were captured at Lexington than in Thunder Bay and species composition was much different at each site. Smallmouth bass and rock bass dominated the catch in Thunder Bay while yellow perch dominated the catch at Lexington along with some white bass, walleye and a few other species. The number of smallmouth bass found in Thunder Bay was very low compared to the number present at locations of more prolific populations such as Waugoshance Point and Beaver Island. The growth of smallmouth bass at Thunder Bay was much above average and a main food item was goby.

Before the food web changed and the quagga and zebra mussels were not present there were heavy spring algae blooms because more nutrients were present in the mid water. Currently the nutrients have been moved to the bottom by the filtering action of the quagga and zebra mussels resulting in heavy bottom growths of Cladophora plants as discussed below. The spring algae bloom that occurred before the food web changed provided much food for zooplankton, which were an important diet item for newly hatched fish like smallmouth bass and whitefish. Without the spring algae bloom, smallmouth bass and whitefish now starve shortly after hatching resulting in very few adults.

During August, the gillnet surveys produced mainly yellow perch and walleyes at Lexington and Thunder Bay. The number of walleyes was similar at each location but there was nearly 9 times more yellow perch captured at Lexington than at Thunder Bay. In addition, the yellow perch population had 9 fast growing year classes at Lexington while Thunder Bay had only 3 year classes.

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Yellow perch are able to eat smaller and sparsely spaced zooplankton after hatching so good year classes are regularly produced even though productivity in Thunder Bay is low. In addition, the newly hatched yellow perch drift offshore and feed where the zooplankton are more numerous and by fall the young perch return to the shallower water near shore.

Unfortunately, there are few larger forage fish available for trout, salmon, walleye and other predators to eat so once the yellow perch grow to about 3 inches they are eaten in large numbers by predators in Thunder Bay. Until a larger bodied forage fish becomes established in Lake Huron yellow perch fishing, especially in Thunder and Saginaw Bays may not recover. The restoration of cisco offers hope that this once historically abundant large bodied forage fish would provide a buffer for yellow perch from predators and greatly increase perch survival and the survival of other juvenile recreational species.

Diet analysis showed that the yellow perch were eating goby so fishing on the bottom may be a productive method of catching perch. The yellow perch at both Thunder Bay and Lexington are fast growing.

With the large number of yellow perch year classes and the fast growth at Lexington, the question becomes, is the perch sport fishery recovering in the Thumb Area? In 1986, 1987 and 1988, this area produced very high numbers of yellow perch so is it possible that the fishery is recovering but so far the anglers are not finding the large schools.

All original hypotheses that were made before the study as listed above were incorrect.

1) The number of fish captured in Thunder Bay were low even though a moderate size watershed drains into the Bay. Instead of the Thunder Bay River providing substantial nutrients to the Bay, the nutrients diminished as they flowed toward Lake Huron resulting in less fish production. 2) It was thought that more fish would be caught on hard surfaces since the abundant goby and the quagga and zebra mussels are found in rocky areas. The goby were actually more common on soft surfaces along with several other fish species. 3) Even though the shallow waters were covered with lush growths of Cladophora, which is a dense stringy bottom dwelling colonial algae, fish production was less when compared to when the bottom was more clean before the food web changes. Cladophora is a fibrous plant that is not easy to digest by insects and other invertebrates so it accumulates on the bottom instead of becoming food for fish. When Cladophora decays and releases nutrients in the fall much of the growing season is completed and the plant material instead of being eaten by invertebrates it is “short circuited” into decaying mucky debris that often accumulates along shore creating nuisances.

Annual highlights of DNR Law Enforcement activities being conducted on the Great Lakes – Lt. Wade Hamilton, Law Enforcement Division.

Lt Hamilton thanked the Committee for comments and input on the Draft Law Enforcement Strategic Plan. This plan will be dynamic and be updated. All DNR Divisions are completing Strategic Plans in accordance with the Departments goals, see attached*. There is interest in

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communicating more often with the public including school students. During 2013, 118 presentations were provided to groups with a goal of doubling that amount in 2014.

A Conservation Officer Recruit School is currently underway. The class started with 31 recruits and currently 25 are continuing with the program. There are 137 Officers in the field and the goal is to have at least 2 officers stationed in each county. Statewide, the Law Enforcement Division has 41 areas of responsibilities from overseeing a network of over 3,000 volunteer hunter education instructors to general criminal law, see the attached fact sheet for all 41 work areas including the more familiar roles*. The fact sheet also shows how the number of Officers has trended since 2005.

In 2012 Michigan Conservation Officers Statewide made 386,163 contacts with the public. 2% resulted in arrests, while 5% resulted in warnings. 4% were a result of investigating complaints received through a number of sources such as the Report All Poaching hotline, other law enforcement departments or calls received at an officer’s home or in person. The remaining 89% were positive, non-enforcement contacts. Typically officers made these contacts an opportunity to educate, coach and mentor our youth and other outdoor recreating public.

In 2013, officers made 94,516 fish related contacts with 2094 citations and 3,350 warnings.

Specifically below are Great Lakes Commercial Fishery encounters.

Commercial Fish Activities Included:  188 Specific Commercial Fish Patrols  254 Net inspections  300 Dockside inspections  86 Boardings  283 Wholesale fish inspections  244 Bait dealer inspections

Tribal 1836 Fishery  84 Complaints  21 Citations  Warnings  Referrals to Tribal Law Enforcement

State Commercial Fishery  15 Complaints  0 Citations  12 Warnings

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) continue to pose a threat to Michigan’s fishery resources. Lt. Wade Hamilton is a member of the Asian Carp Task Force, and inspects retail fish markets for invasive species. Training opportunities are provided to other Law Enforcement Agencies such as the Michigan State Police to educate them on issues such as Aquatic Invasive Species. In addition, many agencies and other police agencies collaborate to check various markets throughout the State and educate wholesalers about concerns with Aquatic Invasive Species.

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Project Fish overview and challenges along with other comments – Dr. Howard Tanner, former DNR Chief of Fisheries and former Director of the Department and Mark Stephens, Michigan State University Education Coordinator

Howard Tanner thanked the Committee for putting Project Fish on the agenda. Project Fish is an educational program for youth and families sponsored locally by schools, fishing conservation organizations and others interested in fishing and our fisheries. The vision is to initiate and provide fishing education and fishing skills to interested adults and youth from Michigan's many diverse populations. The Program preserves a natural heritage that ensures the future of fishing including learning about the natural resources and environmental awareness, ethical fishing practices, fisheries stewardship, and positive developmental activities for children, families, and the community.

Dr. Tanner is involved with Project Fish on the funding/fundraiser side. The goal for this year is to establish an endowment that will provide annual funding of the program and there are several businesses and families that are interested in assisting. At the beginning of the year there was a deficit of $42,000 but so far $25,000 has been raised. Project Fish is open to suggestions to promote and involve citizens and organizations and all input is welcome. If you would like to contribute the Project Fish website will accept your donation.

Mark Stephens explained that Project Fish is based on the National 4-H sport fishing program. Leaders are trained in five different components of sport fishing, and then train additional people to educate and get kids involved! This program has been running for 17 years based on annual grants. But to be successful in the future, continual partnerships and stewardships are needed.

There are great benefits in having children learn how to enjoy, understand and respect the aquatic natural resources of the State and since the program began over 3,000 volunteers have been trained.

The results of the multiagency study examining how trout, salmon and other predators are interacting with each other and their food sources after the food web changed – Ji He and Jim Johnson, DNR Alpena Great Lakes Research Station

This was a very large multiple agency project. No single agency has the resources to track all the changes in Lake Huron. The following agencies collaborated on the project:

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Michigan State University USGS Great Lakes Science Center NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources USFWS Alpena Conservation Office

These agencies have been surveying Lake Huron for decades and the data enabled an opportunity to estimate annually the amount of predators including trout, salmon and walleyes in Lake Huron since the mid-1980s. In addition, there was enough information to estimate the amount of forage fish present during this same period. Finally, modeling of the data provided an estimate of the amount of food that the predators consumed over this period.

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The following are some questions that were answered: 1) Did the total amount (pounds) of the trout, salmon and walleye change over the years since the mid-1980s? 2) Did forage fish surveys account for all the prey fish that these larger fish were eating? 3) Has there been a continual decline in productivity in Lake Huron?

Since at least the mid-1980s Chinook salmon have consumed primarily alewives and rainbow smelt that are mid-water dwellers. After the alewife crashed in 2003 and became rare, Chinook salmon began to decline drastically because their food source of alewife and smelt was severely limited. Unfortunately, Chinook salmon could not adjust by eating other food items and their number has remained low. Lake trout on the other hand, are generalist feeders and switched to eating large numbers of goby on the lake bottom along with other prey fish when they were available. As a result, the number of lake trout (pounds) increased greatly. Walleye were another generalist feeder that adjusted to the alewife crash and their number increased significantly.

Alewife depressed reproduction of both lake trout and walleyes so after 2003 when alewife became rare, natural reproduction of these predators increased greatly. As the Chinook salmon number decreased the loss was made up with an increase in lake trout, walleye and other predators. As a result, the total amount (pounds) of predators has been relatively stable since the mid-1980s (answer to question 1).

How could the total amount of predators remain stable over the years when the forage fish surveys showed that the predator’s food source declined drastically since the mid-1980s? Such a decline in forage fish should result in a corresponding reduction in predators, however, diet analysis showed that lake trout, walleyes and other predators were eating many more goby than the surveys showed existed in the Lake. The conclusion was that the forage fish surveys were underestimating the number of goby present in Lake Huron. Goby live on the bottom in rocks and other structure which makes it difficult to catch them in sampling gear. As a result, Lake Huron is producing much more forage fish than originally predicted so overall the forage fish (pounds) have also remained relatively stable since at least 1984 (answer to question 2).

Analysis of lake whitefish stomachs has shown that whitefish have recently switched to eating a significant amount of goby. The favored food of whitefish are the invertebrates, Diporeia and Mysis which are less common since the food web changed so the whitefish are seeking alternate food sources. It is estimated that there are about 4 times as many whitefish (pounds) as trout, salmon and walleye combined. The whitefish diet consists of about 20% goby but because whitefish are about 4 times more abundant than all of the other predators whitefish eat about ½ of all the forage fish consumed each year in Lake Huron. The emergence of whitefish as a consumer of forage fish puts more pressure on the food source that the trout, salmon and walleye utilize.

Question 3 asked if productivity in Lake Huron has decreased since the food web changed. One of the main outcomes of the food web change was the explosion in quagga and zebra mussels. Goby feed heavily on these mussels and their numbers exploded also. This report shows that goby and mussels are major contributors to the productivity in Lake Huron resulting in relatively stable levels of predators and prey fish. It appears that the productivity in Lake Huron is higher than first estimated but the debate will continue if it is as high as it was before the introduction of quagga and zebra mussels.

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An overview of lake trout in Lake Huron and the procedure that will be used to determine when to reduce or stop stocking – Todd Grischke, Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator and Ji He DNR Alpena Great Lakes Research Station.

The newly developed draft protocol to determine when to stop stocking lake trout in Lake Huron has three factors to consider; survival rate of stocked fish, abundance of adult spawning size fish, and abundance of wild lake trout. The Division will be making a decision on the protocol in April. The protocol is a tool that the Lake Huron Technical Committee will be using to assist in making the decision to stop or reduce lake trout stocking. Lake trout have been stocked since the 1970s and this is a huge step forward in regards to lake trout management in Lake Huron.

The survival of stocked lake trout in recent years has been very low. This situation is very similar to the poor survival of hatchery stocked Chinook salmon in the Central and Southern sections of Lake Huron. The next step is to decide if there are enough lake trout wild adults to support natural reproduction. Currently wild lake trout reproduction in Lake Huron ranges from about 50% in the north to over 80% in the south.

A discussion of the Sea Grant Lake Huron Spring Workshop agendas and fine tuning the format – Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant.

Dates and times for the Sea Grant Workshops have been determined. These workshops are being promoted through the media, mail, personal invites, organizational invites, email, etc. Great attendance is anticipated.

Each workshop will be adjusted to cover issues that reflect local interest. Some additional topics mentioned that will be addressed at the workshops include the salmon ambassadors program, the CWT program, how to identify Atlantic salmon and a reminder to turn in heads. Handout on collecting Atlantic salmon and were provided*.

In Cedarville, there will be a short discussion on opening the splake/lake trout season on January 1, 2015 in Zones MH-1 and MH-2 from Drummond Island to Alpena. This will result in the entire Michigan side of Lake Huron being under the same regulation. The regulation change will be approved with the other regulations this fall.

DNR Fisheries Management updates

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – Gary Whelan is now the Research Section Manager but he will maintain his aquatic habitat management responsibilities. He was overseeing the hatcheries for 15 years. Ed Eisch will be Fish Production Manager in Gary’s absence. Aaron Switzer is the acting manager of the Platte River and Oden State Fish Hatcheries.

The Salmon bag limit regulations for all of the Great Lakes are decided using a formula that includes the percent of charter anglers catching 3 Chinook salmon per day and the long term average of the anglers catch rates (fish per hour). If both criteria fall below the benchmark, the bag limit is changed to 3 per day. The Fishing Guide was printed before all the data was received, so although the data currently indicated a bag limit change to 3 fish in all 4 of the Great Lakes, the bag limit will remain the same this year at 5. The bag limit issue will be on the Committee’s June meeting agenda because there is concern that the bag limit protocol is not based on current biological factors plus the bag limit is established for also Lakes Huron, Superior and Erie using

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data from Lake Michigan. Because of these concerns, there will be a thorough discussion of the subject at the next meeting to determine if the protocol needs to be changed or eliminated.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor – It was a very successful year on Black Lake. Sturgeon harvest remained at quota and the season was completed in 1.5 hours. A settlement with Golden Lotus has been reached and a permanent drawdown of the dam on the Pigeon River will start this spring. The field crew will include 2 temporary technicians this season which will allow for additional work and flexibility. There were several Aquatic Habitat Grant applications that were reviewed from the unit and 2 were approved including the Lotus Dam removal and the Ocqueoc River Grist Mill removal. Adjustments of the application criteria are being considered for next year’s projects. There has been concern expressed that the criteria are not favorable to lake projects.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor – Walleye tagging is under way but few fish are showing up. The goal is to tag 1,000 in the Tittabawassee River, 1,000 in the Shiawassee River, 500 in the Kawkawlin River and 500 in the Au Gres River. The crew is running around trying to capture enough fish to reach tagging quotas. Wolf Lake Hatchery is hoping to start taking eggs in the Muskegon River this week so it will be about 3-4 weeks before the walleye fry will be in the walleye ponds. Spring fish runs appear to be two weeks later this year due to the long harsh winter. Walleye spawning will likely peak the week of April 14th with suckers about a week later. Steelhead should be available in the rivers into May.

The Harbor Beach Harbor will be shocked for steelhead when and if the ice melts. The steelhead are scheduled to be planted in the Harbor the first week of May and the Atlantic salmon are scheduled for stocking at Lexington Harbor at the end of April.

Nets are being set in Sanford Lake today to obtain northern pike to be transferred to the spawning marsh.

The unit is also receiving two temporary workers this summer!

Gary Whelan, Research Section and Aquatic Habitat Manager – The Aquatic Habitat Grant selections have been completed and they have been submitted to the Director for his approval. 58 applications were received and 43 met the criteria. Gary will still be reviewing fish health concerns for permits.

Jan VanAmberg, Thompson and Marquette State Hatcheries Manager – It is very early in the stocking season, with locations north of Clare just starting to open up after the long winter. Sites north of the bridge are still completely locked up with ice. Yearling Atlantic salmon at Platte State Fish Hatchery will be approximately 30% smaller than last year. They are living in surface water and it has been a cold year!

COMMENT: Dr. Merckel requested there be a discussion on the cisco topic at our June meeting since the federal agencies are moving to raise cisco and the DNR needs to be ready or the fish could be stocked elsewhere.

Adjourned: 4:05

Next Meetings: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 and Wednesday October 8, 2014

*The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected].

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc., Clare, Michigan Wednesday, June 25, 2014 Approved Minutes

Attendees: Russ Allen, Tom Baird, Jim Baker, Gary Boersen, Dave Borgeson, Charlie Brown, Jerry Brown, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Randy Claramunt, Jim Diana, Ed Eisch, Dave Fielder, Roger Gordon, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Lindsey Henski, Janice Kearney, Ron Kinnunen, Elmer Kloha, Tracy Kolb, Scott Koproski, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Steve Lepeak, Terry Lyons, Cameron McMurry, Jaclyn Merchant, Ken Merckel, Cheri Meyer, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Chuck Noel, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Kenneth Pletcher, Annalise Povolo, Ron Ramsey, Ed Retherford, John Robertson, Frank Rollwagen, Alan Seiferlein, Robert Selesky, Dana Serafin, Jerry Serafin, Julie Shafto, Steve Shafto, Fred Sterns, Joe Sumera, Aaron Switzer, Randy Terrian, Jan VanAmberg, Terry Walsh, Chris Weeks, Jay Wesley, Gary Whelan, Dennis White, Ralph Zimmermann

Welcome and Introductions. Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Introductions were made.

An Overview of The Strategic Plan for a Thriving & Sustainable Michigan Aquaculture (Jim Diana, Director for Michigan Sea Grant and Professor of the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment).

A draft Strategic Plan for Thriving and & Sustainable Michigan Aquaculture* and Aquaculture in Michigan Roadmap through Regulation were distributed. Why is there a need to expand aquaculture? In the U.S. we consume more seafood from aquaculture than from wild fisheries. Aquaculture is the fastest growing method of food production today and it is more efficient than other forms of agricultural production of meat and other protein based products. Aquaculture uses less space, water, energy and has a high conversion rate of feed to the final product. However, the public interpretation of aquaculture is very negative even though it is a method of agriculture.

Integrated Assessment of Aquaculture: This is part of our normal grant process with the idea to help the aquaculture industry develop a plan for their future and determine how to implement such a plan. The assessment was initiated by Michigan Sea Grant, but adopted by the Michigan Aquaculture Association and the plan was developed with multiple stakeholder involvement and peer review.

Michigan needs to step up in aquaculture production. With 90% of our seafood being imported, we have reasons to question quality. The population is causing new demand and we have the water, expertise and fishing history to make the plan work. However, Michigan needs to use caution and develop systems that will be productive yet not cause undue harm to the environment.

Basic Concept of the Plan: Expand aquaculture from 5 million pounds per year to a billion pounds a year by 2025. This would be accomplished by using three main systems which consist of flow through raceways, recirculating systems, and cage culture. The effort would start by expanding existing systems but then develop demonstration farms and business plans which will support financing for new systems. The whole

industry needs to be developed including fry production, feed production, food fish production, processing and marketing.

The following are descriptions of the three aquaculture production systems • Flow through raceway systems are the most common way of growing fish in Michigan today. These include the State salmon and trout hatcheries and the private rainbow/steelhead production facilities. Potential impacts are increases in nutrients and solid waste in receiving water, fish escapement and interbreeding with natives and establishment of diseases or parasites because of the high density culture. Efficient feeding and density adjustments can control dissolved nutrients. Use of settling areas can reduce solid waste. Utilization of disease free fry can reduce disease frequency and the use of hybrids and triploids can reduce genetic impacts. Smart management can reduce escapes. • Recirculating aquaculture is developing in the U.S. but it is used more often in Europe. Potential impacts include limited escapement, nutrients are controlled on site, water use is usually limited, may use more chemicals and other treatments and high cost of electricity or energy to run the system. The question with recirculating systems is whether they are economically sustainable. There are a handful of recirculating systems in Michigan: shrimp in Okemos, tilapia in Livonia, potentially barramundi in Manistee, and a Recovery Park in Detroit. • Cage culture is common on both coasts with systems operating in Ontario. Potential impacts include nutrients and solid waste released into receiving waters, fish escapement (most common with this system), interbreeding or competition with native species, diseases or parasites being established because of high density culture and solid waste deposition smothering sediments near the cages. The development of integrated multi trophic aquaculture which includes producing plants and other organisms with the fish, improves water quality. These additional organisms utilize the fish waste resulting in improved water quality.

Conclusions: Aquaculture is here to stay because of the high and increasing demand for seafood and the limited supply of wild products. Projects and businesses are improving the environmental footprint of aquaculture and rural and urban areas of Michigan could benefit from job creation. Michigan needs to regulate aquaculture businesses appropriately, as agribusiness and with standards similar to other agribusinesses. More successes are needed to drive additional financial investment.

MDNR Comments on the Strategic Plan for a Thriving & Sustainable Michigan Aquaculture (Gary Whelan, MDNR Research Program and Habitat Program Manager and Ed Eisch, MDNR Fish Production Manager).

The goal is to grow the industry from $5 million currently to $1billion by 2025. Each 100,000 pounds of production result in about 1 job. The types of systems to be used are recirculating closed systems, open flow through systems and open net pens. Details are sparse.

The environmental footprint differs greatly with each type of aquaculture facility. The key considerations when reviewing aquaculture requests are: facility type, siting, species, production capacity, escapement (except recirculating systems), biosecurity, and effluent management. The more intensely the facility is connected to the aquatic resources the greater the probability of issues.

Recirculating aquaculture facilities (RAS) are closed systems and from the DNR’s perspective have little direct connection to the aquatic resources of the State and impacts to the environment can usually be avoided. Siting can be readily accomplished and a wide range of species can be produced. Biosecurity or disease control can be a serious issue, however, disease problems can usually be maintained within the facility. All effluent is treated on site resulting in very little residual being discharged. An obstacle to these facilities is a very high investment and maintenance costs.

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Flow through facilities (raceways) are open systems that have a strong link to aquatic resources but the effects can be minimized. Siting depends on the species and the quality and quantity of the water supply. Either ground water or surface water can be used. Most easily developed sites have been utilized or were abandon because of fish health problems or other reasons. A wide range of species can be produced but the most common species being raised currently is rainbow trout. Escapement will occur and sometimes in high numbers. Production capacity can be any size but it is limited by water supply. Disease control will be a serious challenge particularly with surface water. Effluent management including treating phosphorus, suspended solids and pathogens can be very expensive. These facilities require a high investment and medium maintenance costs. The DNR moved away from surface water facilities and many had to be abandon because of serious problems.

Net pens (cage systems) generate 70-80% of aquaculture production. Net pens require approximately 500 acres and onshore fingerling production capabilities, likely from flow through systems. Ontario has approximately 10 systems. They require a suitable siting location with precise water temperature and other conditions. Except for Lake Superior, it would be difficult to find the correct temperature for near shore trout. Suspended cages are what the majority of our Great Lakes would require. Net pens have a high link to aquatic resources and it is not clear if impacts can be minimized. Siting technology is unclear, and there are issues that need to be addressed with water quality, navigation and aesthetics. Species that have potential include salmonids, yellow perch and whitefish. The most likely species to raise would be a highly domesticated strain of rainbow trout. Escapement will occur and Ontario has had multiple escapements greater than 100,000 fish. Escaped domesticated trout and other species can provide a disease and genetic threat to wild populations. Production capacity is limited by the site and disease control will be a serious concern with implications to wild fish. Currently, there is no effluent management of phosphorus, suspended solids and pathogens. This is a serious concern with the West Coast operations in spite of the high ocean tides that flush the pen sites. Major considerations are the need for much more research and investment while better documentation of maintenance cost is needed.

Questions, Answers and Comments on the Strategic Plan for Thriving & Sustainable Michigan Aquaculture (Jim Diana, Gary Whelan and Ed Eisch).

Question: Who is the regulating agency? The facility would be permitted by Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), with discharge monitored and permitted by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Comment: The bottom lands of Michigan are owned by the citizens of Michigan. Operators need to be bonded to cover potential damages similar to our timber program.

Question: Aquaculture is here in Michigan. Due to our cold water are we limited to trout? For outdoor facilities, trout, salmon yellow perch and possibly whitefish are candidates.

Question: Are fish from aquaculture facilities subject to Consumptions Advisories? Yes, they are regulated by MDARD and the FDA.

Comments: An individual had a bad experience working with a member of the Michigan Aquaculture Association. There were comments from two individuals after the meeting indicating that their encounters with members of the Association were professional and productive.

Statewide Angler Survey Program Updates (Tracy Kolb, MDNR Statewide Angler Survey Program Coordinator).

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The Statewide Angler Survey Program (SASP), also called ‘Creel’ is a long term monitoring program. Creel clerks interview and count anglers to gather angling effort, catch, catch rates, track angler characteristics, and track biological characteristics of fish. They sample fish, gather length and weight, and check for fin clips. They also conduct much education and outreach. Creel clerks are stationed along the coast of all Great Lakes; however, due to budgetary issues over the years, the inland program has been reduced drastically. We currently have only 6 inland locations.

A review of the Statewide Angler Survey Program was conducted in 2013 by the Fishery Division Research Section due to rising cost and a decreasing budget. Since the Creel Program is driven by the budget, four different budget scenarios were created, see chart below. Under the current budget allowance, the goal of the Statewide Angler Survey Program is to creel 75% of the Great Lakes, and 4 inland lakes or two tributaries, with a staff of 29 employees. To reach the desired inland presence, creel clerks working on Lake Huron had to be reduced from 11 to 8. There will be no layoffs, with all changes occurring through attrition. There was a vacancy on Lake Huron at the Alpena/Rockport position. An analysis was conducted, considering each site individually (comparing to angler counts and catch), and ranked on a scale of 100. Reviewing the analysis, the two lowest scoring ports (Rockport and Presque Isle) were dropped and coverage was rearranged for the creel clerk to the north (Julie Shafto). Julie Shafto will now be covering Rogers City and Alpena. The Department worked with the Tribal Coordination Unit, and will continue to creel Rockport/Presque Isle every 3 years.

The chart above shows 4 staffing levels depending on funding. *The numbers in () are the new staff levels.

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The table above prioritizes and ranks the Lake Huron Creel Ports with the lowest priority on the bottom.

Concerns were raised by Frank that the document, Casting the Future, which was released with the new Fisheries Division’s Strategic Plan, indicated that if additional funding was generated through a fee increase then both inland and Great Lakes creel surveys would be increased not reduced. Instead, the Great Lakes creel program was reduced to establish inland creel sites. Todd indicated that that significant additional creel program funding was not available and that by reducing the Great Lakes aspect of the program new inland sites could be established.

Progress Report of the Atlantic salmon Program (Todd Grischke, MDNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator).

The goal for 2015 is to rear 150,000 spring yearling Atlantic salmon, see table below for the projected number to be stocked at each location if no problems develop.

2014 tag return data so far includes 66 clipped fish. Fifty of those fish were stocked by Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in 2013, 4 were stocked by LSSU in 2012 and 3 were stocked by LSSU in 2011. Five fish were not marked, indicating they were either stocked by the DNR, clipped poorly, or possibly wild (which is unlikely). Only one DNR stocked fish from 2013 has been reported. Data indicated that LSSU stocked fish are returning to the fishery more prevalently then DNR stocked fish. In addition, Committee member and professional guide on the St. Mary’s River, Dennis White, maintained a log of the 94 Atlantic salmon he caught last summer and fall (2013) and included were 38 fish stocked by LSSU in 2012, 31 were stocked by LSSU in 2011, 8 were stocked by LSSU in 2010 while there were 17 non-clipped-fish which could possibly have been stocked by the DNR in 2011 or 2012. These results showed that a significant

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number of non-clipped (most likely DNR stocked fish in 2011 or 2012) Atlantic salmon returned to the St. Mary’s River during the summer and fall of 2013.

Issues and Improvements. Improvements have been made at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery and healthy Atlantic salmon are successfully being raised for stocking each spring. This is the first phase of the Atlantic salmon project with the next phase emphasizing tuning the program to improve returns and survival after stocking. To combat disease issues, a UV filter was installed at Platte River State Fish Hatchery and the fish have been released early (April) since they became more susceptible to disease as the water warmed. This resulted in the DNR stocked fish averaging about 4.5 to 6.5 inches in length while the LSSU fish were stocked at an average length of 7 to 8 inches. The larger size of the LSSU may have a survival advantage so efforts are being made to increase the size of the Atlantic salmon raised by the DNR. In addition, the LSSU fish are stocked about 2 months later in early June when there are more terrestrial insects, fish larvae and other food items available for the newly stocked fish to eat.

Efforts are being made to examine the potential of increasing size of the DNR raised Atlantic salmon and stocking them later in the season. There is an empty open turbine bay (60’x20’x8’) available at the LSSU Aquatic Research Laboratory where the University Atlantic salmon are raised and released. The Lab is located on a side channel of the St. Mary’s River and the use of this bay will allow the DNR to move their allotment of Atlantic salmon for the St. Mary’s River to the bay weeks before stocking with the goal of improving stocking size and releasing them when the LSSU fish are stocked. Besides this comparison study,

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options are being investigated to determine if other adjustments can be made in the DNR hatchery to improve size and stocking times at the other planting locations. The above table and drawing provides stocking and fin clip information.

***REPORT ATLANTIC SALMON*** Todd expressed the importance of taking photos of Atlantic salmon that are caught to assist in documenting the progress being made. The photos need to show any fin clips that are present. These photos should be sent to the data base keeper, Tim Cwalinski, at his email address: [email protected]. He may also be contacted at 989 732-3541 ext. 5072.

Benchmark for success: Evaluation of the fishery will occur during the years of stocking and will continue for three years after the third year of stocking (stocking years are 2013, 2014, 2015). Atlantic salmon stocked in the new locations must exhibit an average annual rate of return to the creel of at least 2%.

Net Pens: Roger Greil the manager of the LSSU Aquatics Research Laboratory is encouraging the DNR not to net pen Atlantic salmon prior to stocking because they stress easily. The only fish that would be held, are fish that would be placed in the turbine bay at the Lab and stocked into the St. Mary’s River.

The protocol for annually determining the salmon bag limit of 3 or 5 fish for each of Michigan’s Great Lakes. Should it be maintained as is, updated or permanently set to 5? (Randall Claramunt, MDNR Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station):

In 2009 the daily bag limit on salmon was increased to 5 if certain conditions were met each year otherwise the limit would be three in all of Michigan’s Great Lakes waters. The daily bag limit is determined using only Lake Michigan data. Angler catch rates and the percent of charter anglers catching 3 or more salmon per day are compared to the long term average dating back to 1986 and if both factors drop below the average then the creel limit for salmon drops to 3 on all of the Michigan Great Lakes waters.

This year the data showed that the creel limit should have actually been set at 3 salmon for all Great Lakes waters but because of a lag in obtaining all the creel information, the final calculations were not completed until after the Fishing Guide was published so no changes were made. On close examination of the biological protocol to determine the bag limit and a lengthy discussion with the Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee it was decided that a review would be conducted to determine if the protocol should stay the same, be changed or eliminated leaving the bag limit at 5 salmon indefinitely. Actually, the focus has switched from protecting the number of Chinook salmon present to ensuring an adequate population of alewife is available for the predators to eat. The current protocol was projecting a 3 fish salmon bag limit for 2014 but that would have been biologically unsound and counterproductive because the forage fish are at very low levels in Lake Michigan so the emphasis has been just the opposite which is to cut stocking and encourage anglers to harvest the salmon they catch.

Fish surveys, creel data, mass marking of stocked salmon has been taking place throughout the Great Lakes and this information is being used to determine a more reliable method of determining the health of the salmon and alewife populations. This information was sent to experts at Michigan State University and a new model was suggested using the predator/prey ration, which is based on the number of salmon compared to the amount alewives that are available. As the alewives drop below certain levels then more salmon need to be harvested or salmon stocking needs to be cut. This method is of little biological importance to Lake Huron because the alewife crashed and they are rare in Lake Huron. The Members of the Committee stressed the importance of managing the fishery with scientific principles. In addition, it made no sense to base the Lake Huron salmon creel limits on data obtained from the much different Lake Michigan. It was stressed that the salmon creel bag limit should remain at 5 in Lake Huron until there are new data that show a biological need for a change.

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Update on cisco (lake herring): US Fish and Wildlife Service Involvement (Scott Koproski, Alpena US Fish and Wildlife Service Conservation Office Project Leader) Lessons from Finland (Ed Eisch, MDNR) Division Comments (Todd Grischke, MDNR) General Discussion (All)

US Fish and Wildlife Service Involvement The lakes in the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services Mid-West Region area have several species of ciscoes and each of the Great Lakes had and still has various species present. Cisco populations declined due to overharvest, habitat degradation and impacts from exotics. The largest cisco is known historically as the lake herring and is greatly diminished in Lake Huron and is confined to mainly the north and Georgian Bay. The cisco provided the main food source for the large predators like lake trout, burbot and walleye. There is currently an opportunity to restore cisco throughout Lake Huron because the collapse of alewife opened the pelagic (mid water) planktivore (fish that eat primarily plankton) niche for cisco. Other factors that support moving ahead is that commercial harvest is low, there has been habitat improvement in main nursery areas like Saginaw Bay and there are sources of eggs that exists across the Great Lakes.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been making improvements to their hatcheries including raceway updates, better water treatment, brood capacity increases and isolation upgrades. Most of the renovations were aimed at increasing the capacity of lake trout production, but some renovations may offer an opportunity to managers for an alternative propagation program including cisco production. The Jordan River National Fish Hatchery has seen the most significant improvements.

The Service has been coordinating with the States, Tribes and Canada through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Lake Committees. Native species restoration is a Service priority and it appears that by 2016 there might be cisco ready to stock in the Great Lakes. The goal is to initially have available for stocking about 350,000 spring fingerlings about 3 inches long and another 400,000 fall fingerlings available about 4-5 inches long. Decisions to stock are the responsibility of the States so prescriptions for stocking locations must be completed and a request needs to be made to the Service before federal stocking can begin.

Lessons from Finland The trip to Finland was intended to obtain detailed information on rearing techniques. Finland has a heavy reliance on circular tanks which could be a benefit to more effectively raise cisco here. Private aquaculture is very big in Finland. The Department and US Fish and Wildlife Service brought back important information that will be put to use in modifying hatcheries to improve cisco production.

Question: Do the circular tanks seem necessary? Could we use our rectangular raceways? The information gathered suggests that circular raceways are more effective.

Division Comments The DNR Fishery Division has been communicating with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and talking with our partners about the possibility of rearing cisco (lake herring). The Division falls short on cisco rearing capacity and type of facilities needed. Collaborating with the Service provides opportunities to move forward with cisco restoration since part of their mission is restoring native species and they have the infrastructure and resources to raise the fish. The DNR Cisco Plan is the Lake Huron Technical Committee’s Plan known as Strategy and Options for Promoting the Rehabilitation of Cisco in Lake Huron*, see attached. DNR fishery managers and biologists assisted in developing the Plan which will be used by the Fisheries Division to move forward with cisco restoration in Lake Huron.

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General Discussion

Question: What is the possibility of seeing a day when lake trout stocking is not necessary and the hatchery space could be used to raise cisco? A lake trout stocking cessation protocol is being developed and the Lake Huron Technical Committee will be reconvening within the next month to see if the Tribes and Ontario will agree to the protocol. It may still be two years before an official decision is made. The Fisheries Division is constantly in contact with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and if a reduction in the number of stocked lake trout is required in Lake Huron then the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the DNR will collaborate to best utilize the new options that become available.

Question: Would stocking cisco in Harbor Beach provide enough food for predators to hold the salmon in the area? Cisco are a relatively large forage fish that would be attractive to trout and salmon and possibly improve the fishery in the area.

Law Enforcement and Fisheries Division Manager Updates:

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor: Walleye ponds have produced good numbers of fingerlings this year and the fish have been successfully stocked. Jim Baker regularly sends good numbers of walleye to be stocked in the North that are produced in ponds from the Southern Lake Huron Unit. This is the peak of the lake survey season and the stream survey season will be beginning soon.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor: Back in April some of our crew, with Jack Noble’s assistance, shocked the harbor at Harbor Beach. We collected 11 steelheads with AD clips and took their heads; we released 9 steelheads without clips and probably missed 10 more steelheads that evaded out nets. We also saw 5 brown trout and one Atlantic Salmon; an LSSU fish with an LP clip. Interestingly, the fish were most common right near the DTE public fishing platform where absolutely nobody was fishing! There were two anglers casting at the north gap in the breakwall, and when we shocked that area, it was almost a fish desert.

In the middle of May, large numbers of steelhead were observed in a small drain that runs through the town of Harbor Beach and enters the harbor between the Dow Chemical plant and Offshore Marina. Jack Noble and I examined the drain on May 21st (about a week later) and there were still a bunch of steelhead in there. The water was clear enough to see adipose clips on many of the fish.

I am very encouraged by the return of steelhead to the harbor at Harbor Beach. We do not know if these are the net pen fish or the direct plant, but clearly something is working there!

Blue-water trolling on the outside of the Thumb has been good whenever the weather cooperates. Big lake trout and a mix of steelhead, coho, Atlantics, brown trout, Chinook and pink salmon are being taken. It seems to be a big year for pink salmon; there are a lot of them, but they run small; from ½ to ¾ lb.

Walleye fishing in Saginaw Bay is really excellent. The surface water temperature is up to 72 degrees and fish are being taken on crankbaits and spoons as well as crawler harnesses. Limit catches are common. It really does not matter too much where you go, you can catch some fish.

Inland work keeps us busy in May and June: We have surveyed 9 lakes this spring; we have also raised 7600 northern pike fingerlings and planted them into 5 lakes in Lapeer County. Walleye pond harvest is underway this week. We have planted all of the lakes in our unit that were scheduled to be stocked this year and now

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we are shipping fish north to Dave Bergeson’s unit and west and south to the central and southern Lake Michigan units. The Tawas Pond was drained last night and yielded 352,000 fingerlings. These went to Au Sable Lake, Clear Lake, Otsego Lake, Seven Mile Impoundment, and Lake St. Helen. We are draining Auburn West today [those fish went into Lake Cadillac, Lake Mitchell, Wixom Lake and Wiggins Lake] and will harvest the Au Gres Pond on Thursday. (The Au Gres fish will go to the Southern Lake Michigan Fisheries Management Unit to compensate for their ponds which didn’t do that well.)”

That is the news from Southern Lake Huron, where the land is flat, the water is muddy and all the fish grow bigger than average.

Jan VanAmberg, U.P. DNR Hatchery Manager: Fish stocking this spring started late because of the slow warm-up and then was slowed again because of high water at many locations. There are 750 stocking sites throughout the State and a summary of all the fish stocked by the DNR hatcheries was distributed, see attached*. There were some issues during the walleye egg takes but the quota was obtained. The Great Lake musky egg take on Lake St. Clair was a success.

Ed Eisch, Acting DNR Fish Production Manager: The steelhead egg take was successful but it had to be done in a real hurry due to a breach in the Little Manistee weir resulting in a flood event. The Fisheries Division staff pulled together and completed the equivalent of 3 days of intense activity in one 24 hour non- stop period!

Aaron Switzer, Platte River and Oden Hatcheries Manager: If no issues develop, Atlantic salmon numbers should easily reach 150,000 for next year. Much has been learned about successfully raising this species of fish and now efforts are being made to increase the size at stocking.

Dave Fielder, Alpena DNR Research Station Research Biologist: Summer surveys are underway. Funding has been almost approved for replacing the Lake Huron Research Vessel, Chinook. The funding package is just waiting for the Governor’s signature.

Scott Koproski, US Fish and Wildlife Service: Lake trout stocking was a success and all the fish were distributed to the planned stocking locations except for on reef in the south.

Craig Milkowski, Commercial Fisheries, Law Enforcement: Last week 23 of 33 new recruits graduated and most will be stationed in Southern Michigan and in the Western Upper Peninsula with one being assigned to Presque Isle County. They are all in field training now but they should be on their own by November 14. Another 40+ candidates are on the roster for a second school this fall.

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator: Budget: On June 12, both the House and Senate passed HB 5313 while making no changes to the Conference Report. The bill is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. HB 5313 allocates $48.6 million General Fund money to the DNR.

Ongoing Investments – • Invasive Species: Adds $5 million General Fund • Conservation Officers: Adds $3.5 million General Fund • Great Lakes Research Vessel Chinook: Adds $1 million General Fund • Cormorant Population Mitigation: Increases by $50,000 General Fund

One-Time Investments: • Saginaw River Feasibility Study: Adds $280,000 General Fund

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New Boilerplate: • Sec. 251 required DNR to allocate at least $3.6 million of the invasive species funding as grants. • Sec. 603 requires DNR to use funds to harass cormorants with the goal of reducing foraging attempts on fish populations. • Sec. 1201 requires the DNR to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of deepening the Saginaw River from the 6th Street turning basin to the Saginaw Bay.

Staffing: Since October 1, 2013 the Division has hired 12 employees, which includes new hires. In addition, the Division is moving forward with several other positions with the goal of filling them by October 1, 2014. Todd and Jim Dexter are updating the list of filled positions that will be sent out as soon as it is completed.

Adjourn 3:05 pm

Next meeting: Wednesday October 8, 2014 at the Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, 10 am to 3:00 pm.

*The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected].

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LHCFAC) Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc., Clare, Michigan Wednesday, October 8, 2014 Approved Minutes

Attendees: Les Bloodworth, Dave Borgeson, Aaron Brown, Charlie Brown, Damon Brown, Jerry Brown, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Bryan Darland, Jim DeClerck, Jim Dexter, Ed Eisch, Clarence Fetrow, Dave Fielder, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Wade Hamilton, Lindsey Henski, Jim Johnson, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lockhart, Terry Lyons, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Chuck Noel, Judy Ogden, Eric Plant, Frank Rullwagen, Alan Seiferlein, Julie Shafto, Joe Sumera, Aaron Switzer, Randy Terrian, Donna Wesander, Tod Williams, Ralph Zimmermann

Welcome and Introductions: Frank Krist called the meeting to order and welcomed Bryan Darland, Jays Sporting Goods Store Manager to the Committee. Bryan is a new Committee member and represents the interests of the retail sporting industry. Introductions were made.

History, biology and discussion of potential management directions of the yellow perch fishery in Lake Huron with emphasis on Saginaw Bay (Jim Baker, MDNR Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor; Dave Fielder Fisheries Research Biologist/Acting Station Manager Alpena DNR Fisheries Research Station; Todd Grischke, MDNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator)

Todd Grischke discussed and distributed “Yellow Perch in Saginaw Bay, 1970-2013” an Overview*. This document was prepared in response to angler interest in the yellow perch population of Saginaw Bay, due in part to a changed Lake Huron environment. Comments and suggestions on the report should be forwarded to Todd Grischke, Jim Baker or Frank Krist.

Introduction Jim Baker provided an overview of the report. Yellow perch produce an enormous number of eggs and a relatively small number of adult spawners produced huge year classes. Currently, the yellow perch in Saginaw Bay are reproducing at record levels; however, complex ecological changes have prevented most of the abundant young perch from surviving beyond their first year. The fundamental role of this species in the food web has changed from that of a secondary predator that eats other fish to primarily that of a forage fish which is eaten by several different predators such as walleye, drum, bass, birds and others.

Biology In Saginaw Bay, yellow perch spawn near shore in wetlands and drainage ditches, in early April/May when water temperatures approach 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Timing of spawning can have major effects on yellow perch growth during the first year of life, and this in turn can influence over-winter survival. Yellow perch feed almost entirely on zooplankton throughout their first year of life. They continue to feed heavily on zooplankton through their second and third growing seasons, but also start eating various bottom dwelling organisms and insect larvae. Perch do not prey on minnows and other small fish until they reach about 7 inches in length.

Some factors thought to affect yellow perch survival and abundance include weather, competition from other species, competition among yellow perch themselves when they become too abundant and predation.

Population The DNR has been monitoring yellow perch reproduction in Saginaw Bay since 1970. Perch reproduction history can be divided into three time periods.

1970-1990 yellow perch were so abundant in Saginaw Bay that their own density controlled their growth and reproduction due to competition for a limited food supply and lack of predators to reduce their abundance. Large year classes of young perch were common but growth slowed dramatically. With a scarce food supply, more time was needed for locating food items to eat which resulted in many perch not reaching 3 inches long by fall. These smaller perch often did not have enough energy to survive the winter and starved to death. During this period 6 to 7 inch perch were very common but few grew to larger sizes. This period ended when nearly the entire 1989 year class of young perch starved and yellow perch almost disappeared from the Bay.

1990-2002 During this period, much smaller yellow perch year classes were produced as reproductive success decreased but the growth rates improved. This period was marked by the appearance of several invasive species and the beginning of food web changes.

A large population of alewife ate huge numbers of newly hatched yellow perch fry and the overall number of young yellow perch decreased greatly in the Saginaw Bay. In addition, alewife ate zooplankton reducing the food supply of the young perch.

The newly introduced Zebra and quagga mussels began to increase and ate large numbers of zooplankton which further reduced the food supply of the young yellow perch.

Spiny water fleas entered Lake Huron in 1984 but as their number increased they competed with the young yellow perch by feeding on their food supply by eating the smaller zooplankton. The adult yellow perch eat large numbers of the spiny water fleas but the fleas are too large for the young perch to eat.

White perch were introduced in the Bay in 1983 and by 1989 they were the most common species caught in test nets. White perch compete intensely with yellow perch for living space and may be responsible for the collapse of yellow perch numbers during 1989. Since 1989 white perch have been declining and follow similar trends with yellow perch. Since white perch also feed on zooplankton, the continued presence of white perch might be suppressing the growth of young yellow perch.

Round Gobies were introduced and found in Lake Huron by 1995. Gobies are bottom feeders and compete with yellow perch and other fish for food. Gobies, however, are eaten in large numbers by yellow perch and other species. Gobies feed regularly on zebra and quagga mussels and transfer the energy from the mussels back into the food web when gobies are eaten by many recreational fish species including yellow perch.

2003-2013 marked major changes in the food web which may continue indefinitely into the foreseeable future. Zebra mussels in shallower water and quagga mussels in deeper water colonized virtually all of Lake Huron and ate nearly all of the phytoplankton (algae). Since phytoplankton is a very important food item for zooplankton, the numbers of zooplankton dropped dramatically. With less zooplankton to eat and more predators, the alewife collapsed and the Chinook salmon crashed because alewife was their primary food source.

Since alewife fed heavily on the fry of many species, the dramatic reduction in alewife enabled native species including yellow perch, walleye, smallmouth bass, lake trout and emerald shiners to reproduce at high rates never seen before. Near or above record levels of yellow perch were produced nearly each year but with less zooplankton to eat perch growth slowed making them more vulnerable to predators like walleye and drum.

When alewives were present in large numbers, walleyes and other predators ate large numbers of alewives but less yellow perch. Since the alewives became rare during this period, the walleyes and other predators switched from alewives and began to eat large numbers of the small yellow perch. Many decades ago before alewives first became 2

abundant and the Saginaw Bay yellow perch fishery was healthy, cisco (lake herring) were common and provided a predation buffer for yellow perch since the walleyes and other predators ate a large number of cisco.

For the foreseeable future, it is likely that Saginaw Bay yellow perch will continue to reproduce well, but will suffer heavy predation by unprecedented high levels walleye and other predators. Yellow perch will remain primarily a forage fish in Saginaw Bay and play a secondary role as a sport and commercial species until further ecological changes result in more favorable conditions for yellow perch.

See the attached document ‘Yellow Perch in Saginaw Bay, 1970-2013 an Overview’* for more details.

Jerry Brown who represents several anglers from the Saginaw Bay area requested an opportunity to provide additional information about the Saginaw Bay yellow perch fishery. Jerry’s family has been involved in commercial and sports fishing in the Bay for over 100 years. The following are the main points he presented: • After smelt were introduced in the Great Lakes, whitefish declined but with fewer smelt today the whitefish population has improved. Stocking foreign species is highly questionable. • There is evidence that alewives did not cause the demise of the yellow perch population. During the 1950s when the beach was covered with alewives, perch fishing was excellent. Later there was a period of overfishing by commercial operations and the perch fishery declined but once the commercial licenses were reduced, perch fishing recovered and there was excellent fishing again in spite of large numbers of alewives still present. • The yellow perch sports creel limit is too high and starting in the 1980s when it was liberalized perch began to decline. The last decent year for perch fishing was 1996. • During the late 1990s, minnows, crayfish, clams, alewives and smelt began to disappear, possibly due to chemicals. • Perch fishing was down before zebra mussels and gobies were established. The main reasons for the decline are overstocking walleye, stocking foreign predators, and over harvesting yellow perch by sport and commercial fisheries. • Good management over the next 10 years would result in an excellent yellow perch population that would hook the younger generation to fishing and increase the overall number of anglers.

Todd Grischke distributed the report, ‘Possible Management Options for Yellow Perch’*. This document is a draft, highlighting potential tools managers may implement to affect fish populations. Over the next couple meetings, the Committee will continue to discuss these different options. Options available to fisheries managers include stocking, recreational fishing regulations, season closures, length limits, bag or creel limits, re-establishment of cisco, increased exploitation of walleye, cormorant control, and managing angler expectations.

Stocking would not be effective since huge year classes of yellow perch are already being produced most years. There are plenty of young perch but few survive beyond the first year because of scarcity of food and predation. Stocking additional perch could actually be detrimental. In addition, yellow perch are prolific spawners and just a few adult females can produce more fingerlings than several hatcheries.

Recreational fishing regulations are based principally on biology but regulations can be influenced by social and political pressure, and competition. Below are the three types of regulations being considered for managing yellow perch.

Season Closures are used when the adult spawners must be protected to ensure there are enough adults available for spawning. Successful reproduction of yellow perch in Saginaw Bay is not an issue since large 3

year classes are being produced almost every year. Implementing a closure would reduce fishing opportunity and have little impact on the yellow perch population.

Length Limits are normally used to protect species that are slow in maturing so there are enough adults for successful reproduction. Fish like bass, pike and walleye are slow to reach maturity and must be protected to ensure there are enough mature fish for spawning. Yellow perch on the other hand, often start to mature at a length of 3 inches and most are mature at 7 inches which is the length most anglers start to keep them. As mentioned above, there is no shortage of spawning adult yellow perch.

Adjusting Bag (Creel) Limits in some circumstances can reduce the overall harvest of a species a modest amount but it is used mostly for social reasons to better distribute the catch. Very few anglers come close to catching their limit of yellow perch and, for example, creel data showed that in 2011 the average daily catch per angler was 9.8 fish and in 2012 it was 12.2 fish. Of 2,686 anglers interviewed only 37 harvested a limit of 50 perch. Catch has more to do with abundance and there are enough adult yellow perch to produce excellent spawning results.

Attempt to reestablish cisco as a prey alternative to yellow perch As mentioned earlier, yellow perch, cisco and walleyes coexisted in Saginaw Bay and produced healthy fisheries. Cisco was a main forage fish that was consumed by walleyes. Unlike alewives, cisco did not eat the fry of yellow perch and restoring cisco could provide a predation buffer against walleye and other predators which could increase yellow perch survival. Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is updating the Federal Jordan River National Fish Hatchery with the potential of producing cisco for stocking in the Great Lakes within the next couple of years. The possibility of restoring cisco in Saginaw Bay and other areas of Lake Huron is currently being reviewed.

Increased exploitation of walleye by the sport fishery The walleye population in Saginaw Bay has recovered to historical levels and the growth rate is decreasing. Annual harvest is low in comparison to the large number of mature walleyes present. A simulation model developed with data collected over several decades can provide estimates of the impact on the adult walleye population for each proposed change in the daily bag limit. If the walleye population can be thinned, then predation pressure may be reduced on young yellow perch and allow more perch to survive and grow. This is an attractive option since it can potentially increase perch survival, increase fishing opportunity for walleye, and be monitored and readjusted if necessary.

Question: Could opening sections of the Saginaw River to walleye fishing the entire year be considered as an option to increase walleye harvest? This option has some merit since it could increase fishing opportunities for small boat and shore anglers and it will be discussed at future Advisory meetings after the simulation model estimates the impacts of various scenarios on the perch and walleye populations.

Increased emphasis on cormorant control The double-crested cormorant is a fish eating bird and its numbers have increased greatly since the pesticides levels in the Great Lakes have decreased over the last 3 decades. Cormorants are found in many areas in the Great Lakes and work in the Les Cheneaux Islands has shown that cormorants were the primary reason for the yellow perch decline in that area. More work is needed to determine the cormorant’s impacts on other yellow perch populations. A diet study of cormorants in Saginaw Bay showed in 2013 that yellow perch were a significant portion of the bird’s diet at certain periods of the year. The study is continuing in 2014 and if the results corroborate the findings from 2013 then a control program will be considered for 2015 and beyond.

Regulation of the commercial fishery Commercial fishing for yellow perch in Saginaw Bay is highly regulated and not very lucrative. Perch are caught alive in trap nets and only yellow perch 8.5 inches and larger are kept and all others are returned to the water. The amount of harvest depends on the yellow perch population abundance and follows the harvest trends of the sport fishery. On average since 2001, the recreational fishery has taken about 70% (pounds) of the total yellow perch harvest and the commercial fishery has averaged about 30%. 4

The commercial fishery harvest during that period ranged from 18.1% to 44.7%. At the present levels of harvest for each fishery there are no negative biological impacts to the yellow perch population.

Sport fishing in Michigan generates vastly more economic activity than commercial fishing and reducing commercial yellow perch fishing in Saginaw Bay has been suggested for decades. If this option is pursued, the State would buy commercial fishing licenses back from willing sellers and retire them. It is estimated that only about 50% of the gear currently licensed is being fished so the first step would be to buy these licenses. Once the licenses are purchased, the gear is out of the fishery permanently so this option has merit.

Managing uncertainty and anglers expectations Lake Huron contains an immense and complex food web that is constantly changing and there is no guarantee that utilizing some of the above options would be successful but at least by trying and changing direction as needed there is a chance of success.

For more details see the report, “Possible Management Options for Yellow Perch”*

A successful emergency response by DNR employees to save the State’s steelhead egg take in spite of a major flood and serious damage at the Little Manistee Weir (Ed Eisch, DNR Fish Production Manager).

The Little Manistee Weir is located on the Little Manistee River near the town of Stronach and currently it is the sole egg source for the DNR’s steelhead program.

The spring 2014 was very late, cold and wet. The heavy snow melt, extensive rain and runoff caused very high water levels on the Little Manistee River resulting in significant damage to the weir. Four screens became plugged and water starting flowing around the weir. With a possible washout pending and steelhead already in the holding pond, early egg harvest was considered. However, at that time, the steelhead were only 30 % ripe. The high water developed a side channel around the weir and continued to widen. With water behind the weir dropping, the Department was no longer in control! Water levels have to be maintained at a minimum level to run our pumps. If water dropped too low, or if the weir itself washed out, the entire steelhead egg take for 2014 would be lost. DNR staff volunteered to work around the clock and the harvest was completed in 1 day! Because of this team work enough eggs were obtained not only for Michigan but also for Ohio and Indiana.

Once the egg take was complete, it was time to repair the weir. Typically a 6-12 week engineering review and permitting process would be required before repair work could be started, however, with cooperation from other agencies, ground was broken within 2 days! A submerged rock road was created across the river to allow heavy equipment to reach the washout. Sandbags (the size of Volkswagens) were placed in the river to divert flow, and sheet piling was installed. Permanent repairs were completed quickly and this was only possible with great cooperation and team work!

The weir is also currently undergoing major renovations of the Interpretive Visitor Center including adding a viewing deck, parking upgrade, ADA improvements, restrooms installation and a canoe/kayak launch. Come by and see and used the facilities!

Potential improvements to the Michigan Charter Boat Daily Catch Report form (Donna Wesander DNR Statewide Charter Boat Fishing Reporting Program Administrator).

Donna Wesander discussed angler interest in having Atlantic salmon specifically listed on the Charter Boat Daily Catch Report, see attached*. The issues with including Atlantic salmon consist of space and complexity for captains completing the form. The more complex the form becomes the less compliance the Department receives. In addition, this form is used statewide and designed to capture the most important charter species.

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Some ideas for improving the form that are being considered are increasing the size of the form and allowing captains to write in codes across the form for each species they catch. Donna is requesting anyone that has suggestions please contact her at: 231-547-2914 Ext. 223 or [email protected]

An Atlantic salmon status report with a potential increase in Atlantic salmon production at the Platte River Hatchery and a discussion of where additional fish will be stocked if they become available during the spring of 2015 (Todd Grischke and Aaron Switzer, Manager of the Platte River State Fish Hatchery).

There are four raceways at the Platte River Hatchery used for Atlantic salmon production with each raceway dedicated to a specific stocking site. This provides the opportunity to mark the fish in each raceway with a different Coded Wire Tag (CWT) to indicate each stocking site for evaluation purposes. Atlantic salmon production has increased and the Advisory Committee has previously agreed to put additional fish at each of the three new stocking locations. The Atlantic salmon program has increased production from 100,000 spring yearlings to a projection of approximately 180,000 for 2016. The Table below shows the number of Atlantic salmon stocked and the estimated number to be stocked through 2016 along with the various fin clips.

Evidence is showing that survival of the DNR stocked Atlantic salmon could be increased by growing them to a larger size and stocking them later. Aaron indicated that they are looking at several options to increase growth in the hatchery. One challenge at the Platte River Hatchery is the cold surface and spring water available for raising the yearlings often slows the growth of the fish.

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An experiment is planned for the DNR Atlantic salmon stocked in the St. Mary’s River. There is an empty open turbine bay (60’x20’x8’) available at the Lake Superior State University (LSSU) Aquatic Research Laboratory where the University Atlantic salmon are raised and released. The Lab is located on a side channel of the St. Mary’s River and the use of this bay will allow the DNR to move their allotment of Atlantic salmon for the St. Mary’s River to the bay weeks before stocking with the goal of improving stocking size and releasing them when the LSSU fish are stocked.

Reminder that Atlantic salmon are marked with clips Anglers should be reporting their Atlantic salmon harvest to Tim Cwalinski, at the Gaylord Customer Service Center, 989-732-3541 and [email protected]. Please take photos that show the fins and possible clips. With very little natural reproduction currently, nearly all Atlantic salmon should be marked with clips.

Advisors two minute season fishing reports

Todd Williams – The sports fishery for walleye in Saginaw Bay was really good, however, commercial whitefish harvest has been down. The weather was poor and very windy.

Judy Ogden – Port Sanilac and Lexington – The recreational offshore fishery started late in the spring with a late ice melt. Fishing was good in April and May with Coho, Chinook and Atlantic salmon, lake trout, and walleye. The fishery slowed in July with persistent easterly winds. Yellow perch fishing out of Port Sanilac was spotty, however, veteran anglers fishing at sunrise near weed beds did well. In September, there was calmer water, some decent insect hatches and good catches of walleye and lake trout. There was a huge number of pink salmon in the area all summer.

Jerry Lockhart – Weather and mechanical problems kept his fishing days to four; however, he noticed that lake trout in the Oscoda area were on the rise this year!

Julie Shafto – Summer fishing was down this year in Rogers City because of the prolonged windy weather. However, anglers making it out harvested Chinook salmon, lake trout and Atlantic salmon in the early months. Pink and Coho salmon came in later in the season with an occasional walleye. Lake trout fishing was great all season and most of the smaller trout had no clips. A lot of bait was present all year.

Dr. Ken Merckel – Grindstone and Port Austin had good fishing when weather allowed anglers out. Walleye fishing was great, until a drastic temperature drop in July. The walleye moved to deeper water and the rest of the season there was a mixed bag of pink salmon, lake trout and walleye.

Jack Noble– Walleye fishing at Port Austin/Grindstone City was good in spring through early July and limits were common. Cold water moved in in mid-July and the walleyes moved deeper and a mix bag was common.

Walleye fishing was good at Harbor Beach in early July in 70 to 90 feet of water but not in 25 to 40 feet of water which usually occurred in previous years. Later in the year, walleyes were caught from 90 to 120 feet of water. Anglers were targeting salmon, steelhead and lake trout in 90 to 150 feet of water but occasionally a walleye was caught. Because of the cold water and strong winds, walleye fishing was down. King salmon numbers were up and steelhead fishing was steady with often more than one in the catch. Lake trout fishing was good most of the summer especially during late August. Brown trout are currently being caught in the Harbor.

Terry Lyons – The streams proved challenging this year and it seemed like there were less fish available.

Rick Kretzschmar – Fishing for walleyes in Saginaw Bay during 2014 was a good. The walleyes appeared healthy but skinnier compared to past years, possibly caused by food web changes and/or prey fish availability.

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During late January through early February, the walleye Shiver on the River Walleye Tournament had 1,500 anglers participating with the winner catching an 11 pound fish but there were also 6, 7, 8 and 9 pounders caught. April was slow but May through mid-July was very good. By the third week of July, walleye fishing in the inner Bay slowed significantly probably caused by the fish moving to deeper water. Fishing in August was a challenge locating and catching walleyes. September was windy and cold which limited activity but there were reports that walleye fishing in the Au Gres area was very good with 6 pounders being taken. During early October the walleye were moving into the Inner Saginaw Bay and fishing should improve. I had good success this year fishing in the Bay at the following locations: Pinconning Bar, Black Hole, The Cigar, The Spark Plug, Callahan and Coryeon Reefs, and the Sailboat Buoys.

Yellow perch fishing has been slow and spotty but larger fish have been appearing in the catch.

There were reports of few early season minnows observed in the Saginaw River but by August the river was loaded with 1.5 inch shiners.

Dennis Gulau – During April in Saginaw Bay the walleye fishing was slower but the fish were bigger in the 9 to 12 pound range. The Inner Saginaw Bay was phenomenal all year and the fish seemed to stay in the Bay the entire summer. Walleye fishing in the river was also good the entire summer as well. The Outer Bay and Thumb Area was spotty with shifting wind and water temperature changes.

Tom Hamilton – Fishing was spotty in Lake Michigan also because of poor weather. Overall numbers were down, but the fishing is still good.

Captain Terry Walsh –Each year in Saginaw Bay the walleye fishing gets better and better! May and June produced an abundance of 9-13” walleye, however, by end of June they disappeared and then in July a ruler was not needed! Even in Aug/Sept when the fish moved into the weed beds, the quality and quantity of fish were excellent. By August, even though the fishing was excellent most of the anglers stopped fishing. More work is needed to promote the walleye fishing in the Bay. Yellow perch fishing has been slow.

Eric Plant – The walleye fishing in the Inner Saginaw Bay was excellent in 13-15 feet of water during May through July using crank baits and crawlers. The fish were averaging 2-3 pounds with perch in their stomachs. The walleye fishing in the Outer Bay was good later in June. Yellow perch fishing recently from Pinconning to Standish has been very good. The fish averaged 8-10 inches with some fish to 13 inches. The perch were hitting in shallow water on emerald shiners. This has been the best perch fishing in several years.

Brian Darland – From an economic perspective, sales at Jays Sporting Goods were good for walleye tackle. Sales for bait were incredible! Very strong sales came in from the smallmouth bass and tournament anglers and bass fishing interest appears to be trending upward. Saginaw Bay is a World Class bass fishery for smallmouth bass. Fishing for catfish and crappie in the Tittabawassee River has been excellent.

Randy Terrian – Perch in the Inner Saginaw Bay were averaging 8-11 inches and it is encouraging to hear that perch fishing to the north was also good at Standish. Many pink salmon were caught in the Oscoda area.

Allan Seiferlein – Allan Spent a day on each of the DNR research vessels, Chinook and Channel Cat. Allan heard about the surveys they conducted and the experience was extremely rewarding! The crews were very dedicated and efficient, and were constantly busy harvesting fish and recording data.

Lance and Doreen Campbell – Many lake trout were caught at Oscoda along with steelhead during the spring and fall. The penned steelhead were small this spring and stayed close to the bottom and appeared to be slow to smolt. The water was colder than normal in the Au Sable River this spring.

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Ed Retherford was not present but Frank read Ed’s report – Ed fished May and June with others since the charter boat was down. Fished in Harbor Beach and Harrisville and caught kings, Atlantics, lake trout and 2 browns. The Atlantic salmon had mostly LP clips but there were a few LV clips. Ed started the charters in mid-June at Presque Isle. Fishing was spotty because of the cold weather and wind but he caught kings from July 7 until September 10. Nearly every charter was a mixed bag of lake trout, steelhead, Atlantic salmon and kings with some Coho, pinks and walleyes. Had many lake trout over 15 pounds and all Atlantics were LP clipped. Baitfish were mostly 3 to 4 inch smelt with some chubs in both kings and lake trout. The smelt fry starting showing up later along with some alewives. Ed returned to Alpena in September and had great fishing in 35 to 50 feet catching 6 to 8 pound kings, Steelhead to 12 pounds, 4 to 6 pound Atlantics, lake trout and walleyes.

Ken Pletcher was not present but Frank read Ken’s report – An average run of Chinook salmon was occurring in the Cheboygan River but the run started a couple weeks later than usual. An incredible number of anglers are coming from within and outside of the State to experience the shore fishing below the dam and along the river. A few steelhead were beginning to show up in the river. Fishing offshore this summer was down some.

Commercial deep water trap net fishing opportunities in grid 1210 off of Oscoda (Todd Grischke, MDNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator).

Recently, Fisheries Division staff met with Oscoda anglers, a charter boat captain and two representatives from Serafin Fisheries to discuss commercial fishing in Grid 1210, which is the Lake Huron management grid near Oscoda. Prior to 1999, Grid 1210 was open to commercial fishing, but due to angler complaints it was closed in July of that year. Since that time, Serafin Fisheries has regularly asked the Division to reevaluate the closure. Responding to their recent request, the Division organized the meeting described above in Oscoda and the parties were able to reach agreement on limited commercial fishing opportunities within the Grid. During the period from the Wednesday before Memorial Day through the Wednesday after Labor Day, a total of 4 commercial nets may be set in Grid 1210. A maximum of 2 nets can be set in the northernmost portion of the Grid in Zone A and a maximum of 2 nets may be set the southernmost portion of the Grid in Zone B, see attached maps*. The nets must be set during this period in waters greater than 90 feet in depth but less than 150 feet. The new provisions will take effect for the 2015 fishing season.

Note on Commercial Fisher from the Harrisville area docking at the Harrisville Harbor to unload fish. A Permit has been issued from the Parks and Recreation Division to allow the commercial fishing operations working off of the County to dock at the Harrisville Harbor to unload their fish. There should be no interference with either recreational boating or sport fishing.

An overview of the Law Enforcement Committee Advisory Group of the 2000 Great Lakes State/Tribal/U.S. Consent Decree and the need for new public members (Lt. Wade Hamilton, Law Enforcement Division).

There was a Law Enforcement Advisory Committee created when the 2000 Great Lakes Consent Decree was established. There are 4 positions for members of the public to serve on the Committee with each member representing one of the Great Lakes. There is currently no outside voice on that Committee. If you, or someone you know, may be interested in participating, please contact Lt. Wade Hamilton, or Frank Krist. The Committee meets four (4) times per year for approximately 1-2 hours. The goal is to have a representative from each of the Great Lakes basins.

Fisheries Division Manager Updates.

Jim Dexter, Chief – Due to a waiting period required before the Natural Resource Commission has authority to approve fishing regulations because of newly passed legislation, there will be a delay in implementing new fishing regulations until next year. Because of this, the DNR will issue a one-year fishing guide instead of the two-year guide that had been planned.

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Jim also updated the Committee on steps that are being taken following the single positive Asian Carp DNA result taken from the Kalamazoo River in Allegan County. The Department is working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to do further sampling on the river and has increased staff presence on the river to alert anglers and ask them to be on the lookout for silver carp. The result does not necessarily mean a live silver carp is in the river. Environmental DNA can be transported into waterways via gear, boats, fish-eating birds and other means. However, the Department is treating the positive sample as though there was a live carp in the river.

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – With the current delay in the Natural Resource Commission obtaining authority to approve fishing regulations, opening the lake trout season in MH-1 and MH-2 of Lake Huron from Alpena to Drummond Island in January instead of May will not take place until January 2016.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor – If there are any fishing access sites with significant use during the winter, please let us know and we can work with Parks & Recreation Division to keep the sites plowed, etc. The Swan River Weir harvest will be taking place any day. We are also working on inland lake surveys and walleye evaluations.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor – Finished all inland lake and stream surveys, walleye surveys and largemouth bass evaluations. We are seeing walleye reproduction unlike anything we have seen in the past in many of the inland lakes. September fishing on Saginaw Bay has been spotty due to poor windy weather. We will have November creel at Lexington looking for Atlantic salmon and there will be occasional visits to Port Sanilac.

Aaron Switzer, Fisheries Biologist, Platte River Hatchery – Thompson Hatchery steelhead are doing well, and are on target to be the largest yet. The Little Manistee Chinook salmon egg take took place today. Oden is collecting brown trout and rainbow trout eggs. The vandalized viewing chamber at Oden has been repaired at a cost of $115,000. A fishing pier has been added at the hatchery pond for old fish. The Platte River Hatchery has received Chinook eggs and technicians from the Harrietta Hatchery have been helping with egg takes and liquid oxygen has been installed at the hatchery. Steelhead at Wolf Lake Hatchery are doing well and musky will be stocked soon. A new boiler was installed this spring to achieve constant temperatures for all musky tanks.

Dave Fielder, Acting Research Manager, Alpena Fisheries Research Station – The research station is wrapping up their annual surveys. The research vessel, the Chinook has been placed in dry dock. The redesign work on the replacement vessel is complete and it will be going out to bid soon. Construction should start this fall.

Adjourned 3:01 pm

*The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected].

Meeting dates for 2015

Monday January, 26, 2014 Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc., Clare Monday April 13, 2014 Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc., Clare Monday June 22, 2014. Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc., Clare Wednesday October 7, 2014 Jay’s Sporting Goods Inc., Clare

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan Monday, January 26, 2015 Approved Minutes

Attendees: Tony Aderman, Jim Baker, Dave Borgeson, Damon Brown, Pete Butchko, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Dave Caroffino, Randy Claramunt, Robin DeBruyne, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Ed Eisch, Clarence Fetrow, Dave Fielder, Andy Gonske, Todd Grischke, Greg Gumbrecht, Tom Hamilton, Mike Heckman, Lindsey Henski, Katy Hintzen, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Nels Larsen, Steve Lepeak, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Judy Ogden, William Olar, Eric Plant, Bob Reider, Ed Retherford, Ed Roseman, Brandon Schroeder, Alan Seiferlein, Dana Serafin, Jerry Serafin, Julie Shafto, Tony Soave, Fred Sterns, Aaron Switzer, Scott Szafranski, Randy Terrian, Terry Walsh, Donna Wesander, Gary Whelan, Dennis White, Todd Wills, Ralph Zimmermann.

Welcome and Introductions: Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Frank introduced Todd Wills, new Research Station Manager for Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Introductions were made.

Potential benefits of increasing the walleye bag limit in Saginaw Bay/Lake Huron (David Fielder, DNR Great Lakes Research Biologist; Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator and Jim Baker, Fisheries Division Supervisor Southern Lake Huron Management Unit):

Yellow Perch Presentation: The catch rates of yellow perch have been trending down in Saginaw Bay since the mid 1980s and have been very low since the mid-2000s. Currently, the perch fishery is at record low harvest levels. Growth rates of adult yellow perch have increased which reinforces a low abundance. When fewer adult fish are present there is more food available and the fish grow faster. Annual trawl surveys show an explosion of juvenile yellow perch since the decline of alewives, however, adult yellow perch numbers continue to decline. Reproduction of yellow perch is excellent but survival from age 0 to age 1 is poor because of heavy predation from walleyes, drum, cormorants and other predators.

From 1989 to 2004 walleye ate mostly gizzard shad and alewife but from 2004 to present the walleye diet switched mainly to juvenile yellow perch, gizzard shad and some goby. When the alewife were present they provided a predation buffer and much fewer yellow perch were consumed by walleyes. Today there are few larger forage fish available for predators to eat so yellow perch standout and are eaten in large numbers by walleye and other predators.

Possible management options for increasing yellow perch abundance were reviewed. The first options discussed were stocking yellow perch, implementing a perch closed season, reducing the perch bag limit and establishing a perch maximum size limit. All these options have the potential of improving

reproduction of yellow perch but since yellow perch reproduction has been excellent for over 10 years these options were ruled out as having minimal impact on improving yellow perch fishing in the Bay.

Committee Questions and Comments:

Question: Is juvenile yellow perch survival limited by the lack zooplankton? No, young perch survival is not due to starvation.

Question: In regards to increasing the prey base, why stock cisco and not just more yellow perch? Cisco are an attractive native forage fish that coexisted with walleye and yellow perch. Historically all three species were present in large numbers in the Bay and it appears that cisco provided a predation buffer between the juvenile yellow perch and the walleye. In other words, the walleye had another abundant food source besides yellow perch.

Question: Is there hatchery space available to rear enough cisco to make introduction into Saginaw Bay a success? The State is not raising cisco but the Jordan River Federal Fish Hatchery is making changes that will enable cisco to be raised. The goal is to stock these native fish in areas of the Great Lakes where they were historically abundant. Once the fishery is rehabilitated the stocking would cease. The recent projection was that the Jordan River Hatchery would have approximately 750 cisco available for stocking in 2016 which would be a good start to the program.

Comment: Yellow perch predation results from walleye, cormorants, and additional species, however, walleye are something that can be controlled resulting in additional walleye fishing opportunity.

Question: Would increasing the walleye bag limit be enough to reduce walleye predation on perch? The number of anglers available to take advantage of an increased bag limit may not be sufficient. Angler numbers are good during the winter, spring river fishery and the early season boat fishery, but fewer anglers are available during the summer. If walleye harvest rule changes are made, the fishery would continue to be monitored annually and if adjustments are needed other regulation changes would be implemented.

Walleye Presentation: The Department had goals, strategies, and criteria in place to recognize when the stocking of walleye was no longer needed and when recovery of the fishery was achieved. These criteria proved valuable and walleye stocking was discontinued in 2006. Since 2003, walleye wild reproduction and survival has been very good and angler catch rates have been excellent since 2006. Although there has been a drop in open water fishing pressure, the fishing quality is excellent. Fishing pressure in Saginaw Bay has been decreasing but it is suspected that as the fishing improved the amount of time needed to catch a limit of walleye has been reduced significantly so the angler hours spent fishing on the water have also decreased.

Walleye growth rates are slowing which indicates food is becoming less available. The Saginaw Bay trawl survey results for forage fish have been trending down since the early 1970s and currently the forage base is at a record low level. This continuous decrease of forage fish correlates with a steady increase of walleyes and other predators in the Bay. A healthy stable fish population normally requires about 10 to 20 times more forage food by weight than the predators that eat the food. Currently, the surveys are showing that there is actually more walleyes than forage fish in the Bay. This is very concerning and not sustainable.

Detailed analysis of the data shows that overall mortality of the walleye is relatively low and the estimate indicates that 50% more walleye can be safely harvested. Harvesting more walleye would help stabilize

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the forage fish population and allow better growth rates for walleye along with possibly providing better survival of yellow perch to adult stage. The following are management options that may assist in accomplishing this:

1. Raise the walleye daily bag limit somewhere from 6-10 o Pros: . Consistent with successful approach used for walleye management on Lake Erie o Cons: . Likely won’t be enough as fishing effort is low 2. Remove closed seasons in the Saginaw River o Pros: . Greatly increases walleye fishing opportunity . Post spawn walleye have the highest catch rate . Harvest is spread across both migrating and resident fish o Cons: . Could create an enforcement problem in some places 3. Lower the walleye minimum length limit to 13 or 14 inches o Pros: . Should be effective . Help promote better growth at the younger life stages when walleye growth rates are the most reduced o Cons: . Will result in harvest of immature fish . May promote social issues

To reduce risks while implementing any of the regulation changes above, monitoring of the fishery must continue annually and the regulations must be reviewed each year and changed if needed. This type of system works well on Lake Erie with the walleye fishing regulations subject to change annually. The regulations are posted at the beginning of the season on the web and are available by a phone call instead of being posted in the Fishing Guide. This adaptive management approach allows for more effective rule changes while closely monitoring any changes in the fishery.

Doing nothing also poses risks including continued loss of the forage fish prey base, continued depression of the yellow perch fishery, further lowering the growth rates of walleyes and reducing walleye fishing opportunities.

Is there interest in implementing walleye regulation rule changes?

Committee Questions and Comments:

Question: Would a lowered walleye size limit of 13 or 14 inches on Saginaw River be effective? The river is full of 2 and 3 year old fish and anglers often catch 25 or more these younger walleye and go home with no legal size fish being caught. Reducing the minimum size limit could be effective but it was suggested that expanding the bag limit should be adjusted first to see if that change will have an impact. The concern was that few anglers would want to keep fish that small.

Question: Would a bag limit change apply to Saginaw Bay or to all of Lake Huron? It is best to have the regulation apply to all of Lake Huron to reduce Law Enforcement problems. This issue will be discussed more at the next meeting.

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Comment: If walleye regulation changes are implemented, the fishery will be monitored closely and adjustments can be made annually if needed so it makes sense to implement changes and move forward otherwise nothing will change for the better. Adaptive management is an effective tool and we should use it!

Comment: Opening the Saginaw River for walleye harvest the entire year could cause enforcement problems and this option will be discussed further.

Comment: Jim Johnson provided his recommendation. He stated that significant changes need to be made otherwise it will be very difficult to measure any impacts. He suggested a need to open the season the entire year in the Saginaw River, reduce the walleye minimum size limit to 13 inches and create a lake wide 10 fish bag limit.

Comment: Over all there was good support for increasing the walleye bag limit and implementing a monitoring and rule change system similar to that being used on Lake Erie. There was much interest in continuing this discussion on the potential walleye regulation changes at the next meeting and the DNR managers will present more specific recommendations at the Monday April 13, 2015 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting.

The results of the 2 year cormorant diet study conducted in Saginaw Bay (Robin DeBruyne, USGS Great Lakes Science Center):

With the yellow perch decline and more predators in the Saginaw Bay, there has been much concern about the predation from walleyes, however, there are other predators including cormorants eating yellow perch. The nesting grounds for cormorants within Saginaw Bay are Little Charity Island and Spoils Island. Since the mid 1990’s there has been an increase in nesting pairs within the bay. To better understand the impact that cormorants are having on yellow perch in the Bay and to determine the need for managing the birds, a two year cormorant diet study was conducted in the Bay and it was concluded this fall. The following is a summary of the results.

• There are around 2,000 pairs of cormorants in Saginaw Bay. Most nest on Little Charity Island but there are some on Spoils Island • Cormorants can impact yellow perch and walleye by eating the juvenile yellow perch and walleye or eating the food of these species (or others). • A total of 303 cormorants were sampled in 2013 and 388 in 2014. Birds were sampled on both Charity and Spoils Islands. • In 2013 on Little Charity Island, the stomach samples taken contained high amounts by weight of yellow perch in April with a lesser spike in August. Yellow perch were found during the other months but in much smaller amounts. High numbers of goby were present in stomachs during May, June, July with smaller amounts in August and September. Significant amounts of walleye were present in the stomachs in May and September. The cormorant diets were the most varied in August and September with other species appearing in the stomachs throughout the entire sampling period including emerald shiners, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, pumpkinseed, white perch, white sucker and others. • In 2013 on Spoils Island, the cormorant stomach samples taken contained a more diverse diet and were dominated with fresh water drum in April, white perch in May, walleye in June, and goby in July, August and September. Yellow perch were present in the stomachs during each month but the amounts were relatively small.

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• In 2014 on Little Charity Island, the cormorant stomach samples taken contained by weight about 1/3 yellow perch in early May but by the end of May few yellow perch were present. The cormorants were not sampled in April this year. Lesser amounts of yellow perch were present in August with few present in June and July. Shiners were more common this year and were a large part of the diet in May and August. Goby were present in the stomachs each month sampled with large amounts appearing in June and July. Walleyes were eaten occasionally during May, June and late August. Other species that were eaten less often were white bass, drum and pumpkinseed. • In 2014 on Spoils Island, the cormorant stomach samples taken contained fewer yellow perch and shiners than were present in stomachs from Little Charity Island taken during the same period. Good numbers of goby were taken May through August and walleye were present in the stomachs during June and July with a smaller amount in the stomachs during May. Freshwater drum were common in the samples during May and gizzard shad were common during September. Some white bass were present during May and June. • Results, it is estimated that cormorants consumed 362,610 pounds of yellow perch in Saginaw Bay based on the data from the 2013 Diet Study while the estimate is 128,215 pounds of yellow perch consumed by cormorants based on the 2014 Diet Study data. As a comparison, a bioenergetics study conducted during 2011 estimated that walleye in Saginaw Bay consumed 498,424 pounds of yellow perch.

The above information will be used over the next couple of months to decide if a management control program will be implemented in Saginaw Bay. An update on a work plan for this season will be provided at the April 13, 2015 Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee meeting.

Overview of cormorant management in Michigan (Peter Butchko, USDA Michigan Wildlife Services):

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services provides professional guidance in resolving wildlife conflicts to protect agriculture, property, natural resources, safety and human health from damage or threats posed by wildlife. Since 2004, USDA Wildlife Services in Michigan has partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resource and several Tribes to manage cormorants at many sites. The authority for controlling cormorants is a Public Resources Depredation Order (PRDO) issued by US Fish and Wildlife Service. The PRDO has a 5 year sunset provision and was renewed in 2013.

The Order allows for use of agents and volunteers and only certain management methods may be utilized. Since 2004, five nesting colonies in Michigan have been managed with the following results:

Site Management Started % Reduction % Goal Les Cheneaux 2004 81 89 Ludington 2007 94 100 Thunder Bay 2006 84 87 Beaver Island 2007 72 74 Bays de Noc 2006 53 68

Besides managing cormorants at nesting sites, the birds are also harassed at 10 Northern Michigan locations where the birds have concentrated in large numbers and feed on fish populations. Specific harassment techniques are used and occasionally some birds are harvested. At certain fish stocking sites cormorants are very numerous and they can consume large numbers of newly planted fish. At nine

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locations in Northern Michigan and at one location in the Southern Lower Peninsula the birds are monitored and if necessary harassment methods are used to reduce losses of stocked fish.

The results of the 2014 Lake Huron deepwater demersal forage fish survey (Ed Roseman USGS Great Lakes Science Center):

The forage survey was conducted from 12 October through 3 November 2014 and all the standard ports were sampled. The results are below:

• Alewife: Both the Juvenile and adult alewife remain rare. • Rainbow Smelt: Age 0 smelt abundance was down from last year but was higher than during 2010 and 2012. The Age 1 and older smelt abundance was a little below 2013 and remains at a near record low level. • Bloater: Age 0 bloater abundance was down from 2014 but is still at high levels. Age 1 and older bloater abundance was up from last year and remains high. • Slimy and Deepwater Sculpin: The abundance of both species remains at extremely low levels. • Ninespine Stickleback: Stickleback abundance remains near or at a record low level. • Trout-perch: The abundance of trout-perch is near a record low level. • Round Goby: The results indicate that goby abundance declined significantly from the previous two years, however, care must be made when interpreting the data since the trawl used is not effective at capturing goby.

Overall the forage fish biomass remains low and is dominated by bloaters.

Brief update on attempting to reestablish cisco as a prey alternate to yellow perch (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator):

A cisco rehabilitation strategy was developed for Lake Huron in 2007. The Lake Huron Technical Committee composed of biologists and managers from Michigan and Ontario has reenergized that initiative. Fisheries Division is currently reviewing those recommendations, which will go to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Council of Lake Committees in March. By April, the DNR Fisheries Division will have recommendations on whether to proceed with rehabilitating cisco in Lake Huron.

An update on the protocol used to determine the salmon bag limit in each of the Great Lakes (Randall Claramunt, DNR Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station):

Several protocols have been used in Lake Michigan to assist in making Chinook salmon management decisions. Originally the Red Flags Analysis was used to identify problems in the fishery that might justify immediate attention. A large number of biological indicators were monitored which gauged population sizes and conditions of Chinook salmon and alewives, their primary prey. The biological indicators included such items as angler success, number of salmon returning to the weirs, Age 1 Chinook abundance, egg thiamine levels along with several other parameters.

From 2004 through 2006 the Red Flag Analysis worked well but in 2007 through 2010 the results were mostly contrary to expectations so another method has been developed called the Predator-Prey Ratio Analysis. The management agencies representing Lake Michigan have generally accepted and endorsed the Predator-Prey Ratio Analysis as the primary method to evaluate salmon populations and their prey in

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Lake Michigan. The Predator-Prey ratio is the total lake-wide biomass (pounds) of Chinook salmon age 1 and older to total lake-wide biomass of alewives age 1 and older. For a healthy food web where the predators have enough to eat, the ideal would be to have about 20 pounds of alewife for every pound of Chinook salmon. If the number of alewife approaches only 10 pounds or less for each pound of Chinook salmon, then the ecosystem is no longer balanced and the amount of salmon needs to be reduced by implementing less stocking or higher harvest rates. On the other hand, if there are significantly more than 20 pounds of alewife for each pound of Chinook salmon then higher stocking rates and the lower harvest rates of salmon are recommended.

In the past, the 3/5 salmon bag limit on all the Great Lakes in Michigan has been determined annually by using an estimate of the percent of charter anglers catching 3 Chinook salmon per day and the catch rate (fish/hour) of Chinook salmon caught by all anglers. Only Lake Michigan data were used. If both of these parameters fell below a target level then there would be a 3 bag limit on all the Great Lakes in Michigan. If at least one of the parameters was above the target level then there would be a 5 bag limit. It appears that this system will no longer be used to determine the annual salmon bag limit. There is interest in using the Predator-Prey Ratio Analysis to determine the salmon bag limit each year but only in Lake Michigan. The food webs in Lake Huron and Lake Superior are much different than the food web in Lake Michigan. In addition, the Predator-Prey Ratio Analysis depends on a significant alewife population being present but alewife are rare in both Lake Huron and Lake Superior.

To summarize, the Predator-Prey Ratio Analysis will be used to determine stocking policies and a 3/5 salmon bag limit only in Lake Michigan. The salmon bag limit will remain at 5 in Lakes Huron and Superior unless biological data obtained from each of the lakes show a change is needed.

An overview of the 2020 Great Lakes Consent Decree. Preparations for negotiating the new Decree have started and efforts are being made to engage constituents early in the process (David Caroffino, DNR Tribal Coordination Unit).

The Great Lakes Consent Decree is an agreement between five Tribes, the State of Michigan and the Federal Government, and expires in 2020. The Decree governs allocation, management, and regulation of State and Tribal fisheries in the 1836 Treaty waters and ensures that the fishery resource will be protected and available for future generations to share.

The Modeling Subcommittee and the Technical Fisheries Committee established by the Decree consist of representatives from the five Tribes, the State and US. These committees analyze the data and annually determine State and Tribal total allowable harvest rates for all the zones in the 1836 Treaty waters of the Great Lakes. There is a free exchange of information between all the parties, and joint biological and law enforcement efforts have been established.

At least annually, the Executive Council, which consists of the chairpersons from the 5 Tribes, the Director of the MDNR and the Secretary of the Interior or their duly authorized representatives, meets to discuss concerns impacting both the current Inland and Great Lakes Decrees. The Executive Council can amend the Decrees but only if all 7 parties agree unanimously to the changes.

Efforts have continued during the entire length of the Decree to occasionally make adjustments. Current issues that the parties are discussing include:

• Developing a more effective real time harvest reporting system.

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• Assessments in Lake Michigan are occurring south of the 45th parallel testing the feasibility of utilizing legged gill nets. Tests in other areas have shown that legged gill nets, which are suspended 3 feet above the bottom, can catch fewer lake trout while still catching an acceptable number of lake whitefish. • There is interest in developing a small mesh gill net fishery in Northern Lake Huron to harvest cisco. • There is interest in developing a commercial purse seine fishing operation in Big Bay de Noc.

Since it is likely that the negotiations for the new Decree will likely begin within a year or two, Fisheries Division is beginning to prepare. Letters have been sent to stakeholders, organizations, staff, commercial fishers and others asking for comments on the Decree suggesting what aspects worked well and what areas need improvement.

The deadline to gather information is March 15, 2015. Please submit comments/concerns to Dave Caroffino, 231-547-2914 Ext 232, or by email at [email protected].

Committee Questions and Comments:

Question: Does the 2000 Great Lakes Decree pertain to only Michigan? Yes, the Decree covers the 1836 Treaty waters extending north from Grand Haven in Lake Michigan north to Bays de Noc then east into Lake Huron to Alpena and the eastern half of Lake Superior.

Question: Does this Decree pertain to the Great Lakes only? Yes, Inland hunting, fishing and gathering are covered under the 2007 Decree which does not have an expiration date.

Question: Will there be five agreements, or one agreement that covers all five tribes? It is anticipated that one agreement will covers all five tribes.

Discussion of the 2015 Sea Grant Lake Huron spring workshops (Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant):

Possible meeting locations that were proposed included Ubly, Oscoda, Cedarville and Bay City. After a discussion it was decided that since much emphasis is being placed on Saginaw Bay this year that instead of holding a workshop in Ubly, Bay City would be more centrally located. The locations and meeting dates agreed to a few days later are:

• April 23 - Oscoda (Camp Inn Lodge) • April 28 - Cedarville (Les Cheneaux Sportsman’s Club) • April 30 - Bay City (KC Hall, downtown Bay City)

Potential agenda topics were discussed. • Bay City –Walleye regulation changes, yellow perch management options, cisco rehabilitation, cormorant management and the reef study. • Oscoda – Progress report on Atlantic salmon, steelhead net pen study results, potential walleye regulation changes and the top/down predator prey study.

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• Cedarville – Cormorant update, lake trout/splake regulation change, top/down predator prey study.

It was agreed that asking the workshop participants questions with TurningPoint software was a good idea if the question periods were short. Questions concerning the walleye regulation changes would be useful.

Law Enforcement and Fisheries Division Manager Updates:

Larry Desloover, Law Enforcement Division – There is another recruit school currently in session and there are 43 recruits attending. There is a case in State court regarding the Consent Decree. Fish in Saginaw Bay are scattered but an unbelievable number of anglers are fishing in the Saginaw River.

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – Fish Division’s Annual Report was distributed by Frank Krist. Todd Kalish, Lake Michigan Basin Coordinator, accepted a new position in Minnesota. The Division will be looking to fill this position.

Ed Eisch, Fish Production Manager – Atlantic salmon are doing well. The maintenance crew made alterations to reduce dissolved nitrogen levels in the raceway water supply. Roger Greil discovered at Lake Superior State University Aquatics Laboratory that high levels of nitrogen in the water supply reduced Atlantic salmon survival. An effort was made to increase the water temperature so the fish will be larger this year than last year. The goal for next spring is to communicate with the Atlantic salmon stocking locations and attempt to stock the fish when the water temperature at the stocking sites are near 50 degrees which appears to be more favorable to survival. January 1st marked 60 months of continued compliance at the Platte River Hatchery with effluent management.

Todd Wills, Lake Huron and Lake Erie Research Station Manager – Todd is the new manager of the two Great Lake stations. This position covers the St. Clair River/Lake, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and the Hunt Creek Research Station. Todd will continue to work from the St. Clair office. The new research vessel for Lake Huron, the R/V Tanner, has been put out to bid. (Contract for construction was awarded post-meeting, with an anticipated delivery date of April 2016).

Ed Roseman, USGS Great Lakes Science Center – The old research vessel the R/V Grayling, which was stationed in Cheboygan, was replaced last fall with the newly built 77-foot R/V Arcticus. The vessel’s primary field sampling capabilities will include bottom trawling, plankton and benthic invertebrate sampling, hydroacoustics, gill netting and collection of environmental data. The Arcticus will offer greater research capabilities, increased fuel efficiency, improved health and safety features and lower maintenance costs than its predecessor.

Gary Whelan, Research Section Manager – Research Section will be releasing the results of projects in concise easy to read documents. This will enable the non-scientists to understand the work that is being done to better manage the various fisheries in Michigan. The Aquatic Habitat Grant applications are being reviewed and final decisions on awarding the funds will be released in April.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor – The crew has been aging fish, repairing equipment, analyzing information, preparing for the Black Lake sturgeon season and writing prescriptions. 2014 was a very productive year.

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Donna Wesander, Charter Boat Creel Data Coordinator – Several Charter Boat Captains have not been complying with the creel reporting requirements and measures are being implemented with the Law Enforcement Division to investigate the non-reporters.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor – Their activities are similar to the work being conducted in the Northern Lake Huron Management Unit. Biologists are writing reports, prescriptions, and aging fish. November creel in Lexington has been completed. Not one– Atlantic salmon was documented being caught at Lexington Harbor.

Adjourned 2:55 pm

Other scheduled meeting dates for 2015

Monday April 13, 2015 Monday June 22, 2015 Wednesday October 7, 2015

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan Monday, April 13, 2015 Approved Minutes Attendees: Dan Sampson, Jim Dexter, Joe Leonardi, Dave Borgeson, Jim Johnson, Todd Wills, Aaron Switzer, Eric Plant, Ron Utt, Tom Hamilton, Julie Shafto, Jan VanAmberg, Rick Kretzschmar, Dennis Gulau, Chuck Noel, Jerry Brown, Steve Lepeak, Bryan Darland, Brandon Schroeder, David Fielder, Frank Krist, Tony Soave, Dana Serafin, Jerry Serafin, Tod Williams, Craig Milkowski, Katy Hintzen, Larry Desloover, Greg Gumbrecht, Jim DeClerck, Judy Ogden, Ken Merckel, Jack Noble, Jim Baker, Terry Walsh, Ralph Zimmermann, Aaron Brown, Ron Beaulieu, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Gene Kirvan, Matthew Kornis.

Welcome and introductions Frank Krist called the meeting to order at 10:00 am. The attendees introduced themselves and Todd Grischke talked about the main reason for this meeting, which is to discuss potential yellow perch/walleye management options for Saginaw Bay.

A discussion of specific proposed management options for yellow perch and walleye in Saginaw Bay (David Fielder, DNR Great Lakes Research Biologist; Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator and Jim Baker, Fisheries Division Southern Lake Huron Management Unit)

Todd provided a brief overview of the factors contributing to the low number of adult yellow perch and the large number of walleye currently in Saginaw Bay. The history of the Lake Huron fishery since the collapse of alewife in the early 2000’s was presented. These factors were discussed extensively at the last two Advisory Committee meetings and the details can be reviewed in the October 8, 2014 and January 26, 2015 minutes available on the DNR website: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-65134_65139_65166---,00.html.

The focus for the meeting will be to discuss potential management directions to pursue in Saginaw Bay that may increase the number of adult yellow perch and provide additional walleye fishing opportunities, resulting in a healthier ratio of predators and prey fish. There are no magic bullets to turn around the perch fishery, but there are steps that can be implemented that move in the right direction. First, new management directions that are being implemented will be mentioned then the majority of the morning will be used to discuss potential walleye and yellow perch regulation changes.

Management of cormorants in Saginaw Bay: The cormorant diet study conducted over the last 2 years showed that the birds were consuming yellow perch during certain seasons so management control is being implemented this year with the goal of removing 10% of the cormorants annually which is about 500 birds each year until the goal is reached.

Cisco (lake herring) rehabilitation: Prior to the alewife crash in 2003, alewife were a major prey fish consumed by walleye and other predators in large numbers. The alewife provided a predation buffer for yellow perch and increased their survival. Historically, Saginaw Bay had large numbers of walleye, yellow perch and cisco present which provided a balanced food web. Cisco filled the role similar to the alewife as a major food fish for predators such as walleye. Because of this, an effort to reestablish cisco in the Bay is moving forward. Meetings between the

DNR, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service and others resulted in a plan to start stocking cisco in Saginaw Bay in 2017.

Reducing commercial yellow perch fishing in Saginaw Bay: Efforts are being undertaken to move about 50% of the commercial yellow perch fishing effort out of Saginaw Bay by 2017. There are lake whitefish that are not being exploited in the southern area of Lake Huron and there is interest from a Saginaw Bay commercial fisher in exploring this opportunity with an experimental permit.

Proposed yellow perch/walleye regulations to improve fishing and increase fishing opportunities in Saginaw Bay. DNR Fisheries managers and biologists met with Law Enforcement Division officers to discuss potential walleye regulations and then formulated options for the Committee to review and provide recommendations today. The expectation is to obtain support for options to share with the general public at the upcoming Sea Grant Stakeholder Lake Huron Workshops, at a public hearing and on the DNR website. A web page will provide an overview of the reasons for the proposed changes and an opportunity for individuals to email their comments to the Fisheries Division. Over the course of the summer, the feedback from the public will be compiled and a formal regulation change proposal will be submitted to the Natural Resource Commission this fall.

Walleye status update: Dave Fielder reviewed the status of walleye in Saginaw Bay. After the alewife crashed in 2003, wild reproduction of walleye and survival has been very good and stocking was no longer needed after 2006. Angler catch rates have been excellent since 2006, however, there has been a drop in open water fishing pressure. This reduction in fishing effort in Saginaw Bay has been attributed to less time being needed to catch a limit of walleye and the reduced availability of yellow perch.

Walleye growth rates are slowing which indicates food is becoming less available. The Saginaw Bay trawl survey results for forage fish have been trending down since the early 1970s and currently the forage base is near a record low level. This continuous decrease of forage fish correlates with a steady increase of walleyes and other predators in the Bay. The table below shows this decreasing trend of forage fish.

A healthy stable fish population normally requires about 10 to 20 times more forage food by weight than the predators that eat the food. The table below shows that during 2014 there was actually several times more pounds of walleye than pounds of forage fish in the Bay. This is very concerning and not sustainable.

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Detailed analysis of the data shows that overall mortality of the walleye is low and the estimate indicates that 50% more walleye can be safely harvested. Harvesting more walleye would help stabilize the forage fish population and allow better growth rates for walleye along with potentially providing better survival of yellow perch to adult stage.

Yellow perch status update: Dave Fielder discussed the status of yellow perch in Saginaw Bay. The catch rates of perch have been trending downward since the mid 1980s and have been very low since the mid-2000s. Currently, the perch fishery is at record low harvest levels. The table below shows how the harvest has declined from over 5

million yellow perch (YEP) annually in 1987 to less than 100,000 harvested in 2014. In addition, the catch per unit of effort (CPUE) which is the number of yellow perch caught per hour also followed the same downward trend.

Growth rates of adult yellow perch have increased which reinforces a low abundance. When fewer adult fish are present there is more food available and the fish grow faster. Annual trawl surveys show juvenile yellow perch abundance has been excellent since the crash of alewives, however, adult yellow perch numbers continue to decline. Even though many yellow perch are produced each year survival from age 0 to age 1 is poor because of heavy predation from walleyes, drum, cormorants and other predators.

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From 1989 to 2004 walleye ate mostly gizzard shad and alewife but from 2004 to the present the walleye diet switched mainly to juvenile yellow perch, gizzard shad and goby. When the alewife were present they provided a predation buffer and much fewer yellow perch were consumed by walleyes. Today there are few larger forage fish available for predators to eat so yellow perch standout and are eaten in large numbers by walleye and other predators. Last year the number of adult perch has become so low that Dave is concerned there may not be enough spawners to sustain good reproduction.

Discussion of increasing the walleye bag limit and reducing the minimum size limit from 15 to 13 inches. Todd led the discussion and showed the Lake Huron geographic unit MH-4 and said this was a practical potential boundary for any walleye regulations for Saginaw Bay. He also mentioned an option to include the Saginaw River in the regulation zone, with the Center Road Bridge as a potential upstream boundary. The map below shows the unit MH-4 in red and the section of Saginaw River that mentioned in yellow.

Another option was mentioned that would include the above two areas as well as other tributaries to Saginaw Bay. Law Enforcement Division had concerns that it would be impossible to enforce early fisheries on all the tributaries and suggested limiting regulation changes to Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River.

A proposal to increase the walleye bag limit to 8 or 10 was suggested by Todd as on option. This would have some impact but not enough to significantly increase harvest of walleyes. Reducing the minimum size limit of walleye from 15 to 13 inches was also suggested by Todd. This option would have more of an impact. Both increasing the bag limit and reducing the minimum size limit has been used successfully on Lake Erie to manage the fishery.

It was stressed that one of the best assessment datasets in the Great Lakes is the monitoring of walleye, yellow perch and forage fish in Saginaw Bay. The results of the surveys and angler creel data will be reviewed after each season and regulation changes be considered annually. A successful system similar to that used in Lake Erie would be used which requires either calling a DNR phone number listed in the Fishing Guide or visiting the DNR website for the new regulations each season. This method has worked very well in Lake Erie which allows more effective management decisions to be implemented.

It was decided that the following proposed walleye regulations changes would be discussed: • Have any new walleye regulations pertain to MH-4 and the Saginaw River up to Center Road Bridge. • Increase the walleye bag limit to 8 fish. • Increase the walleye bag limit to 10 fish. • Reduce the minimum walleye size limit from 15 to 13 inches.

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Questions and comments followed:

1) Question: Why were the areas of Lake Huron outside Saginaw Bay not included in the proposals? Answer: Even though a significant number of walleyes move outside of the Bay each summer the greatest effect would be in the Bay.

2) Question: Why not just go with a 10 walleye bag limit instead of 8 if the goal is to make a measurable reduction in the walleye numbers? Answer: Todd stated that after internal discussions with the biologists and managers it was decided to offer a more conservative option to consider.

3) Question: Since the Fishing Guide will be published every 2 years starting in 2016 how could the new fishing regulations in Saginaw Bay be updated annually if needed? Answer: Notification of the walleye regulations changes if needed will be provided similar to the successful annual notification system used for Lake Erie requiring an angler to call a phone number listed in the Fishing Guide or visit the DNR website.

3) Comment: During the winter, many small walleyes were discarded on the ice and reducing the minimum size limit to 13 inches should be used. In addition, it is not unusual for anglers to catch large numbers of sub- legal walleyes before catching a legal fish so hooking mortality would seem to be a significant factor. Since the risks will be minimized with the fishery being monitored extensively and changes made annually if needed going to a 13 inch size limit should be implemented. Response: Todd agreed that a lower size limit has value, reemphasizing the fact that the prey base in 2014 was at a record low level. He added that we have the best data set in the Great Lakes in the Saginaw Bay assessment work, so we are well prepared to sustain an ongoing monitoring program to assess the population.

4) Comment: Jim Dexter mentioned that we have to be aware of angler’s expectations. If we change to a much higher limit, there will be an increased expectation among anglers for an outstanding fishery.

5) Question: Why not have the regulations placed into effect immediately as opposed to waiting another year since the yellow perch population was very low? Also, why not go to a 12 inch minimum walleye size limit. These questions were seconded by another participant. Answer: Jim Dexter said that the 13 inch minimum size limit for walleye is in statute, and to go to a 12 inch limit would require legislation. He also mentioned that the Director of the DNR could implement an emergency order instead of waiting for the Natural Resource Commission order approval process to occur. Todd said the emergency orders, however, are used to address a population that is in peril. While perch spawning stock biomass is very low, we do not believe they are on the brink of extinction.

6) Question: Concern was expressed that the forage fish population is very low and was the situation perilous Answer: The forage fish numbers are low but as with the yellow perch it is not likely that any of the forage species will become extinct in the Bay.

7) Comment: A participant posted a summary of the proposals on line, and many were opposed to going to 13 inches, because there is not much meat on the smaller walleye and they may not choose to harvest these small fish. Response: Law Enforcement Division said they are writing a lot of tickets for 13 inch walleye, so they believe many anglers will keep 13 inch walleye.

8) Question: It was asked of charter boat operators as to their thoughts on walleye size and bag limit changes. Answer: Most likely the regulation changes would not affect how the Charters are conducted. They can adjust their angling to catch 16-17 inch walleye during a trip. Their clients want to target larger fish to make it worth their investment in the trip.

9) Question: Could the proposed regulation changes increase the harvest of walleyes by 50%.

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Answer: If all the proposed changes were implemented it is likely a change could be measured but the amount of change is uncertain. Since the fishery will be monitored intensely, changes will be made annually if needed.

10) Comment: The Saginaw River should be open the entire year to help increase walleye harvest and it would increase fishing opportunities for anglers that do not have boats.

11) Comment: Jim Johnson said that we need to get the message across more clearly that there is an urgent need to decrease the number of predators feeding on the prey fish community. The way to do this is to target smaller fish, and to undertake enough of a change so that the effects can be measured. There are compensatory mechanisms that will work to mask any change that is implemented, for example, larger walleye may target larger prey items such as suckers, while smaller walleye often target small perch.

12) Comment: A member mentioned that the commercial fishery could help achieve the walleye reduction, and provide fish to millions of people, helping the local economy.

13) Comment: Lt. Utt said Law Enforcement Division would prefer to have the regulations apply to both Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River

14) Comment: There was interest in having the Saginaw River opened year-round to walleye fishing but it was decided not to include that proposal at this time.

Yellow Perch bag limit Dave Fielder presented information on the effects of a proposed 25 perch bag limit. This would reduce harvest by about 8%. Even at a 25 fish bag limit only about 2% of anglers are catching that limit now. Frank asked Dave if there was enough plankton to support more yellow perch. Dave said that there would be enough plankton for the juvenile perch to eat. Dave stated that the perch fishery could currently be described as “collapsed” and if that is the state of the fishery, he asked, “Do we really want to have liberal harvest regulations on perch?” Todd asked, “If we are already discussing walleye regulation changes, does it make sense to include potential yellow perch regulation changes.” Jim Johnson said that to send the proper message, we should express our concern by lowering the bag limit. Frank asked the group if they agree with a 25 yellow perch bag limit, and it was agreed to include it as an option to consider. It was asked if a regulation similar to Lake Gogebic’s regulation allowing for no more than 5 perch over 12 inches in length could be implemented. Todd said that the Lake Gogebic regulation is not achieving the objective and it would be a mistake to go down that road.

Options supported by each Committee Member: Frank thanked the group for their input, and asked that the Committee members to indicate which proposed regulation changes they support. A discussion followed and it was decided the following options that would be included. • Walleye bag limit of 8 fish • Walleye bag limit of 10 fish • Minimum walleye size limit of 13 inches • Would the regulation changes cover both Saginaw Bay (MH-4) and the Saginaw River to Center Rd Bridge • Year-round open walleye season in the Saginaw River to Center Rd Bridge • Yellow perch bag limit of 25 fish

The table below shows the outcome of the responses.

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Todd Grischke said for public input there will be an internet based outreach plan to gather information on these potential regulation changes. An extended amount of time will be used to present these regulations proposals at the Oscoda and Bay City Sea Grant Workshops.

The results of mass marking Chinook salmon and lake trout with coded wire tags (Matthews Kornis, US Fish and Wildlife Service)

The Mass Marking Program began with lake trout in 2010 and Chinook salmon in 2011. A limited number of Atlantic salmon were added in 2012. So far, 16 million Chinook and 28.5 million lake trout have been tagged, with 50,000 snouts processed and 46,000 Coded Wire Tags (CWTs) recovered. Currently 4 trailers are in use with $1.5 million for operations annually.

The following are the objectives of the Mass Marking Program in Lakes Huron and Michigan: • Determine the extent of natural reproduction of lake trout and Chinook salmon • Follow the movement of these species within and between the two lakes • Determine the survival of fish stocked at various locations and their contribution to the open water fisheries • Compare the survival of the various strains of lake trout being stocked • Assist with state conducted Coded Wire Tag studies by collecting heads and compiling data

There is about a 97% tag retention and 2% post stocking tag loss. The number of fish tagged per hour is averaging about 8,500. There are 9 head hunters assigned to Lake Michigan, 2 for Lake Huron and 2 for Lake Ontario. These technicians regularly visit 11 ports along Lake Huron and 31 ports along Lake Michigan. Chinook were predominantly caught in Lake Michigan, while lake trout were more common in Lake Huron.

The evidence shows that there is compelling evidence of increasing wild lake trout production in Lake Huron, with 50.2% wild fish based on returns. Wild lake trout are less common in Lake Michigan but southern Lake Michigan is showing a significant upward trend with 21.6% of the recoveries from wild fish while only 7.9% of the recoveries are wild in the north.

Chinook salmon stocked in Lake Huron are showing up in MH-1 (Rogers City to Drummond Island) to a greater degree than south. In 2014, the results showed that 55.4 % of all the Chinook salmon recoveries lake wide in Lake Huron were from wild fish while in Lake Michigan 59.8% of the recoveries were assumed to be from wild Chinook salmon. The Age 1 Chinook salmon from the 2013 year class in Lake Michigan showed a marked decline in 7 successful wild reproduction with only 37.4% of the recoveries being wild. Several factors could have combined in 2013-2014 to cause the decreased survival including warm fall stream temperatures and low water levels, a poor 2013 alewife year class, a cold winter, and a delayed spring as well. This compares to a much higher 61.7% of the Age 1 Chinook salmon recoveries in Lake Huron being wild.

Chinook salmon stocked along the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan contributed the most to the lake wide open water fishery. Even at the eastern ports along the Michigan shore of Lake Michigan, the fish stocked in Wisconsin were caught the most. The reasons why the Wisconsin Chinook salmon survive better is unknown but could include differences in rearing or release practices, or differences in the lake conditions like bottom structure, water temperatures and food availability.

There is evidence of large scale mixing of Chinook during the open water fishery from April through August. The results of the recoveries show that 88.6% Chinook salmon stocked in Lake Huron, were recovered in Lake Michigan. Most of these recoveries occurred in northern Lake Michigan. Conversely, only 0.3% of fish stocked in Lake Michigan were recovered in Lake Huron. It should be noted that only 277 Chinook salmon from Lake Huron were examined by head hunters while 12,170 Chinook salmon from Lake Michigan were examined.

Ongoing work: • Stable isotopic analysis of trout and salmon from Lake Michigan better determine what type of food the fish are eating and this will help better understand the make-up of the food web. This study can tell if the trout and salmon are incorporating items such as zooplankton, insects and macroinvertebrates into their diets or are mainly eating forage fish. • Detailed analysis of Chinook salmon movement. • Determine how the changing diets of trout and salmon interact to influence how contaminates accumulate in their bodies. • Learn more about what factors are affecting survival of hatchery raised lake trout.

Frank asked about the possibility of beginning to mass mark all the steelhead stocked into Lakes Huron and Michigan. Matt said they are looking into this possibility and the cost ramifications. They spend $800,000- $900,000 annually just on coded wire tags, so increasing steelhead tagging may result in decreasing tagging of other species. Todd Grischke emphasized the importance of the program and how influential the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee was in getting the mass marking effort off the ground and the potential need to have this group reinforce that importance. Jim Johnson thanked the headhunters for their efforts to collect the biodata needed by the DNR.

Have net pens increased survival of steelhead? (Jan VanAmberg, manager of the Marquette and Thompson State Fish Hatcheries)

Jan explained that he volunteered to take over the study from the newly retired Jim Johnson and his main expertise was raising the fish. The objectives of the study are outlined below.

(1) Determine if pen acclimation of steelhead yearlings at three Lake Huron ports improves post-stocking survival. (2) Evaluate the effect of size at stocking on returns to the creel. (3) Compare fisheries for spawning-phase steelhead stocked in rivers with those in harbors lacking tributaries. (4) Describe diets, reproduction, growth, etc. to better understand the type of food (zooplankton, insects, macroinvertebrates and forage fish) and potential opportunities for steelhead in Lake Huron.

The steelhead used in this study were too large for the mass marking trailers, so the marking effort required significant DNR effort to hand clip them. Within the hatcheries, they had to design methods to keep the marked fish for each stocking site separate. Quality assessments were completed for both pen acclimated and direct stocked fish. The results showed that the directly stocked fish at each site were nearly identical in size to the penned fish. Direct plant fish were stocked at the same time the pen acclimated fish were released.

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Jan then described the stocking numbers at each site through the years. The table below shows the numbers of

steelhead stocked.

Direct planted fish survived better at Van Etten and much better at Harrisville, while at Harbor Beach it was a mixed bag, with no clear advantage either way. See the Chart below: It was concluded that penning steelhead

before stocking is not beneficial and may even be detrimental. Anytime a large number of fish are placed in a confined space there is the potential of a catastrophic event causing a large mortality.

Penned and direct plant fish are being caught by anglers in the open lake fishery. The Harbor Beach fish returned best to the open water boat fishery but most of the steelhead were caught at other ports. The Van Etten fish contributed best to the shore fishery largely because the Au Sable was creeled during the study and more effort was made to survey the shore anglers at this location. The bottom line was that net penning did not provide an advantage for steelhead and likely hindered survival at some stocking locations.

Another aspect of the study was to compare stocking smaller and larger steelhead to learn the significance that stocking size has on survival. A group of smaller steelhead were rotated through each stocking site over the 3 years of the study. The goal was to compare survival of stocked fish that were about half the size as the larger fish. The

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Chart below shows that the larger fish returned about twice as well as the smaller fish. Considering the small size of the smaller fish, however, the return was respectable for the smaller fish. The chart below shows the return rate of each size group.

The study is not complete and work will continue into the fall compiling the diet data, comparing stream stocking sites with harbor fall and spring fisheries and the straying to Lake Michigan. An interim report will be produced this fall. It is anticipated that a final report will be completed in 2016-2017.

Gene Kirvan asked why fish were not stocked at Van Etten Creek the same time as the penned fish were released last year. Jan replied that the three year study stocking time-frame was over, so there was no need to stock the paired plant last year. Gene also said that the penning effort creates a lot of good feeling in the community, and has been seen as a positive outlet for folks to get involved. He said this positive effect should be considered along with the return information. Frank mentioned that the work that the volunteers devoted to the penning project was very much appreciated, but since penning the fish was a costly project and not beneficial to the fishery it would be best if efforts and resources were directed toward other projects.

Jim Johnson discussed the Chinook salmon net pen study and noted a difference with the steelhead stocking events. The advantage of net penning was immediately apparent with the Chinook salmon, but not so with the steelhead net penned fish. Jim also asked Jan if another deep well at Thompson could enable the production of additional large steelhead for stocking. Jan said another well could increase production by about 150,000 larger steelhead with the associated greater survival. Jack Noble noted the impression and excitement generated from people seeing returning steelhead into the harbor. He also wanted to know, with the excitement generated by steelhead, what are the future plans for steelhead in southern Lake Huron. Todd Grischke mentioned that once the steelhead study report is completed there will be an evaluation of the entire Michigan steelhead stocking program in Lake Huron.

Outlook for Atlantic salmon stocking in 2015 (Aaron Switzer, DNR Fishery Biologist, Platte River Hatchery and Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator)

Arron indicated that the Atlantic salmon are healthy and larger than last year and the numbers should be very close to target stocking levels this spring. He said they will slow the tagging process this year to try to address health issues that may have resulted from the tagging effort last year. All fish will be AD clipped and receive coded wire tags. Cold weather has forestalled smolting, so they may be able to hold fish a little longer this year. Lexington is

10 scheduled for stocking April 22, with other sites to be stocked later. Aaron said the 2016 fish also look good at this point. Todd said that the DNR looked into using a concrete bay in the Lake Superior State University (LSSU) facility to hold fish, but it needed too much work to implement a plan. He also said that a few AD clipped Atlantics have been showing up already this spring.

Completion of the details of the 2015 Sea Grant Lake Huron spring workshops (Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant)

Brandon distributed agendas for the regional fisheries stakeholder meetings and asked that the group review them and provide any suggestions that come to mind. The agendas are nearly set, and any suggestions will need to be promptly made because he plans to send them out shortly. Dave Fielder said he had a couple of edits and passed them on to Brandon. The Turning Point audience assessment tool will be used again this year.

Law Enforcement and Fisheries Division Manager Updates

Larry Desloover, Law Enforcement Division said there were not many nets reported to be in Lake Huron, with the exception of a Canadian net off the Harbor Beach area. Also, with all the ice this year, Bay City Conservation Officer Tony Soave stated they had lots of contacts due in part to new snowmobiles they obtained. He said 37 recruits are currently going through the academy.

Dave Borgeson, DNR Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor mentioned walleye population estimates were being conducted on East and West Twin lakes in Montmorency County. The hope is that surveying enough of these inland lakes will lead to development of a walleye population model for Michigan that is better than the Wisconsin model currently used by tribal and state biologists. The Twin lakes will have a creel clerk assigned to them as well this summer. Additionally, field units will be able to hire seasonal workers this summer, which will help immensely in accomplishing unit work plans.

Todd Grischke, DNR Lake Huron Basin Coordinator stated that the new lake trout regulations were now in effect, allowing harvest in northern Lake Huron from January 1 – September 30. These regulations are consistent across all of Lake Huron.

David Fielder, DNR Alpena Station Great Lakes Research Biologist gave an update on the cisco rehabilitation study plan for Saginaw Bay. The Lake Huron Technical Committee drafted the plan, and the Lake Huron Committee approved it. It involves a paired stocking of cisco in Saginaw Bay, with the USFWS providing culture facilities to provide the fish for stocking in 2017.

Todd Wills, Lake Huron and Lake Erie/Lake St. Clair Research Station Manager gave an update for the DNR Alpena Fisheries Research Station. The new survey boat construction (RV Tanner) is off and running with the chosen vendor identifying and addressing some potential supply train difficulties. It is anticipated the boat will be completed and arrive in Alpena during April of next year. The Alpena station recently refilled the vacant technician position with Ed Barr. Todd said the station staff was busy with lots of meeting preparations on the docket.

Jan VanAmberg, manager of the Marquette and Thompson State Fish Hatcheries gave a Fish Production update, and said steelhead are averaging over 8 inches at Thompson Hatchery, but the UP stock-out is still behind a little bit due to the late spring. Steelhead egg take will commence soon at the Little Manistee Weir. Lake trout stocking at Drummond Island and Harbor Beach will occur at the end of the month. They finished the walleye egg take at Muskegon, and are looking at the status of Little Bay de Noc walleye this week. The next couple weeks will be more likely be devoted to walleye egg collection. Wolf Lake recently suffered electrical problems (cost for repair in the $10,000’s) but no fish were lost due to quick decisions made by staff.

Aaron Switzer, DNR Fishery Biologist, Platte River Hatchery said that the Platte River Hatchery is currently down a technician, as is the Harrietta Hatchery. Eric Plant transferred to the Lake Erie Management Unit. Mass

11 marking of chinook should start soon. Walleye at the Platte River Hatchery look good so far (they had air lock issues in the past, but these problems should be fewer this year). About half of the Coho have been stocked.

Jim Baker, Fisheries Division Southern Lake Huron Management Unit Supervisor said they are working on getting fish tagged for a walleye study in the Saginaw Bay tributaries. Water flow in the rivers has been problematic. They will not be operating Auburn west pond this year due to electrical problems, and will need $15,000 to get this fixed. This should not cause issues with Lake Huron Unit walleye prescriptions, but could cause issues for other units. Joe Leonardi DNR Fishery Biologist mentioned Shiatown dam should get fully completed with the additional grant money obtained targeting that effort.

Ken Merckel stated that the large harvest of lake trout by the Canadian commercial fishery should be addressed since there is no allocation agreement between Michigan and Ontario like there is in Lake Erie for sharing the yellow perch and walleye. He suggested getting an agreement between Ontario and the United States to implement a total allowable catch of lake trout. Frank will discuss this with Todd and be placed on a meeting agenda soon.

For Next Meeting:

Ken Merckel asked for a discussion on the possibility of planting Coho salmon in southern Lake Huron. Frank will also discuss this topic with Todd.

Adjourned 2:55 pm

Other scheduled meeting dates for 2015

Monday June 22, 2015 Wednesday October 7, 2015

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Jays Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan Monday, June 22, 2015 Approved Minutes Attendees: Jim Baker, Gary Boersen, Dave Borgeson, Jerry Brown, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Joe Colyn, Bryan Darland, Jim DeClerck, Larry Desloover, Ed Eisch, Dave Fielder, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Kent Herrick, Jim Johnson, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Gerald Lockhart, Terry Lyons, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Jack Noble, Chuck Noel, Judy Ogden, Eric Plant, Brandon Schroeder, Julie Shafto, Fred Sterns, Aaron Switzer, Randy Terrian, Terry Welch, Tod Williams, Todd Wills.

Welcome and Introductions: Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Introductions were made.

Progress being made toward implementing yellow perch/walleye management options in Saginaw Bay including the results of the TurningPoint questions asked at the Sea Grant workshops and the email responses received through the DNR website (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator, Jim Baker, Fisheries Division Southern Lake Huron Management Unit Dave Fielder, Alpena DNR Research Station and Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant).

Todd Grischke – To obtain public input on the proposed yellow perch/walleye management options, presentations were made and discussions followed at the Oscoda and Bay City Sea Grant Workshops, and a public meeting hosted by Fisheries Division in Bay City. A total of 182 participants attended the 2 Sea Grant Workshops and 40 members of the public participated at the Bay City public meeting. In addition, 170 public comments were furnished from an email account on the DNR Website. Management options offered for walleye regulations included an increased bag limit of 8 or 10 walleye, and a minimum size limit of 13 inches. The new yellow perch option was a reduction in the bag limit from 50 to 25 fish. There were multiple variations in the comments received but the vast majority of comments were in favor of the walleye and yellow perch regulation changes. To date, Fisheries Division is conducting an internal review. The Lake Huron Basin Team has been meeting and currently the Lake Erie walleye regulation program that enables annual changes to the regulations if needed is being reviewed with the possibility of a similar program being implemented in Saginaw Bay. Recommendations will be provided to the Chief within the next couple weeks in preparation of a presentation to the Natural Resources Commission in October. The goal is to have the changes approved at the November Commission meeting and the rules implemented for the 2016 season.

Brandon Schroder - The Sea Grant Workshops in Bay City, Oscoda, and Cedarville were very well attended with 252 attendees and 246 Turning Point respondents. Forty-two percent of participants were new to the workshops. The majority of participants were recreational anglers, followed by fishing related businesses, educators, media, charter, commercial fishers and tribal representative, see the attached slides for more details.

Brandon reviewed the Turning Point responses in regards to Saginaw Bay management. Questions were asked regarding targeted fish species, how often anglers fished Saginaw Bay, and what they targeted while fishing Saginaw Bay. Participants were asked, “If YOU were manager for a day managing walleye, which regulation change would you support”. Largely the participants supported a combination of both a walleye reduced minimum size limit and an increased daily bag limit along with a reduction in the yellow perch bag limit..

There will be a discussion on updating of the 1995 Lake Huron Fish Community Objectives that guide all management jurisdictions (States, Ontario and Tribes) on managing healthy fish populations. Since the current Objectives were written before the food web changes, it is imperative that the guidelines be updated and based on the existing biological conditions that are present in Lake Huron (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator).

Fish Community Objectives (FCO’s) are high level strategic plans for each of the Great Lakes, developed under the Great Lakes Fishery Commission structure with Michigan, the other Great Lakes States, Ontario and the Tribes all contributing to the discussion. Objectives for each species will be reviewed with some species being more prominent. The historic perspective of the Lake Huron fish community and the role of each species were originally obtained from historical harvest records, however, the revision will also take into account the large food web changes that are impacting the fisheries. Over the next year, Lake Huron will begin reviewing and updating the Fish Community Objectives.

The Lake Huron Technical Committee, composed of fishery biologists and other experts, will provide scientific guidance to the Lake Huron Committee made up of managers. Tom Gorenflo, Chippewa- Ottawa Resource Authority, Ken Lacroix, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Todd Grischke, Department of Natural Resources, comprise the Lake Huron Committee. Dave McLeish with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry will lead this process.

Fish Community Objectives are based on the best available science, and look at what the lake is providing and what it is capable of producing. Items such as lake productivity, state of the lake, angler expectations, and sustainability will be considered. Points to incorporate for the 2015 rewrite include; major food web changes since 1995, decreases in Lake Huron’s productivity, impacts from invasive species, lake trout and walleye resurgence, sea lamprey status and resiliency, and recovery of many Lake Huron’s native species.

Challenges in 2015 include the dynamic nature of the food web, a shift in species composition, a changed forage base dominated by goby, and the impacts of several other invasive species (current and potential). Frank Krist emailed the 1995 Lake Huron Fish Community Objectives to the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee. Please read through it and compare it to the draft revisions when they are provided. This topic will continue to be on the agenda for the next several meetings.

Agencies do not lose any authority once the Commission adopts the Fish Community Objectives. After a consensus is reached the Fish Community Objectives provide guidance under which management agencies are expected to develop more specific plans and strategies. The Technical Committee from each Great Lake reports every five years on how their Great Lake is being managed based on the Fish Community Objectives. The objectives from 1995 were difficult to measure but a goal in 2015 is to have quantitative benchmarks. Todd Grischke hopes to have a draft to present to the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee in October.

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A discussion of a new experimental trap net whitefish fishery located between Harbor Beach and Port Sanilac (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator).

For decades, Fisheries Division has recognized that there is significant congestion in Saginaw Bay with a large number of commercial fishing licenses and commercial fishing gear authorized for the Bay. The fisheries resources of Saginaw Bay are not capable of supporting the current level of commercial fishing effort, therefore, the Department recently provided an experimental permit to allow commercial fisher, Dana Serafin, to explore the whitefish grounds near Harbor Beach for new fishing opportunities.

The experimental fishery is located south of Harbor Beach and north of Port Sanilac on Lake Huron and is in an area that Fisheries Division believes could successfully be developed into whitefish fishery. For detailed information on the fishery see the following web address: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-355666--,00.html#map. This southernmost Lake Whitefish Management Unit in Lake Huron has not been commercially fished in Michigan since 1985.

This potential new fishery will be assessed under a 3-year Research Permit. During this time, Mr. Serafin will retain some ability to continue fishing in Saginaw Bay until the fishing potential near Harbor Beach is explored and understood. If successful, during the second and third permit years significant gear reductions in Saginaw Bay would be required by Mr. Serafin. Within 3 years, a decision will be made about establishing a permanent fishing license at Harbor Beach in exchange for permanently relinquishing all his current licenses and gear from Saginaw Bay.

Objectives for this research fishery and potential license include: • Remove the greatest amount of state commercial fishing licenses and associated fishing gear from inner Saginaw Bay with an emphasis on small mesh trap nets.

• Reduce the annual commercial yellow perch harvest from inner Saginaw Bay.

• Evaluate the current lake whitefish population and stock health in Southern Lake Huron.

• Commercially harvest lake whitefish over 17 inches total length without taking protected game fish species and minimizing the catch of whitefish under 17 inches in length.

• Evaluate and develop acceptable commercial fishing grounds which are compatible with other Southern Lake Huron uses and values.

• Evaluate the timely collection and public posting of trap net locations by the DNR as a means to avoid accidental interaction with commercial fishing gear by other lake user groups.

• Evaluate the potential long term sustainability and profitability of a state-licensed large mesh commercial trap net fishery for Lake Whitefish in Southern Lake Huron.

The nets were recently set south of Harbor Beach. The use of these nets was a success with the following results: . Net 1 yielded 8,000 pounds of whitefish plus 53 undersized whitefish and 74 lake trout. All undersized whitefish and trout were released alive. . Net 2 yielded 1,500 pounds of whitefish plus 2 undersized whitefish and 39 lake trout. All undersized whitefish and trout were released alive. 3

. Net 3 yielded 2,000 pounds of whitefish plus no undersized whitefish, 92 lake trout, 2 walleye, 1 burbot. All trout were released alive but the 2 walleye died due to trauma from the pressure changes.

The above nets were soaked for 8 nights and overall 94.4% of the catch was whitefish and 5.5% was lake trout. The nets were marked with new staffs, flags and buoys.

Judy Ogden commented that anglers near Port Sanilac are unhappy because they were not consulted about this decision. There is concern that 10 nets could make it difficult for anglers to fish in the area. Perhaps if local anglers could meet with Mr. Serafin and learn his expectations and plans, the anglers would feel more comfortable. Todd Grischke offered to meet with anglers from the Port Sanilac and Port Huron areas and Judy indicated that she will assist in coordinating a meeting.

An overview of the newly established scientific technical panel that is compiling research results on the potential impacts to the environment from aquaculture cages and other methods of aquatic farming, and an overview of a special workgroup that is reviewing the permitting process for these same operations (Ed Eisch, DNR Fish Production Program Manager).

The Quality of Life (QOL) agencies, which include the DNR, DEQ and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, are developing a policy for commercial aquaculture in Michigan. There are four primary types of aquaculture used in Michigan including recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), flow- through systems, pond aquaculture and cage (net pens) aquaculture.

Recirculating aquaculture systems are closed systems that are high-tech in design, have large up front capital costs, are maintenance intensive, but have little or no environmental impact, and no National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is needed. Flow-through systems are what all six DNR hatcheries use, and are a common design in some of Michigan’s larger commercial aquaculture farms. Flow-through operations have waste removal and treatment systems. Pond aquaculture is common in rearing of warm water species and this method is used by the DNR for raising walleye, musky and pike fingerlings. Ponds are often used by smaller scale aquaculture farms in Michigan, and have low maintenance and labor needs. Cage systems are common in marine aquaculture, require relatively low labor (except for feeding and harvest), and rely on land-based farms to supply fingerlings. Currently, the waste is not treated but careful siting is used to assist in dispersing the waste to acceptable levels. Work is being conducted to reduce the amount of waste generated from cages by developing better feeds and implementing more efficient feeding methods.

In Michigan, the aquaculture industry is small, but the Michigan Aquaculture Association has expressed a desire to grow 200 times from 5 million pounds per year to 1 billion pounds in 10 years. The Association has produced A Strategic Plan for a Thriving and Sustainable Michigan Aquaculture, which can be viewed at http://michiganaquaculture.org/, for expansion of the domestic production of seafood. The plan also identified Great Lakes cage aquaculture as the most important method for achieving the goal.

Two cage proposals are being explored: • Coldwater Fisheries, Inc. currently operates cages (net-pens) in Ontario waters of Lake Huron, and proposes two new sites in the Bays de Noc, targeting 385,000 pounds of rainbow trout production.

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• Project Rainbow, coordinated by the Aquaculture Research Corporation, proposes three sites in Lake Huron along Northeast Michigan targeting 500,000 pounds annually of rainbow trout production.

All aquaculture applications except for recirculating systems require two permits. • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which is issued by the DEQ under authority of the EPA and a response must be made within 180 days. • Part 325 – Construction Permit and Bottomland Conveyance. This is a very extensive application that covers all aspects of the operation and a permit is issued jointly by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the DEQ. A response is required within 150 days of receipt of the complete application.

To date, no official applications have been received.

The Quality of Life Agencies Workgroup was established in recognition of the desire for growth within the commercial aquaculture industry. This workgroup meets every two weeks with the aim of developing a thoughtful, defensible, science-based aquaculture policy. Primary areas of focus include legal jurisdiction and interagency agreement, economic evaluation, and science review.

In addition, a Science Review Panel was established to research and address key areas of uncertainty including potential environmental and ecosystem effects, fish health and disease concerns, effects of fish escapement on wild populations, human health concerns, cage (net pen) siting, and gaps that need to be addressed in the existing body of science literature related to the above concerns. The Science Review Panel report is expected by October 1, 2015 with hearings to be scheduled for public input. An initial hearing is scheduled for June 25, 2015 at MSU to obtain information from anyone that is interested.

The Quality of Life Agencies Workgroup will continue the development of a policy on Great Lakes commercial cage aquaculture after the Science Advisory Panel report is received, the analysis of legal/jurisdictional issues are completed, and public consultation on scientific and social issues is concluded.

For more details see the attached slides of the presentation.*

Starting the process of reviewing the biology and management options of steelhead in Lake Huron (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator).

This process will be similar to the method used to review the recent proposed management changes in Saginaw Bay. Over the next year or so, this compiled information will be used to determine if new management directions are needed for the Lake Huron Steelhead Program.

Discussions will begin through the Lake Huron Basin Team and routed through the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee, and then be presented to the public and finally the Fisheries Division Chief for his approval. Recommendations should be completed in 2016 and if any changes are needed they will be implemented in 2017.

Over the next year, this Committee will begin reviewing the biology, creel results, stocking effort and returns by port. Other items for discussion include, forage base change impacts, diet study information, fish migration in Lake Huron and to Lake Michigan, overall angler effort, trends of open water versus 5 river fisheries, net pen results, natural reproduction and research needs (mass marking, stocking times, etc.).

Todd Grischke will provide a more complete overview at the October meeting. The Committee can then contribute to the discussion.

An evaluation of the effectiveness and direction of the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (All participants).

Due to threatening weather, this agenda item was postponed until the October meeting.

Law Enforcement and Fisheries Division Manger Updates:

Todd Grischke – Lake Huron Basin Coordinator, Fisheries Division – Cormorant funding was included as part of the 2016 General Fund budget. Further discussions regarding Atlantic salmon are taking place this week. The Atlantic salmon workgroup will be meeting to discuss options to increase the size of the yearling Atlantic salmon at stocking time. The size this year was near 6 inches but the goal is to reach approximately 7.5 inches. The idea of using an empty turbine basin to acclimate the Atlantic salmon before stocking at Lake Superior State University was not feasible since there were too many openings to close to prevent escapes. New ideas are being explored.

Larry Desloover – Commercial Fisheries, Law Enforcement Division – A new academy just wrapped up training 36 recruits that completed the program. LED spent four days at Belle Isle for the Grand Prix Race, and worked with the USFW on cargo inspections.

Jim DeClerck – is the new member appointed to represent the Lake Huron recreational sport fishing interests on the 2000 Great Lakes Decree Advisory Group to the Law Enforcement Committee.

Todd Wills, Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair & Lake Huron Great Lakes Research Stations Manager, Fisheries Division – Spring surveys are on schedule, work is being conducted on habitat mapping in Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair is hiring a new Research Biologist, RV Tanner is in process of construction and is scheduled for completion in April of next spring, and the RV Channel Cat is getting new engines this fall.

Jim Baker – Southern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor, Fisheries Division – • The crew surveyed 7 inland lakes, and there is 1 more to complete. • The walleye harvest started two weeks ago but came to a sudden halt due to heavy rains. The water cannot be drained from the Auburn and Kawkawlin ponds because the Kawkawlin River is too high. • Note: the final harvest of the Auburn pond took place on Tuesday, June 23 and the crew harvested over 250,000 really nice fingerlings. The inland lake surveys were completed along with two lakes being surveyed in the Northern Lake Huron Management Unit. • The Tawas Pond was far from a bust but it only produced 81,400 walleye fingerlings this year. The Au Gres pond also had a substandard year producing only 46,000 walleye fingerlings. • The Sanford Pike Mash harvest is being completed this week. • The crew helped with the muskie egg take on the Detroit River

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• The Harbor Beach Harbor was shocked looking for steelhead but it was too early. The local DNR Conservation Officer reported the steelhead showed up in good numbers the week of May 4 and local kids are catching steelhead from shore as of this last weekend. • Whitefish samples were collected from the Bay Port Fish Company for the Alpena DNR Research Station. • Another public hearing at Bay City was conducted to discuss potential changes in walleye and perch regulations. There were approximately 40 new attendees and the meeting went well. There was broad general agreement that liberalizing walleye regulations was a good idea.

Ed Eisch – Fish Production Manager, Fisheries Division – The stocking season was uneventful. Atlantic salmon produced at the Platte River Hatchery are the largest so far, and are on pace to be larger next year! Spring egg take went well. All the eggs needed were obtained and more for backup.

Aaron Switzer – Northern Lower Peninsula Hatchery Manager, Fisheries Division – Oden and Harrietta Hatcheries met all rearing assignments. The Platte River Hatchery was successful in walleye incubation. There was good production of both Coho and Chinook salmon, and the size of Atlantic salmon continues to improve.

Dave Borgeson – Northern Lake Huron Unit Supervisor, Fisheries Division – The Presque Isle, Rockport, Rogers City and Hammond Bay harbors were electroshocked. The harbors proved difficult to electro fish and not many fish were found. The water was too deep for effective shocking. Big Bear Lake has historically been stocked with musky in hopes of developing a brood stock. The lake was surveyed this spring but no musky were captured so the program may be discontinued. The walleye pond harvest was a success with most of the Units needs being met.

Adjourned 2:55 pm

Other scheduled meeting dates for 2015

Wednesday October 7, 2015 at Jays Sporting Goods

*The handouts may be obtained by emailing Frank Krist at [email protected].

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Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

Established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve and maintain fishery resources of Lake Huron through better communication and partnership.

Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Jay’s Sporting Goods, Clare, Michigan Wednesday, October 7, 2015 Approved Minutes Attendees: Jim Baker, Gary Boersen, Dave Borgeson, Jerry Brown, Doreen Campbell, Lance Campbell, Bryan Darland, Larry Desloover, Ed Eisch, Clarence Fetrow, Dave Fielder, Todd Grischke, Dennis Gulau, Tom Hamilton, Ji He, Lindsey Henski, Kent Herrick, Jim Johnson, Tom Keerl, Gene Kirvan, Rick Kretzschmar, Frank Krist, Jerry Lawrence, Gerald Lockhart, Terry Lyons, Ken Merckel, Craig Milkowski, Gary Nelkie, Tess Nelkie, Chuck Noel, Judy Ogden, Brandon Schroeder, Alan Seiferlein, Julie Shafto, Fred Sterns, Aaron Switzer, Randy Terrian, Jan VanAmberg, Terry Walsh, Lakon Williams, Ron Young, Ralph Zimmermann.

Welcome and Introductions: Frank Krist called the meeting to order. Introductions were made.

Progress reports on implementing yellow perch/walleye management actions in Saginaw Bay (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator and Dave Fielder, Alpena DNR Research Station).

Yellow perch and walleye regulation changes that will be presented to the Natural Resources Commission: The recommendations developed by working through this committee regarding yellow perch and walleye management options will be presented before the Natural Resource Commission tomorrow October 8, 2015. This is an action item for the commission and will have immediate implementation if approved. The current fishing guide will have an incorrect regulation. Please help spread the word to your local organizations. The regulation in front of the commission is to increase the walleye bag limit from 5 to 8, reduce the size limit from 15 to 13 inches, and reduce the yellow perch bag limit from 50 fish to 25 fish per day. This change affects the Great Lakes waters of MH-4, as well as the Saginaw River up to Center Street Bridge (Douglas G Schenk Bridge). Note: The regulation changes that were passed are currently in effect. For details and a map of the area impacted please click on the following link: http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/11dd79f.

Cormorant reduction program conducted in the Bay during 2015: A diet study of Cormorant stomach samples was conducted on Saginaw Bay in 2013 and 2014. Although Cormorants are not the leading source of mortality, they are a significant contributing factor. In 2015, the DNR asked for a 10% reduction in cormorant numbers. This is the maximum that can be requested without providing further justification. The plan for Saginaw Bay in 2016 is to determine the appropriate number of cormorants necessary to control the population and request that amount. A meeting is scheduled for October 19 to begin a dialogue with US Fish & Wildlife Services on this approach. USDA Wildlife Services are also involved with implementing and planning a cormorant management plan. A second, more formal meeting is scheduled for this winter. The two year cormorant diet study will be published shortly and this will be the documentation used when requesting support for a complete cormorant management plan for Saginaw Bay. An update will be provided to this committee in April.

The DNR has worked closely with Peter Butchko from USDA Wildlife Services over the years but he has retired. We are looking forward to working with the new coordinator.

Cisco rehabilitation efforts: Restoring cisco in Saginaw Bay would provide an additional prey base for walleye. Historically, cisco were a main food item of walleye which reduced predation pressure on yellow perch and allowed more perch to survive to be adults. There are cisco in northern Lake Huron, but the population is a remnant of what it was and for many years, cisco have been rare below the Straits. Spawning cisco do not migrate far from their spawning sites so they have been slow to establish other populations throughout Lake Huron. The plan is to establish spawning populations in Saginaw Bay and other sites by stocking them until enough adults are present. The Fish and Wildlife Service, will collect eggs this fall during mid-November in the Les Cheneaux Islands and Drummond Island areas. Only a few eggs will be taken this fall, with full scale collections taking place in 2016. The idea of importing cisco from Lake Superior is under review. The Lake Superior strain of cisco is a different strain of cisco from the strain that occurs currently on the shoals in northern Lake Huron but it is very similar to the strain that existed in much of the Main Basin and Saginaw Bay before collapsing. Possibly testing new strains like was done with lake trout rehabilitation program will assist in establishing cisco wild reproduction in most of Lake Huron. For example, the most successful naturally reproducing strain of lake trout in Lake Huron is the Seneca strain that originated from outside the Lake Huron watershed in Seneca Lake New York. Discussions are occurring to determine if the Lake Superior strain will be stocked in Lake Huron.

Update on reducing yellow perch commercial fishing trap nets within Saginaw Bay and the progress of establishing an experimental commercial whitefish trap net fishery in southern Lake Huron: For decades, Fisheries Division has recognized that there is significant congestion with the number of commercial fishing licenses and commercial fishing gear authorized in Saginaw Bay. The fisheries resource of Saginaw Bay are not capable of supporting the current level of commercial fishing effort. Therefore, the Department recently provided a permit to licensed commercial fisher, Dana Serafin for exploration of new whitefish grounds near Harbor Beach.

This potential new fishery will be assessed under a three year Research Permit. During this time, Mr. Serafin will retain some ability to continue fishing in Saginaw Bay until the fishing potential near Harbor Beach is explored and understood. If successful during the second and third permit years, significant gear reductions in Saginaw Bay would be required by Mr. Serafin. Within 3 years, a decision will be made about establishing a permanent fishing license at Harbor Beach in exchange for permanently relinquishing all of Dana’s current licenses and gear from Saginaw Bay.

Objectives for this research fishery and potential license include: • Remove the greatest amount of State commercial fishing licenses and associated fishing gear from inner Saginaw Bay with an emphasis on small mesh trap nets.

• Reduce the annual commercial yellow perch harvest from inner Saginaw Bay.

• Evaluate the current lake whitefish population and stock health in Southern Lake Huron.

• Commercially harvest lake whitefish over 17 inches total length without taking protected game fish species and minimizing the catch of whitefish under 17 inches in length.

• Evaluate and develop acceptable commercial fishing grounds which are compatible with other Southern Lake Huron uses and values.

• Evaluate the timely collection and public posting of trap net locations by the DNR as a means to avoid accidental interaction with commercial fishing gear by other lake user groups.

• Evaluate the potential long term sustainability and profitability of a state-licensed large mesh commercial trap net fishery for Lake Whitefish in Southern Lake Huron.

Test Netting Results: The first three nets were set on June 8th, a fourth net was set on June 16th and a fifth net was set on July 9th. Nets have been lifted 7 times since being set on June 8th. Soak times were 8, 12, 10, 12, 20, 13 and 26 nights with a median soak time of 14 days (10 day preference by the DNR). The

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catch slowed in late July and early August. The DNR was onboard conducting bio sampling when three nets were lifted after soaking 8 nights.

Pounds of Whitefish Undersized Whitefish Other Species Net 1 8000 53 74 lake trout Net 2 1500 2 39 lake trout Net 3 2000 0 92 lake trout 2 other Note: Surface temperature was 53 degrees. All lake trout by catch were released alive.

The DNR was again onboard conducting bio sampling on August 13 after a 20 night soak (extraordinary circumstances) when 5 nets were lifted.

Pounds of Whitefish Other Species Lake trout mortality Net 1 2100 247 lake trout 10 Net 2 1700 157 lake trout 7 Net 3 500 77 lake trout 3 Net 4 400 88 lake trout 2 Net 5 600 122 lake trout 2 Note: Surface temperature was 68.5 degrees.

Another DNR onboard trip is planned in October, with 4 trips scheduled for 2016.

Annual fish community survey in Saginaw Bay - gill netting and trawling for walleye, yellow perch and forage fish: The survey was just completed in September, the following summary is preliminary. Two nets yielded extraordinarily high catches of yellow perch; perhaps these fish were simply concentrated in two holes. There were larger yellow perch in the catch; perhaps in absence of competition they are growing faster. Trawling did not indicate an increase in yellow perch reproduction. Initial impression is that survival may have improved this year; but not as great as the gill net catch rate might indicate. The walleye catch rate in gill nets was average but down from the last three years. There is anecdotal evidence of a large out migration from the Bay during the summer since large numbers of walleye are being caught up and down the shoreline from the north to the south. Overall, the prey base index is up a little from last year but still very low. Preliminary findings suggest that we are heading in the right direction with walleye and yellow perch regulation changes.

Questions from the Committee - Question: Judy Ogden asked if local anglers can work with Dana Serafin and the DNR to provide input on net placement and other issues like what was done in Oscoda and other ports to the north.

Answer: Todd Grischke responded the department is willing to do that. Frank mentioned that during the many years that State licensed commercial fishing operations were fishing in the Rogers City, Presque Isle and Hammond Bay areas, the DNR, anglers, and the commercial fisher met often to discuss concerns. As a result, the commercial and recreational fisheries coexisted well.

Judy mentioned that her association has no issues with targeting whitefish, but has questions on whitefish reproduction and whether the population is capable of supporting a fishery. There are other items that would be beneficial to discuss such as net placements, the number of nets set and methods of informing the public of net locations along with other concerns. Todd Grischke responded that the department wants to learn too. That is why Ji He and the department are collecting data onboard Dana Serafin’s vessel.

Question: Terry Welsh asked what Dana Serafin’s initial observation is?

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Answer: Todd Grischke responded that Tom Goniea has had conversations with Dana. Dana is excited, but acknowledges that he has some learning to do. Spring looks good but he is not sure where the whitefish move in summer and fall. Larry Desloover talks with Dana often. Dana is happy about the fishery and is looking for a local port which would make his trips more economical. At the present time, he is traveling an extra-long distance from the Oscoda area to service the whitefish experimental trap net fishery.

Continuing the discussion of the review of the steelhead program and strategy for Lake Huron (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator and Jan VanAmberg, Manager of the Marquette and Thompson State Fish Hatcheries):

Determining what information and data are needed for the review: There has been internal discussion with the Lake Huron Basin Team. Looking at steelhead as we did with walleye and yellow perch in Saginaw Bay may not be possible at this time. The Department is not currently in a position to make management decisions because there are too many data gaps. There are only three index ports with some long time coded wire tag (CWT) marking information so there is limited data available for steelhead compared to the mass marking that took place for Chinook salmon and lake trout. If we are going to move forward and progress on the scale of learning for Chinook and walleye, it will be necessary to mass mark steelhead on the Great Lakes. Mass marking is the key to moving forward. There have been discussions between the various agencies and there is interest in mass marking steelhead.

Update on the Concept of Great Lakes Management Plan: Completing management plans for each of the Great Lakes has been discussed several times over the years but there is new emphasis on completing them. Lake Michigan is the pilot lake for developing the Great Lakes management plans and will serve as the model for the remaining Great Lakes. Fisheries Chief, Jim Dexter gave Jory Jonas the lead in putting that draft together. As this management plan process progresses, steelhead will become a component. During the development of the plans there will be extensive involvement of the Advisory Committees and the public.

Additional smaller yearling steelhead available for stocking: Thompson Hatchery is rearing an additional 150,000 steelhead (3 raceways). These will be allocated to the lake basins. Unit Managers will be utilizing them differently. Northern Lake Huron Unit’s allotment is going to inland lakes while the Southern Lake Huron Unit’s allotment is going to the Au Gres and Rifle Rivers.

Summary of the 20,000 coded wire tagged yearling steelhead stocked annually since 2008 in the Au Sable River and the same amount stocked in two Lake Michigan streams: Jan VanAmberg indicated that 60,000 yearling steelhead are clipped and tagged each year, and 20,000 are stocked equally at three locations including the Au Sable, Big Manistee, and St. Joseph Rivers. This allows tracking of movement patterns, growth and year class strength of steelhead. Marking and stocking occurred in 1995-1998 and 2007 to present. There have been 334 returns to date.

Jory Jonas, DNR Research Biologist, compiled the data and steelhead do not move like Chinook salmon. Approximately 75% stay within each lake. In summary, steelhead stocked in the Au Sable River contribute to the Lake Huron fishery with only marginal movement to Lake Michigan. Fish stocked in Lake Michigan tended to stay in Lake Michigan. There is seasonal movement within Lake Huron which is indicated by return locations. Overall return rates were similar for both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

Note: So far the total recovery of tags is low so there is not enough information available yet to draw management recommendations from these data; but trends are beginning to develop.

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The possibility of marking steelhead and testing stocking time. There is a benefit in learning if the time of stocking impacts survival of the juvenile steelhead. Stocking early avoids cormorant predation but probably increases walleye and lake trout predation. Discussions will continue on the feasibility of learning more about steelhead stocking times.

The status of the aquaculture fact finding reports from the scientific technical panel that is reviewing the potential environmental impacts of aquaculture fish farm cages in the Great Lakes and the workgroup that is reviewing the permitting process for these operations:

The Quality of Life Agencies, Aquaculture Workgroup, and the Science Panel have been working on the issue of commercial net-pen aquaculture in the Great Lakes. An ecosystem management approach has been used to address the issue by evaluating the economic, environmental, and regulatory aspects and this has resulted in 5 reports that will be released on Wednesday, October 28. A public hearing will be scheduled shortly after the reports are released.

Note a meeting was scheduled for November 19, 2015 and more information can be found at http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10366_54559_10402-368780--,00.html

Questions from the Committee - Question: Are tribal agencies forced to comply, or will there be separate negotiations?

Answer: Ed Eisch responded that discussions are beginning between the Tribes and State and the Tribes will be involved.

Question: If the majority of citizens are against this, will it be forced upon us?

Answer: Ed Eisch responded that public input is being sought, and meetings are being held with legislators present. All the input obtained will be considered when decisions are made.

Question: There has been much negative press about aquaculture on the west coast of the US from the south to Alaska. The person was surprised that Michigan is going down this controversial road.

Answer: Todd Grischke responded that aquaculture in Michigan has a long history. We are going down this road because of a request to establish cage aquaculture in the Great Lakes. Efforts are being made to thoroughly review the issue and seek much public input.

Two minute season fishing reports from participants: • Tom Keerl-Harrisville – Overall fishing was quiet. A benefit this year was the good number of walleye caught nearshore in the late evening and early morning.

• Dennis Gulau-Saginaw Bay – There was great year for walleye. Lake trout and salmon were caught in the inner bay with some lake trout approaching 20 pounds. Smallmouth bass fishing in the bay gets better every year! There were nice catches of perch during late summer and this fall with many fish over 10 inches. Saginaw River was good with a very diverse fishery including channel cats, crappie, pike and walleye. The walleye tended to be smaller in the river.

• Rick Kretzschmar – Saginaw Bay and River The spring walleye fishing from April through May was more productive than the last several years. Good weather allowed both the Saginaw River and bay fishery to flourish especially during May. Walleye were caught on the Saginaw River up to the Tittabawassee River. Yellow perch fishing along shore in the spring was slow.

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During the month of June, walleye fishing in the bay was slower than normal, probably because of the colder weather and many windy days which limited opportunities to fish from a boat. Fishing was still good near shore and in the Saginaw River. Overall the size of the walleyes seemed average compared to the last five years. The size of the largest 5 fish weighed in at tournaments, however, was down slightly from previous years. This may be the result of less forage being available. The condition of the walleye seemed less this year.

Walleye fishing during July was strong and the walleye appeared to stay in the bay longer this year, possibly because of the colder early weather.

During late August through September, most anglers switch from walleye to yellow perch fishing. Experienced anglers reported that they were catching perch in the 8 to 10 inch range with some fish reaching 12 inches.

Note: the work that the Conservation Officers do is very much appreciated. It is hoped that with the new recruitment classes of Officers graduating that more patrols can be made on the bay since from spring through fall people are catching multiple bags limits and over limits.

• Julie Shafto-Rogers City/Alpena – It was a slow spring for shore fishing for Atlantic salmon. Lake trout were exceptional! From mid-May through June many anglers were catching their limit within a few hours. Excellent lake trout fishing continued all summer in the cooler water. Mid-July through August there was an outstanding offshore fishery in 120 feet or so of water for steelhead, Coho, lake trout, walleye, and more. Chinook and Atlantic salmon were down this year but walleye were up.

• Tom Hamilton-Lake Michigan – Anglers in the White River watershed visit Lake Huron to fish walleye. If you are coming to Lake Michigan to fish Chinook please stay home. Harvest is down 30% or more.

• Aaron Switzer-Grand Traverse Bay – Cisco and whitefish were up in the bays, Chinook were down, but the bays are a great place to come fish smallmouth bass.

• Fred Sterns-Rockport Alpena area of Lake Huron – Fred attempted to duplicate last year’s Atlantic salmon results but it did not happen. Possibly the colder temperatures slowed the fishing.

• Lance and Doreen Campbell-Oscoda – Lake trout fishing was phenomenal and many walleye were caught. Salmon fishing was poor.

• Alan Seiferlein-Oscoda – It was the third year in a row for a tournament in July for veterans. For one day, 1300 walleye were cleaned. Steelhead fishery has been slow because of the warm water temperature.

• Randy Terrian – The Atlantic salmon fishing at pier heads has been spotty possibly because of the bad weather early in the season. Walleye made a strong showing in Oscoda, Au Gres, Tawas, and Saginaw Bay. Lake trout numbers are increasing each year. Smallmouth bass fishing in Saginaw Bay along rocky shorelines has been excellent!

• Judy Ogden-Port Sanilac – A few Atlantic salmon were caught at the end of April and May. There were excellent lake trout fishing both shallow and deep. The lake trout were often caught suspended over deep water and they were often caught when fishing in shallow water for walleye. Lake trout seem to be everywhere. Fishing in 90 to 110 feet of water during the summer was very good for lake trout and steelhead but salmon were down, however, a few Coho were caught. Yellow perch fishing was slow and no browns were caught.

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• Jerry Lawrence-Harbor Beach – A good number of salmon (no clips) and steelhead were caught in the early tournament. Next year’s tournament will probably have over 100 boats. In the second tournament in June, there were 74 boats. Veterans Day tournament had 114 veterans with lake trout, walleye and steelhead being caught! Final tournament (Kids Day), had 51 kids and everyone caught fish.

• Ken Merckel-Grindstone City – Lake trout fishing was very good throughout July, August and September. Whitefish were taken occasionally and ranged from 8-12 pounds. Walleye were a good evening fishery. Steelhead and smallmouth bass were great fisheries!

• Lakon Williams-Saginaw Bay area – Colder water temperatures kept the whitefish close to shore and that impacted the commercial harvest this year. Anglers where fishing in 20 feet of water and catching whitefish up to 9 pounds! This is not where commercial fishers fish. This fall, we will not be targeting yellow perch. It is not worth the gas and by-catch.

• Terry Lyons – Stream fishing for trout has been challenging possibly because of the last two harsh winters. The number of fish in the river appeared to be down. Occasionally fishing has been good but it is not like it used to be.

• Jerry Lockhart-Oscoda – Lake trout for the last two years has greatly improved. Only one lake trout last year was wild and this year only 3 lake trout were wild out of 20 or more fish.

• Terry Walsh-Saginaw Bay – It was a bad year for walleye fishing! The walleye were much harder to locate and there was no consistency from day to day.

• Bryan Darland-Jay’s Sporting Goods – Novice walleye anglers did not continue to come back. We had new faces every weekend. Perhaps there are more people experimenting, but there may not be enough angling success for the novices to go back and try fishing again for walleye.

• Dennis White-St. Marys River and Northern Lake Huron – In the St. Marys River, Atlantic salmon fishing was down slightly from last year but it still was excellent again this year. Water temperatures remained cool which helped increase the catch of Atlantics. Pink salmon numbers were very low compared to 2013 and 2014 and Chinook salmon fishing was slow. The steelhead fishing was good but down some possibly because of the high flow through the Rapids which reduced fishing opportunity. Carp River had the worse steelhead fishing in possibly 40 years.

Lake trout fishing was excellent around Detour but the Atlantic salmon did not show up in the catch. The lake trout were eating a large number of smaller smelt from early spring until fall. Nearly every lake trout contained some smelt and some fish were stuffed with them. The fishing near St. Ignace was slower this season.

• Ed Rutherford-Presque Isle – Ed fished over 70 trips and most of them were out of Presque Isle. Fishing at Presque Isle for lake trout was excellent and the steelhead fishing was better than last year. Chinook salmon were down but Coho numbers were up. The lake trout were often large and there were lots of them. Atlantic salmon fishing was about the same as last year but few AD marked fish were caught. Walleye fishing was good especially if targeted.

It is recommend that during the summer Presque Isle and Rockport should be creeled instead of Alpena. For example, during the opening of the Brown Trout Festival 38 boats fished out of Presque Isle and 16 fish out of Rockport. There is excellent structure at these ports and good fishing in the thermocline is available less than a mile from shore. During the summer in Alpena, the deeper cool water is about ten miles offshore so most anglers switch to fishing at Presque Isle and Rockport. Because of this, the creel

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clerk should be moved to Presque Isle and Rockport during the summer instead of sitting in an almost empty parking lot in Alpena.

Frank-Rogers City – The lake trout fishing was the best in decades from the spring through the fall. Chinook salmon numbers were down but walleye and steelhead were up along with some Coho in the catch. There was a heavy hatch of smelt this spring and by mid-August the smelt were about 2 inches long and suspended in the thermocline and a large number of lake trout and steelhead were feeding on them. Hemimysis, a new large exotic zooplankton was first noted off of Rogers City in 2013 and it appears to be increasing. It was found in lake trout, steelhead, and Atlantic salmon stomachs this summer, caught in water between 50 and 80 feet deep.

An update on the efforts to develop criteria for deciding when to reduce or stop lake trout stocking in Lake Huron and initial activities to establish a protocol for allocating lake trout between Ontario and Michigan in Lake Huron. (Todd Grischke, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Huron Basin Coordinator and Dave Fielder, Alpena DNR Research Station).

Ji He is the Department expert on lake trout. He spends a lot of time on the water, and a lot of time crunching the numbers. Ji He, Dave Fielder, and Dave Borgeson sit on the Lake Huron Technical Committee, which is a part of the Great Lakes Committee structure. These employees help drive the decisions and recommendations. The Lake Huron Technical Committee has been asked to work with developing protocol to determine a timetable for reducing or stopping lake trout stocking. The DNR, Ontario and the Tribes are represented on the Committee.

Several Lake Huron management units may be ready to reduce or stop stocking. Progress is being made with the discussions and a decision might occur next year. Reducing or stopping lake trout stocking has huge implications and frees up hatchery space.

Questions from the committee – Question: There is a great fishery for the number of anglers out there now but what happens when anglers catch on and fishing pressure for lake trout increases? Will natural reproduction sustain the pressure?

Answer: Todd Grischke responded that the department believes the fishery can sustain it. The model considers multiple factors. Wild reproduction of lake trout had been increasing dramatically throughout the main basin.

Question: Could the department cut down stocking in some areas, but perhaps not everywhere? Lake trout do not appear to be reproducing naturally in the Oscoda area?

Answer: Ji He responded that currently lake trout take about 5 to 6 years to mature so please be patient.

Question: What are the existing lake trout allocation protocols between Ontario and Michigan?

Answer: Todd mentioned that the Great Lakes Fishery Commission brings all the agencies together to develop a plan. We are talking through that right now. There are differences in philosophies between the different agencies but the agencies are working toward an agreement. Currently there is no allocation agreement.

Question: Over the last three years, the lake trout numbers have been increasing. These fish are showing up where they are not normally found. Telemetry is showing they are traveling long distances. What is this showing us? What can the lake support?

Answer: Even though Oscoda is currently not producing many wild lake trout, near-by Yankee Reef is producing large numbers. These are important questions and time will be needed before all the answers will be known. Law Enforcement and Fisheries Division Updates:

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Larry Desloover, Commercial Fish Law Enforcement Division – Next month 36-37 new recruits will be active in the field. In January 20, or more recruits will become active. Jerry Lawrence is going to assist Law Enforcement with locating a net at Harbor Beach. Law Enforcement participated in the Enbridge emergency response exercise in the Straits. Communication was a challenge! More work needs to be done to ensure all agencies and parties are able to communicate effectively with each other.

Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Manager – Walleye pond summaries were distributed. Only one pond was off line this year but production was near average. The unit was able to stock 3,676 northern pike in 3 inland lakes that had a winter-kill. Status and Trends surveys were completed on 8 inland lakes and 7 streams/rivers. The unit also aided Lake Erie and the Northern Lake Huron Unit on additional surveys, and began electrical repairs at the Auburn Pond. The crew will assist with the Coho egg-take. Yellow perch fishing in the inner Saginaw Bay during late August and early September was very good but fishing has slowed the last couple of weeks. The creel clerk reported 2 Atlantic salmon with AD clips in the Lexington Harbor and if more are encountered a shocking crew will survey the Harbor.

Aaron Switzer, Northern Lower Peninsula Area Hatchery Supervisor – Harrietta Hatchery underwent major construction, a new backup generator for the well was installed, moved out healthy rainbow trout and brown trout, and completed egg collections all around the state. Oden has been busy with egg takes. All fish are outside and eggs are in incubation. A few upgrades have been made to the interpretive areas. The Platte River Hatchery is preparing for the Coho egg take and will be planting fall fingerling Coho and Atlantic salmon in Torch Lake. The heat exchanger which is used to warm the water is down. All fish including Atlantic salmon look good but they are about the same size as last year.

Dave Fielder Ph.D., Research Biologist – Field work has been completed for the Alpena Research Station. The staff is moving into the lab now. Staff is only able to analyze the bare minimum samples with only 2 biologists, one technician, and 1 state worker. The RV Tanner is half way through the construction process and it appears that it will be in Alpena by next spring.

Jan VanAmberg, Upper Peninsula Area Hatchery Supervisor – Rearing operations at Wolf Lake Hatchery are going well. Wolf Lake and Thompson Hatcheries are changings strategies on steelhead, and applying heated water sooner. This appears to be paying dividends with faster fish growth. Fifty thousand musky are in the ponds, and are scheduled for harvest in late October/November. Marquette has successfully marked lake trout, and conducted an egg take from Lake Superior lake trout. This is the first domestic egg take of lake trout.

Ed Eisch, Fish Production Manager – A wish list for hatchery improvements from Capital Outlay funding was submitted. Indications for the most recent requests are positive.

Dave Borgeson, Northern Lake Huron Unit Manager – The unit met all walleye and sturgeon stocking targets this year with help from Jim Bakers unit and Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB). The unit surveyed Big Bear Lake this fall which was stocked historically with musky, hoping to develop a brood stock, but since no musky were found the stocking will be discontinued. Staff is currently gearing up for an egg take at the Swan Weir. Our creel lead worker, Ed Barr was promoted to a Technician at Alpena. We were able to fill his position and the new lead worker is Eric Marrow. Foch Lake Dam repair has been funded under a grant and construction is beginning. Big Creek Dam will hopefully be repaired next year.

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – At the last Advisory meeting it was mentioned that a draft of the Fish Community Objectives would be provided, but the document is still being worked on, and a draft will be presented as soon as it is available.

Upcoming Meeting Dates: Frank and Todd are coordinating to establish 4 meeting dates for next year near the same weeks that meetings were held during 2015.

Note: see the 2016 meeting dates and locations below: Wednesday February 3, 2016 at Jays Wednesday April 13, 2016 at Jays 9

Wednesday June 22, 2016 at the RAM Center Wednesday October 12, 2016 at Jays All meetings will begin at 10 am and be completed by 3 pm.

Adjourn: 3:10pm

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