Northern Inland Lakes Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee

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

Northern Inland Lakes Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meeting Friday, April 27, 2018 Tuscarora Township Hall Indian River MI Approved Minutes

Attendees: Bob Miller, Jim Chamberlin, Paul Borg, Dennis Fauver, Gil Archambo, Dave Hutto, Wayne Blomberg, Irv Dedow, Doug Dingey, Frank Krist, Tim Cwalinski, Tim Rosochacki, Eric Bottorff, Richard Hill, Randy Claramunt, Dave Borgeson, Mike Vigneau, David Kolar, Rick Fowler, Roy Tassava, Mike Beurle, Tim Howell, Dan Collard, Mike Parrott, Rick Johnson, David Bock, Roger Selvig, Theresa Krist, Bill Parsons, Patrick Hanchin.

Welcome, introductions

Attendees introduced themselves. Frank and Tim remembered Terry Weber, his passion for fishing, and contributions to this group. They encouraged everyone to continue participating in this group and if others are interested please bring them along to the meetings. Tim indicated there were several handouts regarding agenda topics available to attendees in the back of the room.

Burt Lake State Park boating access site improvements, Black River Marina purchase, and Mullett Lake Jewell Road Access Site Renovation (Keith Cheli DNR Parks and Recreation Regional Field Planner and Richard Hill DNR Parks and Recreation District Supervisor).

Rich Hill talked briefly about the Parks and Recreation Division structure and this link will connect to the flow chart, https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Recreation_OrgChart_360022_7.pdf He then discussed the Jewell Road Public Access Site located along Mullett Lake. Previously, this site had a gravel parking lot, but it has been paved. The entrance and layout were changed to improve flow and parking. The launch was upgraded from a single ramp to a double ramp. Building ramps is a skill and the Parks and Recreation Division maintenance crews do a very good job of installing these which saves the Department money. Lighting was installed along with a walkway. A silt fence was used for erosion control.

The State Park Access Site receives much use, but the traffic flow is not good currently. Rich showed a preliminary design to improve the access, including a triple launch and 25 more trailer spots and 10 car parking spots. Engineering plans are completed which should allow for construction during 2019.

Burt Lake State Park Boat Launch Improvements

The main access site for Black Lake is at the Onaway State Park. Launching space and parking are limited at this site. In addition, this boat launch is located on the far south end of the lake, so it is not convenient for anglers that want to fish in the popular north end fishing grounds. Progress is being made toward the DNR purchasing the Black Lake Marina Property which would provide a major Public Access site on the north end of the lake. Since it is over 5 miles from Onaway State Park to reach the north end, the purchase of the old marina would allow for safer boating during poor weather and provide a convenient launch for anglers and boaters on both ends of the lake.

The DNR Real Estate office is working with the landowner to purchase the Black Lake Marina property. An appraisal was completed. Rich was asked about the timing of appraisal and potential purchase, noting that the owner has been entertaining other potential offers. Rich said he will talk to Real Estate Division representative to determine the status of the process. It was emphasized that this is a very important acquisition for Black Lake anglers since much fishing occurs on at that end of the lake. Rich was asked if gas would be available if the property was purchased. Rich said that having gas is a possibility since the DNR can have a concession agreement if there was enough interest.

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Proposed layout of the Black Lake Marina property if purchased by the DNR 3

Major improvements will be made to the Boat Launch. The parking area will be redeveloped which will significantly increase the number of spaces and improve traffic flow.

Aloha State Park Boat Launch Parking and Traffic Flow Improvements

Rich mentioned that improvements will be made at the Lock and Dam Access Site. They received funding for preliminary designs for the area where the bypass valves send water downstream. The project will likely include some gabion work.

There are plans to do an upgrade to the Grand Lake DNR Public Access Site on the south end of the lake during late May to early June. There is never a good time to do construction work at access sites, but efforts are made to minimize conflicts with users. Unfortunately, the best weather to do the work is during warmer dry conditions which may interfere with some boating activities. The public boat launch on the north end of the lake is also being improved this year but the work will be done later in the year to ensure that anglers and boaters have at least one boat launch open at all times. The work at this site will be done in September. The Grand Lake Sportsmen Club is coordinating this project with the Presque Isle County Road Commission.

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Rich thanked the Grand Lake group and indicated the Parks and Recreation Division is working on several other projects throughout Northern Michigan.

MDNR/Black Lake Association walleye stocking Memorandum of Agreement (Dave Borgeson DNR Northern Unit Supervisor and Roger Selvig Black Lake Association).

Dave explained the agreement between the DNR and Black Lake Association. It is more cost effective to stock DNR spring fingerling walleye instead of the costlier fall fingerlings that the Association has been stocking. So instead of stocking walleye, the Black Association will be providing funds to assist the DNR in rearing spring fingerling walleye. The money will be used to purchase fertilizer and other needed items. With funding for such programs becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, the DNR is seeking partnerships to help continue this important work. The Black Lake Association is not buying walleye from the state but instead helping to rear them. The money has already been allocated to the DNR budget, but will be used when needed.

Fish Order Change on the Black River from Kleber Dam to Red Bridge (Tim Cwalinski Senior DNR biologist).

Tim explained the proposed change to fishing regulations on the Black River from Kleber Dam to Red Bridge. The proposal would open that section of the river to fishing from October through March. This will still protect the sturgeon from April 1 through June 15. With the trout and sturgeon closures, this section of the Black River was one of the most regulated bodies of water in the State. There are few in this section of the river, yet there is interest in catching bass and other species in the fall and early winter. There were no objections to the proposed changes from the attendees. Bill Parsons, fisheries biologist from the Bands of Odawa Indians was on the river much this past year and he saw very low fishing pressure in the area other than at the dam and Red Bridge.

Fish Order Change - Mullett Lake walleye regulations discussion (DNR Staff).

History of Walleye Regulations

Estimating Adult Walleye Abundance: Patrick Hanchin reviewed the procedure for determining walleye abundance in Michigan lakes. The best method of estimating the abundance of adult walleye is by conducting surveys. If a recent survey is not available, then the Wisconsin method of estimating walleye populations may be used. This method is a regression or formula based on lake acreage, which is not necessarily conducive to estimating walleye abundance in Michigan lakes.

Determining Harvest Quotas: To ensure the safe harvest of walleyes, no more than 35% of the adult walleye population is permitted to be harvested each year. There are two methods from the 2000 Consent Decree that the Tribes can choose to allocate the walleye harvest between the State and Tribal fishers. A lower Threshold Level of Exploitation Procedure allows the Tribes to harvest up to 10% (State would receive 25%) of the estimated adult walleye population in lakes 1,000 acres and larger and harvest up to 5% (State would receive 30%) of the adult walleyes in lakes less than 1,000 acres. The Tribes may also choose a higher Allocation Level of Exploitation Procedure which would allow the Tribes and State to each harvest 17.5% of the estimated adult population. This method requires much more monitoring of harvests by both the State and the Tribes.

1998 Adult Walleye Population Estimate: This survey was conducted using legal-size marked walleyes with a creel survey recapture. This resulted in a population estimate of 14,350 legal-size walleyes.

2007 Adult Walleye Population Estimate: In 2007, the Consent Decree was signed, and the Wisconsin method for wild walleye lake systems was used and estimated 49,740 adult walleye were present in Mullett Lake.

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2009 Adult Walleye Population Estimate: The 2007 estimate of 49,740 adult walleye was thought to be extremely high so the State conducted a population estimate in 2009. The survey used electrofishing recapture methodology. This effort resulted in a population estimate of 2,648 adult walleye.

In 2009 (for the 2010 spearing season), the Tribes declared the use of the Allocation Level of Exploitation Procedure. Based on the population estimate of 2,648 and an exploitation level of 17.5%, both the State and the Tribes would have harvest limits of 463 fish under this scenario. Based on the 2009 creel survey, it was estimated that State anglers would reach this limit by July. Therefore, the State initiated the process of a fisheries order change for a zero walleye bag limit on Mullett Lake. All parties continued to discuss the issue with hopes of a different outcome than a fishery closure and allocation procedures. It was evident that the walleye population had declined, but by how much? Given that Mullett Lake is difficult to survey, and the system is open for walleye movement to and from the other lakes there was some uncertainty about the population estimate. The estimated range of adult walleyes in the 2009 survey was from a low of 2,001 fish to a high of 3,577 fish. Ultimately, the parties decided to use the upper limit of 3,577 adult walleye. In addition, it was decided to use an exploitation rate of 40% since research across the Midwest has shown that increasing the exploitation level of adult walleye from 35% to 40% would still protect the walleye population. The Tribes agreed to a quota of 15% of the estimated 3,577 adult walleye or 537 fish while the State’s quota was 25% or 894 walleyes.

The State and Tribes realized that more research was needed so the State continued the angler creel survey through 2010 and the State and Tribes agreed to pursue further assessment of the Mullett Lake system. Efforts were undertaken to begin stocking walleyes in the lake. To assist in protecting the walleye population, the walleye daily bag limit was lowered from 5 to 3 fish, and the opening of the walleye season was extended from the last Saturday in April until May 15. These regulations covered Mullett Lake, the Cheboygan River and the Black River below Alverno Dam.

Increased assessment of the Waterway indicated that many walleye migrated to Mullett Lake during the year from other areas within the Waterway. For example, most walleyes tagged in the Black River moved to Mullett Lake after spawning. By incorporating the movement component, it was determined that the actual exploitation rate for Mullett Lake was below 35%.

2016 Adult Walleye Population Estimate: According to the 2000 Decree, A lake is classified as a Stocked Walleye Lake System when more than 50% of the adult walleyes are stocked. Because a 1999 to 2014 marking evaluation showed the stocking contribution averaged about 60%, the Tribes and State agreed that Mullett Lake should be classified as a Stocked Walleye Lake System. According to the Wisconsin model for stocked lakes the adult walleye population estimate for Mullett Lake is 17,307 fish. Since the Tribes are using the lower Threshold Level of Exploitation procedure, the Tribes’ annual harvest share is 10% or 1,731 walleye and the State’s share is 25% or 4,327 walleye.

There are many remaining questions about the Cheboygan and Black river walleye spawning aggregations including the ratio of stocked to wild fish that are spawning and the safe allowable harvest of these spawning walleye so it was agreed to continue monitoring these rivers.

A discussion ensued on the Tribal walleye take in Mullett Lake, the Cheboygan River and the Black River. Bill Parsons, fisheries biologist from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians said generally less than 500 walleye are harvested by the Tribes per year, which is much lower than the Tribal quota. Also discussed was the relative appropriateness of the Wisconsin model, which generally overestimates the number of walleye for Michigan lakes. The Wisconsin model is based on surface area. Bill expressed the desire to develop a more appropriate Michigan regression model to estimate walleye abundance.

Recent stocking data for Mullett Lake Walleyes were stocked several times in Mullett Lake since 1999 with the largest plant occurring in 2013 when 466,000 spring fingerlings were stocked. The table below shows the amount stocked.

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The number of spring fingerling walleye stocked in Mullett Lake

Fall juvenile walleye indices/wild production Tim showed recent data on the fall walleye surveys, comparing stocked and non-stocked years for Mullett. Recently, several wild year classes have been produced.

Number of juvenile (age 0) walleye sampled fishing during the fall index surveys. Years with no red bar were not surveyed. Age 0 walleye catches in the fall are an indicator of year class strength.

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Creel data The creel data showed that the walleye harvest was high in 2016 compared to previous creel surveys. The yellow perch harvest has been declining from past levels. Often as walleye populations increase, yellow perch numbers decrease because of the predation. For example, the current the excellent walleye fishery in Saginaw Bay has depressed the yellow perch fishery. Reproduction of yellow perch is near or above record levels in Saginaw Bay yet predation from walleye and other predators prevents few yellow perch from surviving to age 1.

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2017 DNR fish community survey The gill net survey in the 2017 Mullett Lake fish community survey showed that the 2015 walleye year class was strong. This year class was not evaluated with a fall juvenile survey, so this indicates 3 straight years of good natural reproduction of walleye in Mullett Lake from 2014 through 2016.

Fisheries Order change and timeline The Fisheries Division has recommended changing the current walleye season opener for Mullett Lake from May 15 to the statewide opener of the last Saturday in April but keep delayed May 15 opener on Black and Cheboygan rivers. In addition, it is recommended that the 3 fish per day bag limit revert to the statewide daily bag limit of 5 fish in the lake and rivers. This essentially is reverting back to the statewide standard fishing regulations, while maintaining a spawning closure of walleye in the rivers downstream of Mullett Lake.

Roger Selvig, Black Lake Association, stated that some anglers below Alverno Dam are unaware of the regulations and he suggested that more signs be provided in the area. Many of the signs are removed each year.

Discussion continued about having the walleye season open early under the statewide regulations because in colder springs the walleyes are still spawning when the season opens. Some attendees thought that a May 15 opener is probably more appropriate for all the waters in the Waterway.

Many of the participants were concerned about clearly delineating the line between Mullett Lake and the Cheboygan River to ensure people are aware of the differing regulations. Should the line be at the end of the break wall, or the extension of the shoreline, or another designation such as 100 yards from pier head? Possibly signs would help. 9

The group was polled as to their ideas regarding the regulation: • Gil Archambo - in favor of the proposed regulations; this will keep Mullett the same as other lakes. Actually, he was in favor of a May 15th walleye opener for all waters. • Mike Beuerle – In favor of proposal. • David Bock – In favor of proposal. • Paul Borg – In favor of proposal. • Irv Dedow – In favor of proposal but would like the entire Waterway open May 15 • Doug Dingey – In favor of proposal but would like folks to think about a 3 fish limit on the rivers. If the river regulations are an exception in terms of season, we might as well have the bag limit exception, which would help address genetic concerns for these relatively small spawning populations. • Wayne Blomberg – in favor of proposal • Roger Selvig – In favor of proposal. • Rick Johnson – BLPA in favor. May result in less pressure on Burt • Brad Kessel let Tim Cwalinski know that he was in favor of the Mullett Lake proposal, as well as the statewide yellow perch daily bag limit change proposal. • Dave Kolar- In favor of proposal but wants clear delineation of the Mullett Lake and Cheboygan River boundary. • Roy Tassava – In favor of proposal. • Frank Krist – Frank noted that the lake is not productive, and he would like to keep regulations the same as they are now. The fishery has been improving under the current regulations. • Rick Fowler – In favor of proposal. • Mike Parrott – In favor of proposal. • Other attendees – Dennis Fauver - yes, Jim Chamberlin – yes, Tim Howell - yes, Dan Collard - yes, Mike Vigneau –yes, but likes the May 15 opener for all waters. Dave Hutto - yes. Theresa Krist said yes, supporting the proposed change because she is concerned about the increasing walleye population depressing the yellow perch population.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be dredging two sites in the Inland Waterway during 2018 and the Lake Kathleen/Maple River dam removal project (Dave Borgeson).

Two sites within the Inland Waterway will be dredged in 2018.

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Dredging Mullett Lake outlet to Cheboygan River – just out from the channel walls.

Dredging Crooked River – In Alanson just upstream from the locks, at the mouth of a stream Wayne Blomberg said that there are plans to install sediment basins in the stream to intercept the sand prior to the stream entering Crooked River.

Lake Kathleen/Maple River dam removal 11

• The DEQ permit application is currently available for public review. The project includes the dam removal, and replacement of crossings at Woodland Road and a two-track over the East Branch. The application, plans and many other detailed information are available on the DEQ permit website, MiWaters, https://miwaters.deq.state.mi.us/miwaters/#/external/publicnotice/info/1657070311819280683/documents . • The bid period has closed and bids are being reviewed. • Draw-down is expected to start around the end of May or early June. • It is not certain if there will be a public meeting.

Yellow Perch bag limits, time for a change statewide? (Randy Claramunt, DNR Lake Huron Basin Coordinator).

Anglers have been asking the DNR for a reduction in the current 50 yellow perch daily bag limit to 25. The limit increased to 50 in 1979, when perch were more abundant. Randy showed all the different exceptions to perch regulations throughout the state. Randy mentioned that the Lake Gogebic regulations are a 25 daily limit with only 5 fish over 12 inches. There is a tendency of adding exceptions across the State. These exceptions make law

enforcement more difficult and often confuse anglers. There is the potential, however, to have an exception to this statewide proposal for a 25 fish bag limit in Lake Erie because they already have a mechanism to change their regulations as needed.

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Randy talked about the biological and social aspects of a bag limit. In most cases, the daily bag limit is a social issue, but the growing number of exceptions indicates that there is biological concern in some areas. Depending on effort, the relative importance of social and biological factors can vary greatly.

How many anglers catch over 25 fish, and how much of the harvest can be attributed to catching over 25 perch? On average only about 4% of the anglers catch over 25 yellow perch per day. Wisconsin found that generally more conservative panfish regulations resulted in a better-quality fishery by increasing the average length of panfish. Some other states have gone to more restrictive panfish regulations. Much work has been undertaken including a DNR scientific review of the proposal, comments were provided by internal and external fishery committees and an electronic angler survey is being conducted. The results of the electronic survey to date are 55% in favor of a 25 fish limit, 10% are in favor of lowering the limit even further to possibly 10 fish, 25% are in favor of keeping the limit at 50, and 10% have no opinion.

Jim Chamberlin asked about the charter boat fishing operations, and how they felt about the regulation. Some thought this would not be much of an issue, since “getting a limit” is often a point of satisfaction for many anglers, and the regulation would allow more people to achieve their limit. Changes in possession limits would be impacted, however, by the regulation change and Randy mentioned that if the yellow perch bag limit is lowered to 25, the possession would be lowered proportionally. For example, once a person processes their fish, the person can legally have 150 yellow perch in the freezer currently but if the bag limit is lowered to 25 then the number of yellow perch each angler can have in possession would be 75.

Next steps for this regulation proposal are to continue to compile the results of the survey and if there is enough support, complete the regulation change process. The final step is to request approval from the Natural Resources Commission.

The votes of those present were: 20 were supportive of the proposed regulation change, and two were supportive of keeping the daily limit for yellow perch at 50.

Meeting hall fee rotation (Krist, group)

Frank asked if everyone is satisfied with the current meeting location. The participants were very supportive of continuing to meet at the Tuscarora Township Hall. Theresa paid the fee this time and other groups have paid for previous meetings ($25). Frank asked if the groups were willing to rotate paying the meeting fee. No one objected so Frank asked that any group that was interested let him know and he will maintain a list, so it is easy to rotate between organizations.

Roundtable (all)

Wayne Blomberg – Wayne is seeing a lack of crayfish in Crooked and Pickerel lakes. There are even fewer rusty crayfish. Also, he is not seeing as many mink as well and they possibly fed on crayfish.

Theresa Krist – Theresa noted that she has been attending too many meetings and she is not fishing enough.

Dave Kolar – Dave said the walleye on Mullett seem to be skinny. Dave is also worried about Line 5, and implications if there is a break. He also expressed concern about potential implications of Asian carp if they became established in the Waterway.

Tim Howell – Tim said he enjoyed his first meeting today.

Mike Beuerle – Mike said it was an informative meeting, has always been in favor of a 25 perch limit, and agreed with Dave’s line 5 comments

Dan Collard – said he enjoyed his first meeting. 13

Gil Archambo – Concurred with Dave’s comments on Line 5 and Asian carp. They are currently planning for the sturgeon guarding program and outreach efforts. It was mentioned that Brenda received the 2018 Michigan Outdoors News Award for Person of the Year. Several participants spoke up and said that Brenda is an excellent leader and an extremely intense worker that assuredly deserves the award.

Mike Parrott – Mike commended DNR on recent management efforts in Black Lake. Fishing in 2017 was the best year in many years. Black Lake has been yielding some bigger perch recently as well. He concurred that it was a very informative meeting.

David Bock – Dave said that he is also worried about Line 5 and is supportive of the proposed 25 perch limit.

Rick Johnson – Rick explained that anglers on Burt Lake caught perch early during the winter and then it slowed down. Rick mentioned the perch were good size and he only caught 1 perch less than 7 inches. Rick reiterated that he is ok with the proposed statewide 25 fish bag limit. Walleye fishing was pretty good this year. Rick noted that Dave Steenstra, past president of the Burt Lake Preservation Association, has a passion for sturgeon and he has started The Sturgeon Club https://www.blpa.org/the-sturgeon-club They are encouraging anyone that is interested to join, and the Club is looking forward to more sturgeon-related efforts in Burt Lake. Jim Burke is the current president of the Burt Lake Preservation Association.

Jim Chamberlin – It was Jim’s first meeting and he was impressed with the turnout and the information presented. He commented that the social aspects of fisheries management are certainly taking the forefront, and often social media lends itself to people tending to pass judgement on others.

Roger Selvig – Roger mentioned the effects of dam management on Black Lake water levels. The past study discussed the impacts of the Smith Rapids and dam management on water levels. He said that Huron Pines is planning to conduct an invasive plant survey and some treatments will occur. The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council will be undertaking a water sampling effort this year. Roger complemented Brenda Archambo on her conservationist of the year award.

Bob Miller – Bob said he always enjoys these meetings and the different views folks have. He enjoys the opportunity to not only to voice his opinion, but also it allows him to take informed messages from the meeting back to others. The education occurring is not just for him, but for others.

Paul Borg – Paul likes standardization of fishing regulations when possible. Grand Lake had good fishing fall and early winter but there were few people fishing toward the end of the ice fishing season. There was a good turnout for the February fishing tournament with lots of kids participating.

Dennis Fauver – Dennis wanted to let everyone know that a woman won the fishing contest with 13.75 inch perch. This was her first ice fishing attempt and her first-time fishing! He also said the Grand Lake Sportsmens Club is applying for grant to upgrade the north boat launch since it needs much work. They are planning to install a second ramp at the Fletcher-Gilchrist Park site located next to the dam on the north end of the lake. The Sportsmen’s Club and Road Commission have worked well together in recent years to make improvements at this location. They are hoping the project goes through. Grand Lake is nearly 6,000 acres in size and it is about 8 miles from the south to north end. The DNR maintains a public access site on the south end of the lake and it is extremely import for adequate access and safe boating that both sites are upgraded and maintained well. Frank asked if a letter of support could be drafted from the Committee. Dennis said they would welcome a letter of support. Everyone in attendance agreed that Frank should draft a letter. Tim said the DNR could write one as well. Note: both letters were provided.

There was still much ice on Grand Lake. Tim said bass anglers saw very few fish in recent years, and some potential disease issues. Some dead bass were seen. If anyone notices many dead fish, they should contact the DNR and freeze some samples. 14

Irv Dedow – Line 5 is very long as it runs through the Upper Peninsula and it is a potential hazard for many places. Irv did not get out as much on the ice this year. He went to Raber Bay but was not successful. He caught a lot of juvenile walleyes this year. Irv asked about the possibility to have fewer agenda topics, less presenters, and more time for questions and comments. Frank said that was the intent for this meeting and the goal overall since nearly 2 hours were provided for the Mullett Lake walleye regulation proposal. Irv noted that he liked the meeting today and agreed that it provided more time for discussions.

Doug Dingey – Doug asked who controls the Cheboygan Dam flow in the fall. Dave Stempky at the Cheboygan Field Office is the person to contact at 231-627-9011.

Officer Eric Bottorff – DNR Law Enforcement said that Burt Lake offered up good catches of walleye and large fish early.

Officer Tim Rosochacki – DNR Law Enforcement noted that compliance with the fishing regulations was pretty good this year with too many tip-ups the most common issue encountered.

Randy Claramunt DNR Lake Huron Basin Coordinator – provided an update on cormorants. Randy explained that it was up to anglers to notify their US representatives, and many of the participants have done so. Subsequently, Representative Bergman put forth a bill, which is still in committee but would change the law to protect free swimming fishes and allow the states to again manage cormorants to protect recreational and commercial fisheries. The following is a link to Congressman Bergman’s Cormorant Control Bill H.R. 4429 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4429

Frank urged attendees to voice their cormorant control concerns to their U.S. Congressional representatives. It is best to follow-up every month or so to obtain a progress report and establish a relationship with them to ensure you are heard.

Tim mentioned that the sturgeon harvest on Black Lake went well during February with the assistance of Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow

3:25 Adjourn

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