Commercial fishing trial worries Lake Huron anglers

When the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced a three-year trial to allow a commercial fishery to pursue whitefish in southern Lake Huron, recreational anglers took to social media to express their outrage.

"We'll lose our gear." "The fishery has been built up, can it sustain the pressure?" "Will we damage props and other equipment."

Recreational anglers still are concerned.

Judy Ogden, who is a member of the Blue Water Sportfishing Association and a public at-large adviser to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, said she can understand the concerns.

"There's always disagreements about how much of the fishery should be recreational and how much should be commercial," she said.

The proposed fishing grounds are north of Port Sanilac and south of Harbor Beach. Ogden said that area is a popular fishing spot in the summer for anglers seeking salmon and lake trout.

It's also an area that anglers motor through on their way to other fishing spots, Ogden said.

"I think probably the concern is maybe this is just the first venture, and maybe they will go after some other kind of fish," Ogden said. "We're very concerned about that."

The state, in its news release, said southern Lake Huron has not been commercially fished in Michigan waters for about five decades. The DNR's Fisheries Division believes there could be enough whitefish to be commercially harvested.

"Our main way to look at whitefish populations is through commercial nets," said Tom Goniea, the DNR's commercial fishing program administrator. "The only way for us to get out there and actively look at adult whitefish populations is through the commercial gear.

"We do assume there are going to be whitefish down there in pretty good numbers."

The state also is hoping that by allowing the commercial fisherman, Dana Serafin, to move his operation to southern Lake Huron, some of the fishing pressure in Saginaw Bay will be relieved, according to Goniea.

"There are too many licenses and too much gear in Saginaw Bay," Goniea said. "We're looking for ways to alleviate that and remove numbers of nets from Saginaw Bay.'

Serafin, who is based in Pinconning, has the most licenses and most gear working on Saginaw Bay, Goniea said — four licenses and 86 trap nets.

He accounts for almost 50% of the bay's perch harvest, almost 50% of the whitefish harvest, and about 37% of the catfish harvest.

"Those are the three most lucrative species in Saginaw Bay," Goniea said.

"This is not just about our goal of reducing licenses and gear, but it also includes an overall goal of reducing the commercial harvest of perch."

He said if Serafin can make a commercial go of fishing for whitefish in lower Lake Huron, the understanding is he will give up his trap nets in Saginaw Bay "and we will retire them."

The state has created a web page with information about the trial at www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-355666--,00.html, including a diagram of the trap nets and a map of the fishing grounds.

"As the nets go into the water, we also will be listing their coordinates on that page," Goniea said.

Serafin can start setting nets this week and can fish through the rest of the year. Nets are up to 1,000 feet long and 500 feet wide. They are 45 feet tall and can be set in water 80 to 150 feet deep. They are marked with stake buoys.

Goniea said the anticipated fishery would be one license and 10 trap nets.

"That size fishery operates in Tawas, it operates in Alpena, it operates in Muskegon, it operates in Leland," he said. "We know that's the proper amount of gear to be out there so everybody can get along."

In addition to the trial in southern Lake Huron, the state also announced a panel to look at the possible effects of proposals to raise fish in net pens in the Great Lakes.

Contact Bob Gross at 810-989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.

More information

Trap nets in southern Lake Huron

■ A web page with information about a three-year trial of commercial fishing for whitefish in southern Lake Huron using trap nets is at www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-355666--,00.html.

■ The web page includes coordinates of where the nets are set.