LANSING, MI - A trio of House bills that impact commercial fishing on the Great Lakes are on their way to the Senate.

House Bills 4567, 4568, 4569 ban commercial fishing of yellow perch, reserving the tasty fish for recreational anglers. The bills also ban commercial fishing for walleye and lake trout. The bills also aim to increase regulations on the commercial fishing industry in Michigan.

The three bills previously made it out of the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee during the Oct. 8 session and were approved by the House on Thursday, Feb. 6.

The three bills were tie-barred together but were voted on separately. The vote was:

- HB 4567: 72 Yes, 32 No.

- HB 4568: 73 Yes, 31 No.

- HB 4569: 73 Yes, 31 No.

Five representatives were listed as absent, including Saginaw Bay area Rep. Brian Elder, D-Bay City.

The bills are a victory for sports fishermen and conservationists, who hope to see the bills become law to preserve the Great Lakes’ fisheries.

“I think that there was great support for the conservation and the bills, I think it goes to show you that there’s a lot of strong support in our legislature for conservation and protecting our natural resources, especially as they relate to the Great Lakes," Saginaw Bay sports fishermen Mike Kelly said.

Rep. Phil Green, a Republican whose 84th District covers Huron and Tuscola counties, said the vote was difficult, but he supported all three bills.

“It was a difficult decision for me, but I voted yes with the understanding that it was going to protect the investment that the recreational fishermen have put in to help and restore the lake trout, and the walleye, and the perch," Green said.

Bay City Commissioner and avid sports fisherman Ed Clements said he was happy with the bipartisan support the bills received in the House.

But the bills’ progression is deeply troubling to Michigan’s commercial fishermen, who fear that the legislation would put them out of business.

Lakon Williams of the Bay Port Fish Co. expressed her concern. The company nets whitefish and perch in Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron.

“I knew that that was going to happen, unfortunately we’ve been trying since the summertime to get through to the House of Representatives that this isn’t what we want and this isn’t what we need, and that this will put us out of business. It’s just kind of fallen on deaf ears,” she said.

HB 4567-4569′s substitute H-5 includes a new option for the DNR to offer compensation for commercial fishing licenses if the department rescinds or does not reissue a license to protect the fishery.

“They want to pay us to not fish. Our stance is that we don’t want to be paid to not fish, we want to fish and be paid. So they must think that’s helping us, but what am I supposed to do with my career?” Williams asked.

Williams said that the next step is for commercial fishing companies and their customers to start reaching out to the Senate.

“We are reaching out to a lot of people and a lot of representatives, now we’re going to be focusing on the Senate to get our voices heard,” she said.

Meanwhile, restaurants like Oasis Lounge at 1913 Kosciuszko Ave. in Bay City have a long-standing tradition of hosting fish fries during the Lenten season. These fish fries normally have golden-fried perch as their centerpiece and fish of choice.

“It’s going to hurt us real bad, I don’t know what we’re going to do. I have no idea, I really don’t. We’ll just have to wait and see," Oasis Lounge Manager Cassie Huizar said.

The bills are tie-barred together and will now be making their way to a Senate committee.

There still is time and a chance for the bills to change. If the Senate decides to make any amendments to them, they will be referred back to the House for their consideration.

“I don’t think they’re perfect bills, they’ll probably have some work done to them in the Senate, and then send it back to us for another approval," Green said.

Related news:

Commercial perch fishing on Great Lakes restricted under state House proposals

Great Lakes anglers backing laws to further regulate commercial fishing

Bill to ban catching perch for profit has Saginaw Bay fishing company worried