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If you are a fisherman in Michigan or interested in conservation in the Great Lakes, we need your support of a package of bills that are currently working their way through the Michigan House of Representatives.  The bills, HB 4567, 4568, and 4569, will dramatically improve the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ ability to manage the state's commercial fishing industry by protecting gamefish species (including walleye, perch, lake trout, and smallmouth bass) from commercial netting harvest.  Additionally, these bills will update commercial fishing regulations that have been in place since the 1920s and have not been updated since the 1960s, establish a new license fee and penalty structure for the commercial fishing industry so it will be self-supporting and not reliant upon subsidies from sportsfishermen, and require commercial fishers to report GPS coordinates of nets to increase recreational boater safety.  These bills will also help inform discussions in 2020 with five tribal governments as a new consent decree is negotiated for tribal fishing in Michigan.

The bills have the support of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Trout Unlimited, the Michigan Charter Boat Association, the Saginaw Bay Walleye Club, the Arenac County Walleye Club, and dozens of additional groups representing companies, cities, townships, chambers of commerce and thousands of sportsmen and sportswomen across the state and country.

Please SIGN and SHARE this petition AND CALL YOUR LOCAL LEGISLATOR including House Ways and Means Committee Chair and bill sponsor Jim Lilly ( JimLilly@house.mi.gov / (517) 373-0838) and let them know that you join thousands of others across Michigan that enthusiastically support this important effort to protect Michigan’s recreational fishery. Michigan relies on this industry that supports more than 35,000 jobs, is a top generator of tourism, and provides more than $2 billion to the state’s economy each year.  We cannot afford to jeopardize this critical part of our state’s heritage and economy.