Latest news with #NaturalResourcesCommission
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Michigan DNR proposes new season to catch Great Lakes region's largest fish, lake sturgeon
Michigan anglers may soon have more opportunities to battle and catch the Great Lakes region's largest fish, a fish that traces back to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in consultation with their counterparts in Wisconsin, are proposing to create a "catch and immediate release" fishing season for lake sturgeon in the Menominee River that forms the Michigan-Wisconsin boundary in the far western Upper Peninsula. If approved by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, the season would begin on the first Saturday in June 2026 and run through the first Sunday of March 2027 in a section of the Menominee River from the Grand Rapids dam upstream to Sturgeon Falls Dam. Michigan and Wisconsin fisheries biologists have found that between 4,500 and 6,900 lake sturgeon are believed to live in river reaches separated by hydroelectric dams between the Grand Rapids Dam and Sturgeon Falls Dam. These populations currently sustain a short harvest season running from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30. "Enacting a (catch-and-immediate-release) season will benefit anglers and should not pose a threat to the robust lake sturgeon population," DNR division chiefs wrote in a proposed fisheries order presented to the Natural Resources Commission at its Aug. 14 meeting in Gaylord. The added season is supported by local law enforcement in the Menominee River region, local sportfishing clubs and the West U.P. Citizen Advisory Council, the division chiefs stated. More: Decades of Michigan lake data, hidden in filing cabinets, digitized with volunteer help DNR chiefs also propose a tweak to the current lake sturgeon season on Black Lake in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties in the northern Lower Peninsula. The sturgeon harvest season is sometimes incredibly short, lasting only 17 minutes on Feb. 1 before the quota of six lake sturgeon was reached. Interest in the season has continued to rise, despite relatively stable fish quotas, with 776 anglers registered in 2025, up from 403 anglers in 2019. The Black Lake season can currently run from the first Saturday in February through the following Wednesday or until the harvest quota is reached. The DNR proposes making the maximum length to the following Monday or until the quota is met. "With the current season, there is a potential for it to last up to five days, which would be extremely challenging for statewide staff (fisheries and law enforcement) to stay longer than a one- or two-day season due to travel, overtime and overall budgetary issues," the DNR division chiefs stated in a proposed fisheries order presented to the commission. The Natural Resources Commission could enact the season changes as soon as its meeting, scheduled for Sept. 11. Lake sturgeon are the Great Lakes region's largest fish, relatively unchanged from the time of the dinosaurs. According to Michigan Sea Grant, the sturgeon are nearshore fish that live at water depths of 15-30 feet. They feed along lake bottoms, eating a variety of small animals, including snails, crustaceans, aquatic insects, mussels, and small fish. Most lake sturgeon caught today weigh between 30 and 100 pounds and grow from 3 to 6 feet in length. More: Sea lamprey control efforts slowed during COVID-19. It let the Great Lakes invaders flourish Lake sturgeon live longer than any other fish species in Michigan. Male lake sturgeon live an average of 55 years. Females live 80 to 150 years. It takes a long time for the fish to mature − males 15 years; females up to 25 years. The females spawn once every four years. Considered a net-wrecking nuisance by colonial fishermen in the late 1800s and early 1900s, lake sturgeon were destroyed in large numbers. Their populations were further dwindled by the installation of dams on waterways. The current lake sturgeon population is estimated to be 1% of its historical abundance in Michigan. But habitat restoration efforts and strict harvest seasons have allowed sturgeon populations to stabilize and begin to recover. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan may expand opportunities to catch 'prehistoric' lake sturgeon Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Get rid of these insane violations': Ted Nugent tells DNR at Michigan Capitol
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Rock musician and Michigan native Ted Nugent testified in Michigan's Capitol earlier today about the 'need for accountability at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.' Nugent spoke to the Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources, and the Oversight Subcommittee on Weaponization of State Government. 'I want to set the table clear, there are some people in this room here that are stupid enough to listen to the lying anti-hunting media, that have lied and falsely accused me of violations. I abide by the law,' said Nugent. 'Before I go deer hunting, I buy a deer license. I examine where I can deer hunt and with what weapon. My dad raised me with the discipline of conservation, marksmanship, safe gun handling, and the perfection of venison as the healthiest diet in the world,' added Nugent. Nugent went on to call Michigan the 'laughing stock of the nation,' saying that families often come up to him with horror stories of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issuing unjustified tickets. Nugent goes on to highlight his , which promotes the 'healing powers of nature, the natural highs and stimuli of an outdoor lifestyle, and the definitive discipline of the 'aim small, miss small' mystical flight of the arrow for a higher level of awareness and ultimate quality of life.' Nugent claims that the DNR and the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) have violated their 'moral duty,' calling the organizations' wildlife management practices 'insane.' 'When I started hunting, some man thought he had control over whether I hunted out of a tree or not. Is that man in attendance here that has control over my tree climbing? No man has control over my tree climbing,' said Nugent. He claims that his advocacy helped remove this law. He also disputes the law in several counties across that state that hunting is illegal on Sunday. 'Who is the man that can intervene between God's nature and my recreational sporting spirit connection to the good earth?' He claims that his advocacy helped remove this law as well. 'I beg you, on behalf of the good people that come up to me every day, get rid of these insane violations,' said Nugent. Nugent claims that the DNR and NRC have 'chased families out of the sport over absolutely insane anti-nature, anti-science regulations.' In his closing statement, Nugent calls the DNR and NRC 'the enemies of conservation in Michigan. I implore you, in the once great state of Michigan, the once number one hunting state in the nation. Let's return it to that responsible, conservation, wise-use ethic. Other speakers expressed their concerns regarding current DNR and NRC polices. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan DNR halts program to euthanize Canada geese
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan lawmakers recently passed a controversial proposal to lethally gas Canada geese. However, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says it's now changing course. The pilot proposal passed by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission last October allowed for the roundup and lethal gassing of Canada geese during summer months when they're flightless, as a way to reduce overpopulation and conflict. Under the program, landowners are able to seek a permit to have geese on their property captured and humanely euthanized, but only after they have attempted a number of control methods, including nest and egg destruction, according to the state department. Michigan lawmakers expressed concerns about the program in a letter penned to the Natural Resources Commission in late April, prompting a response from Michigan DNR director M. Scott response comes a week before the May 16 deadline to apply for permits for the program. 'The department planned to continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and safety concerns for areas with overabundant Canada goose populations. We will also continue to encourage non-lethal techniques for landowners to deal with problem geese, including eliminating feeding, using scare tactics and destroying nests' Michigan DNR director M. Scott Bowen's letter says in part The DNR says on its website that it encourages tolerance and coexistence with Canada geese, stating that there are numerous non-lethal techniques available, and that capture and euthanasia should only be considered as a last resort. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
