TOPIC:

Great Lakes Salmon Initiative
1 hr ·
The GLSI stands for Great (plural) Lakes Salmon Initiative. We are about the proper scientific management of our fisheries and resources in all the Great Lakes to maintain a balance of all predators and the prey base. The first person or organization that chooses to stand up and contest current methods or agendas in any situation tends to get bloodied. The GLSI has brought to light the egregious agenda of mainly the USFWS and the GLFC to return the Great Lakes to a Native Self Sustained Fishery. We have been called radicals because we took on this daunting task to bring the truth to the public and in doing so we have to go to extremes to save a multi billion dollar a year SALMON FISHERY--not a Lake Trout industry. The DNRs in all states surrounding the Great Lakes are under pressure by federal agencies to adopt the native agenda and within the DNRs there are managers, biologists etc. that have bought into this agenda and use "science" to sell it to the public. Enough is Enough!
The GLSI is not attacking the L. Huron Chinook fishery. We are attacking the "science" and the erroneous planting of Chinook in an ecosystem that has an inadequate bait population to support this predator and thusly effects the proper management of L. Michigan. This is not to say that in the future that Chinook cannot be brought back to L. Huron but using "science" this is not the time. The argument that L. Michigan has natural reproduction is only partially true. If it was the MDNR would or should manage this fishery to sustain natural reproduction and the fishery. As stands currently they are not. They are just beginning microchemistry studies to determine natal river systems and have 1 grad student doing this study. It takes money--if this was a study on Lake Trout the feds would be throwing money at the mdnr but it goes against the federal agenda!! Keep the feds out of states fisheries management!! This year was not an epic salmon season on L. Michigan or rivers for salmon but it was improved in some ports. BUT everyone needs to understand that the conditions this year in the river systems are not conducive to natal reproduction and mimic the collapse of reproduction in 2009-2012 with low, clear hot water, not conditions that support an adequate spawn. The GLSI has not attacked the MDNR to prove natal production but have approached them with ideas and solutions to solve this problem for better overall management. If L. Huron anglers want better management the GLSI would love to entertain a Chapter on L. Huron of the GLSI.
In the next 2 weeks Lakes Mich. and Huron the Citizens Fishery Advisory Councils meet. These groups are at a crossroads--they have the opportunity to start to correct the erroneous errors and failures that have occurred in our salmon management program. For example calling Swan River a secondary chinook egg take site when they get 350,000+ plants and the Little Manistee the primary site gets 150,000 plants is nothing short of asinine. It's about numbers not just a play on words. We are calling on our Basin Coordinators and our Citizen Advisors to do what is right and correct this mismanagement. Why doesn't the Little Manistee get enough returns and "the state needs eggs from Swan"? Simple it's about numbers!! Why does L Huron get more salmon planted than L Michigan when they don't have alewives?? According to Frank Krist it is about alewife suppression--huh? Where is L Hurons predator prey model? Where is the tribal reduction numbers if the salmon fishery is collapsing, when they get 80% of L Michigan plants at 1(one) Nunns Creek? L. Michigans management is effected by L Hurons management program and L. Michigan shouldn't be their dining table! The state can save and improve the Chinook fishery and the tremendous economic impact that it has on coastal communities and the state in it's entirety. We can bring angling effort hours, energy and success back to this fishery. Managers, Biologists we are calling on you to break out of the box. Implement Zonal management, increase chinook in Lake Michigan even if it requires moving chinook from L. Huron, move more than 50,000 coho from Platte River, quit saying what if, be proactive and more reactive.