DNR Public Hearing on Bottom-Trawling for Whitefish Nov. 20

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public hearing on a permanent rule regulating bottom-trawling for Lake Michigan whitefish on Nov. 20, 6 pm, at the Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland.

Written comments on the rule and its potential impacts will be accepted through Nov. 23. Visit the DNR website for hearing information and additional details on the proposed permanent rules. 

Bottom-trawling for lake whitefish has occurred since 2015 in an area of Lake Michigan near Two Rivers as part of a cooperative study among the DNR, Sea Grant and a commercial fishing company. Under this proposed rule, commercial fishers could elect to bottom-trawl in this area as an alternative to using nets to fill their preexisting lake whitefish quotas.This rule would standardize gear, monitoring and reporting requirements for lake-whitefish trawling. Limits on the area open to trawling, the number of licenses, trawling dimensions and season, the amount of time per trawl drag, and the overall whitefish quota will prevent overharvest of lake whitefish and minimize incidental catch.