Tag Archives: commercial fisherman Dana Serafin

Inland Fisheries: A big fight in Lansing over fishing rules on the Great Lakes

Dana Serafin still hauls in 20,000-pound boatloads of whitefish to supply regional restaurants and markets, Native whitefish, the main livelihood for Serafin and other Great Lakes commercial fishermen, have been in decline for years amid changes to the food web, replaced in Serafin’s nets by healthier populations of walleye and lake trout that he’s not allowed to keep. Chinook salmon, once a favorite of recreational anglers on lakes Michigan and Huron, have also plummeted in Lake Michigan, and all but disappeared from Lake Huron. Battles are brewing over fishing rights from recreational, commercial, Native American, and environmental group meddling. Video, >click to read< 13:41

The first year of a three-year experiment allowing commercial fishing for whitefish in southern Lake Huron is wrapping up.

Tom Goniea, the administrator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ commercial fishing program, said 635825137851689110-whitefishof Pinconning had collapsed his trap nets before pulling them. “He’s done for the season now,” Goniea said. “I was out on his boat (Oct. 26) when he did his last set of the year.” Goniea said the experiment likely will continue in 2016. “I see no reason why it wouldn’t at this point,” he said. “He was relatively successful this year considering the fact he missed the first two months of the season. Read the rest here 09:43

Inland Fisheries: Lake Huron Commercial fishery moves to Harbor Beach coastal waters

We believe that there is a substantial and exploitable population of lake whitefish out there,” said DNR fisheries biologist Jim Baker. “The Canadians have been taking lake whitefish out there all these many years on their side of the lake and we suspect that we have been serving as a reservoir to supply their commercial fishery.”To judge its potential, the DNR partnered with state-licensed commercial fisherman Dana Serafin out of Pinconning to explore new fishing grounds for lake whitefish in the area. Read the rest here 12:47