According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources DNR more than 20,000 pounds of walleye may have been taken illegally in the area within the past two months, and it appears the poaching also happened during several previous winters. It is told that the officials of DNR conservation had broke the case after seizing 256 pounds of fish that had been snagged in gill nets last week.
DNR Capt. Tom Courchain informed that commercial netting is illegal in the bay, although several Indian tribes have treaty rights to use nets for subsistence fishing. He added that officers with the DNR and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians removed 1,200 feet of illegal gill nets from the bay. Darren Kramer, a DNR fisheries biologist in Escanaba, opined that together, Little Bay de Noc and nearby Big Bay de Noc boast a world-class sport fishery that draws anglers from across the Midwest.
Commercial fishing in Michigan is overseen by the state and by Indian tribes. Wholesalers who distribute fish to restaurants, grocery stores and other retailers are required to keep records that help regulators track the volume of the harvest. The department began an investigation and conducted surveillance on and near Little Bay de Noc, said Gary Hagler, chief of the law enforcement division. He added that the probe found that thousands of pounds of walleye had been caught illegally and funneled to the market through a licensed commercial fisherman.
