As per the report the anglers carrying wire cutters on board and the changes in the rules of the commercial fishing are the topic of public hearings in Cleveland and Bayfield. The hearings are on emergency rules adopted in April by the state Natural Resources Board and aimed at better protecting sport anglers on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior from potential hazards under the water, including commercial fishing nets.
Department of Natural Resources has already place information of these rules on Trap Net Safety on the Great Lakes page. The department has laid the emergency rules with effect from May 15 and will go on for 90 days. Bill Horns, DNR Great Lakes fisheries specialist, said that public comment collected at the hearings or through written statements sent to the DNR will be used to help shape any further rule-making efforts.
As per emergency rules sport anglers must have wire cutters directly and immediately accessible on their boat if they are trolling with downriggers. Commercial fishermen on Lake Superior must mark their nets with flags and buoys identically to how they are marked on Lake Michigan, and commercial fishers on both lakes must mark the nets with reflective tape to make them easier to see at night and in other low-light conditions if anglers use bright flashlights.
The rules also mentioned that all parts of commercial trap nets set in Lake Michigan in two areas — one south of Sheboygan harbor and one between Manitowoc and Two Rivers harbor — must be in water deeper than 60 feet from June 29 through Labor Day. The new minimum depth lets sport anglers know with certainty where the nets will not be, so they can fish there comfortably.
