• State-licensed commercial fishers on Lake Superior
• Tribal-licensed commercial fishers on Lake Superior
• Recreational fishers on Lake Superior
• Recreational fishing guides and charter fishing businesses
State-licensed commercial fishers will be affected by the amount of fish they are able to harvest. It is not expected that fishers will have any compliance expenditures or reporting changes associated with the rule.
7. Summary and preliminary comparison with any existing or proposed federal regulation that is intended to address the activities to be regulated by the proposed rule:
No federal regulations apply. None of the rule proposals violate or conflict with federal regulations.
8. Anticipated economic impact of implementing the rule:
The rule will impact the harvest of lake trout and other species by commercial fishers and recreational fishers. Because of the decline in lake trout populations, these groups that fish in Lake Superior would have a reduction in overall harvest limits.
The rule may alter the amount of gillnet effort commercial fishers can use to target lake whitefish, which is the primary species sought by commercial fishers. Lake trout are often caught in the same nets as whitefish. However, the impact of reduced gillnet footage can be buffered if commercial fishers shift to using trap nets, which are not subject to the same effort restrictions governing gillnets. Recreational fishers will be affected by a change in the lake trout daily bag limit or size limit in order to reduce overall harvest, but this is not expected to cause any expenditures for recreational fishers. The proposed rule will have an effect on small businesses that conduct commercial fishing and a potential indirect effect on fishing guides and charter fishing businesses, but does not impose any compliance or reporting requirements nor would any design or operational standards be contained in the rule.
The rule imposing harvest reductions is necessary in order to ensure a sustainable lake trout fishery over the long-term that provides an economic and natural resource benefit for all affected. The rule may have a moderate economic impact in the Lake Superior region, but an exact amount of impact is unknown at this time. If a permanent rule is pursued, the Department will conduct an economic impact analysis to gather comments from any individuals, businesses, local governments, or other entities that expect to be affected economically by the rule change.
The Department is meeting with state-licensed commercial fishers and holding public meetings in September and October 2015 to discuss the lake trout quotas, allocation, and options for management.
9. Anticipated number, month and locations of public hearings:
The Department will hold one public hearing in Ashland within 45 days after the emergency rule is in effect to collect additional public input on the rule.
Contact Person: Terry Margenau, Lake Superior Fisheries Supervisor, 715-779-4035
