GLMRIS releases Subsistence Fishing and Pro-Fishing Reports
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released two reports today, "Treaty Rights and Subsistence Fishing in the U.S. Waters of the Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River Basins" (Subsistence Fishing Report) and "Pro-Fishing Tournaments in the Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River Basins" (Pro-Fishing Report). These reports are Interim Products of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS).
The Pro-fishing Report acts as a snapshot of pro-fishing tournaments within the study area. It provides qualitative data for various tournaments, including descriptions of the types of tournaments and information on the rules and other elements.
The Subsistence Fishing Report is an overview of the harvest activities by Native American tribes through treaty rights within the study area and assesses the economic and cultural importance of subsistence harvesting for tribal communities.
Among the findings from the Subsistence Fishing Report, there are 37 federally recognized tribes in the study area, 16 of which engage in subsistence fishing, mostly in the western Great Lakes Basin. The annual approximate value of subsistence fishing activities to an individual subsistence household is between $15 thousand and $16 thousand. The main target species for subsistence fishers are walleye, whitefish, yellow perch and trout.
The Pro-fishing Report indicates that tournaments occur frequently in the study area. The Upper Mississippi and Ohio River Basins showed more occurrences of pro-fishing tournaments. In the Great Lakes Basin, it is estimated that states such as Wisconsin and Minnesota host 450 to 700 pro-fishing tournaments annually. Bass fishing events seem to be particularly popular within the study area.
USACE will host a conference call on July 17 at 10 a.m. (CDT) for interested parties to ask questions on this report. Call-in information is:
| USA Toll-Free: | (866) 233-3842 |
| International: | (651) 291-9113 |
| Access Code: | 253963 |
An assessment of recreational angling in the GLMRIS study area is anticipated at the end of 2012.
The various fisheries baseline assessments are critical to developing study alternatives, as GLMRIS considers impacts of ANS controls on waterway uses and significant natural resources in accordance with law and policy. GLMRIS will include an assessment of measures to mitigate the impact of ANS controls on existing uses of the waterways and significant natural resources.
If you have any questions about the report, please contact GLMRIS Project Manager Dave Wethington at (312) 846-5522 or [email protected]
