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Courtesy:  DNR

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment will host an informational meeting regarding fishing regulations on Lake Gogebic for yellow perch on Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 7-8 p.m. Central Time, at the Marenisco Township Hall, located at 314 Hall St., Marenisco.

Current regulations for harvest of yellow perch allow for a daily bag limit of 50 fish.  This is also the total possession limit until April 1 when the possession limit will expand to three daily bag limits, provided two of those daily limits are processed, cured or canned.  Due to the popularity of fishing for perch on Lake Gogebic, especially during the late-winter ice fishing season that runs longer than on most area lakes, anglers and local residents have requested the DNRE review the bag limit for perch and consider applying a reduced daily bag limit of 25 yellow perch on Lake Gogebic.

"Fisheries Division survey data indicate the annual perch harvest on Lake Gogebic amounts to about 17 percent of the total population, which is average compared to other large Midwestern lakes, and represents about one-half of the allowable harvest for a healthy, self-sustaining yellow perch population," said DNRE Western Upper Peninsula Fisheries Supervisor George Madison.  "However, local residents, anglers and business owners have approached us with concerns regarding the possession limit expansion in April, and how increased harvest may affect perch numbers."

Fisheries Division staff will share information at the meeting about the local proposal to reduce the daily bag limit for yellow perch, and will also provide survey data regarding the lake's perch population, angler harvest data, and examples of how other Midwestern states have managed fishing regulations for perch.

Analyses of survey data collected by DNRE between 1998 and 2010, including population estimates for perch and information about angler harvest, show that Lake Gogebic has a robust population of approximately 60,000 yellow perch, many of which are large-sized jumbo perch averaging over 10 inches in length.  Additionally, census data collected by DNRE creel clerks indicate that a reduced bag limit of 25 yellow perch would not affect the majority of anglers who fish Lake Gogebic, as most anglers are already taking fewer than 25 perch per day, Madison said.

For more information about the Feb. 16 informational meeting, contact Madison at (906) 353-6651.  To learn more about yellow perch in Michigan, go online to www.michigan.gov/fishid<http://www.michigan.gov/fishid>.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is committed to the conservation, protection, management, and accessible use and enjoyment of the state's environment, natural resources and related economic interests for current and future generations.  Learn more at www.michigan.gov/dnre<http://www.michigan.gov/dnre>.