Numerous questions as to the role and position of Michigan Muskie Alliance and its members on the new regulations have been presented, the below timeline will provide reference to same.

APRIL 2016
Will Schultz, on behalf of Michigan Muskie Alliance, presented concerns regarding muskellunge regulations to the Michigan NRC. The concerns and what MMA asked of the NRC is as follows:
Concern – Exploitation is not being managed effectively on self sustaining or restoration waters.
Ask: Exploitation needs to be reduced on self-sustaining impaired population waters and restoration waters through increased size limits and reduced open season ex: first Saturday in June opening through December 15th.
Concern – Expansion of Muskellunge spearing to all waters.
Ask: Review of waters where non-treaty Muskellunge spearing is permitted and only allow Muskellunge spearing on waters with populations that are not impaired, and are capable of handling the increased exploitation from spearing.

AUGUST 2016
MI DNR fisheries division makes a decision to eliminate the muskellunge harvest tag due to limited return on a substantial investment. Though no decision was made at the time, the assumption was Michigan would go back to a one fish per day possession limit and not continue the one fish per license year possession limit. At this point Michigan Muskie Alliance proposed to the fisheries division that in order to maintain the level of exploitation experienced under the 1/yr tag system that Michigan would need to adopt a statewide 50” Minimum Size Limit.

DECEMBER 2016
MI DNR fisheries division holds their annual biologist conference. At this conference the concerns brought to the NRC as well as how to handle the elimination of the muskellunge tag were discussed. Options were developed at this conference that would be fleshed out and brought to the Warmwater Resources Steering Committee in February 2017.

FEBRUARY 2017
The Warmwater Resources Steering Committee (WRSC) is presented with the following regulation options for discussion:
CIR all year (technically this season runs from the end of harvest season closures to the first Saturday in June if option 2 is approved)
Statewide muskellunge harvest opener to the first Saturday of June
Mandatory harvest registration (this maintains the existing possession limit of 1/yr)
Opening 50” as an optional MSL for biologists to place on specific waters
Specific MSL changes based on a growth model
Each topic was discussed by the WRSC with opposition only to specific decisions for the MSL on waters where the MSL did not follow the growth model. Fisheries division states they will be scheduling public meetings in the coming months.

MARCH/APRIL 2017
MI DNR fisheries division schedules “Conversations & Coffee with DNR Fisheries Division" that take place in each of the eight management units that oversee Michigan's fisheries. These meeting dates were:
Lake Erie Management Unit – Monday, March 27
Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit – Tuesday, March 28, Wednesday, March 29
Northern Lake Huron Management Unit – Wednesday, March 29
Western Lake Superior Management Unit – Wednesday, April 5, Wednesday, April 12, Thursday, April 13
Eastern Lake Superior Management Unit – Thursday, April 6, Tuesday, April 11
Northern Lake Michigan Management Unit – Wednesday, April 12, Thursday, April 13
Southern Lake Huron Management Unit – Tuesday, April 18
Central Lake Michigan Management Unit – Wednesday, April 19
Michigan Muskie Alliance scheduled a special meeting to discuss the regulation options on Saturday, March 25, 2017. MMA extended an invitation to LSCMI, MOMC and BWMC asking them to please attend this meeting to discuss the proposed regulation options so all groups could be on the same page.

APRIL 11, 2017
MOMC learns of the statewide CIR season at the Lk. Erie/ Lk. St Clair Citizens Advisory meeting.

APRIL 20, 2017
Will Schultz attends LSCMI meeting to discuss proposed regulations and agrees to support LSCMI and MOMC for an exception for the St Clair system to the statewide CIR. MMA also agrees to support LSCMI and MOMC on the exception.

JUNE 2017
MI DNR fisheries division presents an overview of muskellunge regulation package to Natural Resources Commission. The CIR part of this package includes an exception for the St Clair system. Several NRC members indicated that they likely will not support exempting the St Clair system from the Catch and Release proposal. They further requested that the muskellunge proposal include Catch and Immediate Release in the St. Clair System.

AUGUST 23, 2017
Jim Francis, Lake Erie Basin Coordinator, officially recommends the removal of the exception for the St Clair system from the proposed CIR season.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
MI DNR fisheries division presents proposed muskellunge regulation package, including the proposed CIR season, with no exception for the St Clair system. Michigan Muskie Alliance testifies that they do not agree with the removal of the exception for the St Clair system from the proposed CIR season.