Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Technical Report No. 98-3, 1998

Charter Boat Catch and Effort from the Michigan Waters of the Great Lakes, 1997

Gerald P. Rakoczy and Donna Wesander-Russell Michigan Department of Natural Resources Charlevoix Fisheries Station 96 Grant Street Charlevoix, Michigan 49720

Abstract.–Legislation enacted in 1992 by the State of Michigan requires all charter boat operators to report sportfishing catch and effort to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The objective of the catch and activity reporting system is to obtain a continuous annual record of the number, type, and location of fish harvested by charter boat clients in Michigan. Ninety-eight percent of the 469 charter fishing operators complied with the law by returning their completed catch reporting forms in 1997. These operators reported making 15,929 charter fishing excursions during April through October. The total number of charter excursions increased by 287 (+2%) in 1997 compared to 1996. Approximately 444,000 angler hours were spent fishing by some 73,300 charter clients. The distribution of charter fishing excursions was: 67% Lake Michigan, 17% Lake Huron, 11% Lake Erie, 3% Lake Superior, and 2% Lake St. Clair. Over 242,000 fish were reported harvested. The harvest was composed of about 89,000 yellow perch, 42,000 walleye, 40,200 chinook salmon, 33,100 lake trout, 16,000 rainbow trout, 12,300 coho salmon, and 5,000 brown trout.

Fisheries Technical Report No. 98-3 - Full Text Acrobat Reader File.