Dear Anglers of the Au Sable Members:

You made it happen! Your responses to the proposed Gear Restricted regulations made a difference!!

At the December 9th Natural Resources Commission meeting DNRE Director Becky Humphries signed Fisheries Order 200. This action implements a new suite of fishing regulations for all cold water fisheries in the state. Included in these regulations are new rules for the great lakes, inland lakes and the coldwater streams so important to our members.

The most significant change from regulations of the past is the creation of the Gear Restricted category of regulations. This new category allows fisheries managers to implement regulations specifically designed for each individual stream. This moves us away from the ?Cookie Cutter? regulations of the past. With the old type of regulations each stream was placed into an existing category that might not best protect its fish population.

All of the existing ?Quality Regulation? streams were reclassified under the new package. In addition, approximately 75 miles of new stream reaches received Gear Restricted regulations. We will provide details of these newly protected streams on the Anglers website when the DNRE publishes the regulations.

During the Public Comment process every e-mail or comment at a public meeting was critical to the passage of the proposal. Near the end of the process substantial opposition to the proposal was voiced to the Natural Resources Commission and the Fisheries Management Team. Fortunately all of your messages and comments outweighed this late coming opposition and the Proposal was finalized very close to the form that the Cold Water Steering Committee negotiated.

The Anglers were well represented during this process and many of our Board Members played an important role in the development of the final regulation package. All of this effort would have been for nothing if not for the support of our membership. Without the active support of our members and friends this proposal would have never been approved.

The DNRE Committee and the Board of the Anglers would like to extend our gratitude to all made this happen.

Terry Lyons
Chairman, DNRE Committee