Commercial fishing license issued for Lake Huron’s Harbor Beach in Michigan

Bay City, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has issued Pinconning-based Serafin Fish Company a commercial fishing license for lake whitefish in southern Lake Huron from the port of Harbor Beach.

This license mirrors the prior research permit issued to Lixey Fish Company (now doing business as Serafin Fish Company) in 2015 through 2022.

During the research period, DNR personnel monitored and evaluated the catch and health of southern Lake Huron whitefish populations, as well as determined the long-term potential of a sustainable and profitable commercial whitefish fishery in the area. Those efforts demon strated the sustainability of managing a whitefish fishery in the Harbor Beach area.

The license is being issued in conjunction with a settlement term in Serafin et. al. v DNR et. al., a federal suit on appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and reflects the parties’ pre-litigation agreement to move one commercial fishing license from Saginaw Bay to the new port and retire three other commercial fishing licenses in Saginaw Bay.

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The new Harbor Beach license is authorized to fish up to 10 large mesh trap nets for lake whitefish and other legal commercial fish species.

Going forward, area recreational fishers and boaters are asked to watch for and avoid these nets while on the water; some nets have already been set, and additional nets will likely be set in the coming weeks.

Though commercial fishing activity is weather-dependent and usually occurs between April and December, commercial fishing nets may be legally set and fished all 12 months of the year.

The Harbor Beach commercial fishery is limited to 10 large mesh trap nets.

Large mesh trap nets are the standard, authorized fishing gear for whitefish within the state-licensed commercial fishery, and 10 nets is the standard number of nets authorized per license. Large mesh trap nets are typically 7,500 feet long, 500 feet wide, 30 to 40 feet high, and normally fished in water 80 to 750 feet deep.

Basic trap net anatomy consists of the following:

• A 1,000-foot, 14-inch stretch mesh lead that directs fish into the holding structure of the net.

• Submerged netting that is supported by floats, frames and anchors.

• Wing nets that lead fish into a V-shaped heart and box-shaped pot. Wings are the widest part of the net and are usually around 500 feet across.

,• A main holding enclosure consisting of the heart, tunnel, and pot which is usually several hundred feet in length.

Once in the pot, fish are held alive until the net is lifted and cleared.

Basic net marking consists of the following:

• Trap nets have a marker buoy or float at the main anchor on the offshore or lakeward side of the net.

• The pot is marked with a double flag staff buoy that extends 5 l⁄2 feet above the water surface. The flags are orange in color.

• Orange floats will also be present marking the ends of each wing.

On the inshore or shoreward side of the net, the lead anchor will be marked with a second single flagged staff buoy that extends 5 l ⁄2 feet above the water surface.

For more information on this fishery, including a map of the fishing grounds, net locations and pictures of the net markings, visit the DNR website.