05/02/2026
Here we go again! It is super important to contact your state rep and tell them to oppose house bills 5801 and 5802.
House Bills 5801 and 5802 have just been introduced in Lansing. These bills would significantly deregulate commercial fishing and open the door to harvesting and selling species like walleye, perch, crappie, lake trout and burbot from the Great Lakes.
We’re especially concerned about walleye.
Michigan is home to a world-class walleye fishery in Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and Lake Erie. Anglers travel from across the state—and the entire country—to fish these waters. This isn’t just recreation—it’s a major economic engine supporting thousands of small businesses: charter operators, marinas, hotels, restaurants, tackle shops, gas stations and more.
Opening these fisheries to commercial harvest risks undoing decades of progress. We’ve seen it before—overharvest helped wipe out lake trout populations in the Great Lakes. Around the world, poorly managed commercial fishing has repeatedly ruined fisheries.
Today, Michigan has a relatively small number of commercial fishers—but more than ONE MILLION recreational anglers. These bills would shift access to a shared public resource away from the many and toward a select few, putting thousands of livelihoods at risk.
Even more concerning: a large number of House legislators have signed on as sponsors.
Now is the time to speak up.
Contact your state representative. Call or email their office and tell them:
• You oppose HB 5801 and 5802
• You support protecting Michigan’s sport fisheries
• You urge them to withdraw support and vote NO
Our Great Lakes fisheries belong to all of us. Let’s protect them.
Here is a link to find your rep
https://www.house.mi.gov/
