NEWS FROM DRAIN COMMISSIONER DENNIS LENNOX

DNR set to outlaw walleye fishing in third-largest lake
Natural Resources Commission urged to vote ‘no’ on job-killing proposal

For more information, contact:
Dennis Lennox, (231) 238-7829

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOPINABEE, Mich. (Oct. 26, 2009) — A proposal to outlaw recreational walleye fishing in Cheboygan County’s Mullett Lake is coming under heavy criticism from business owners and community members, who stress the importance of fishing to the local economy.

The proposal, which has received approval from senior bureaucrats in the Department of Natural Resources, will be considered at the Nov. 5 meeting of the Natural Resources Commission in Lansing. The ban would go into effect for the 2010 fishing season, and would be reviewed each year thereafter.

“At a time of unprecedented economic challenges, recreational fishing is a major boost in the arm for local businesses,” said Cheboygan County Drain Commissioner Dennis Lennox, who lives in Topinabee on Mullett Lake. “My constituents depend on tourism dollars generated in large part by fishing enthusiasts.”

Lennox will bring petitions with signatures of constituents urging a vote against the ban, which would result in job losses and further economic difficulty in an area with one of the worst economies in Michigan, to the Natural Resources Commission meeting.

“If walleye fishing in Mullett Lake is outlawed, the overall level of fishing will decrease and fishermen from across the Great Lakes region will be less likely to visit our community,” he said. “This proposal will have disastrous effects for the local economy.”

The proposal came about after Indian tribes recently served notice that they intended to harvest larger than normal catches of walleye from Mullett Lake.

The Natural Resources Commission consists of seven members appointed by the governor. It is responsible for overseeing the Department of Natural Resources and setting conservation policy.

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