Act No. 145

Public Acts of 2014

Approved by the Governor

June 3, 2014

Filed with the Secretary of State

June 3, 2014

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 3, 2014

STATE OF MICHIGAN

97TH LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2014

Introduced by Senators Hansen, Jones, Casperson, Booher, Marleau, Jansen and Emmons

ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 869

AN ACT to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled “An act to protect the environment and natural resources of the state; to codify, revise, consolidate, and classify laws relating to the environment and natural resources of the state; to regulate the discharge of certain substances into the environment; to regulate the use of certain lands, waters, and other natural resources of the state; to protect the people’s right to hunt and fish; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local agencies and officials; to provide for certain charges, fees, assessments, and donations; to provide certain appropriations; to prescribe penalties and provide remedies; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,” by amending section 48716 (MCL 324.48716), as added by 1995 PA 57.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 48716. A person shall not take, catch, or kill or attempt to take, catch, or kill any fish of the species named in this section in any of the waters over which this state has jurisdiction except during the following open seasons:

(a) Bluegills and sunfish, no closed season.

(b) Northern pike, pike-perch, and muskellunge from the last Saturday in April to March 15 in the inland waters. These fish may be taken at any time from lake Macatawa, Ottawa county; Muskegon lake and White lake, Muskegon county; Spring lake, Muskegon and Ottawa counties; Pentwater lake, Oceana county; Pere Marquette lake, Mason county; Manistee lake, Bar lake at Arcadia, and Portage lake, Manistee county; Betsie lake, Benzie county; lake Charlevoix and Round lake, Charlevoix county; the Muskegon river downstream from Rogers dam, Mecosta county; and Lake Erie and the connecting waters of the Great Lakes. In Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron, except Saginaw bay, these fish may be taken from May 21 to March 31. In Saginaw bay, these fish may be taken from April 11 to March 4. In that part of upper Lake Huron known as Whitney bay, Pike bay, Island harbor, Les Cheneaux channels, Potagannissing bay, and certain waters on the south side of Drummond island, all as described in sections 47345, 47346, 47348, and 47349, these fish may be taken from May 1 to March 31.

(c) Brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, splake, and landlocked salmon from the last Saturday in April through the second Sunday in September in the inland waters. The department shall designate the waters in which, in addition to the season provided for in this subdivision, any species of trout and in addition other fish for which the season is open may be taken with hook and line only during additional open seasons that the department prescribes.

(d) All species of trout except lake trout from the first Saturday in April to November 30 in the Great Lakes and connecting waters not otherwise closed to their taking. There is no closed season on lake trout in these waters.

(e) Perch, saugers, white bass, rock bass, warmouth bass, crappies, catfish, bullheads, ciscoes, herring, whitefish, pilot fish or menominee whitefish, smelt, suckers, mullet, redhorse carp, buffalo, shad, garfish, dogfish, lawyers, and sheepshead may be taken at all seasons of the year in waters that are open to fishing.

(f) Sturgeon during January and February from inland waters; at any time from waters of the Great Lakes and connecting waters not otherwise closed to their taking.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Secretary of the Senate

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Approved

Governor