In Little Bay de Noc, commercial fishing of all types would still be prohibited under the proposed consent decree. There will also be more restrictions on the subsistence fishery than were in place under the 2000 Consent Decree. A new requirement for subsistence fishers to obtain a permit to fish during the spring walleye run would be in effect. In addition, each fisher would only be able to obtain 10 permits over a 30-day period. Permits would allow subsistence fishers to retain up to 20 fish per day, a simpler requirement compared to the 100-pound daily limit under the 2000 Consent Decree. Previously gill nets could be 300 feet in length; under the proposed decree, gill nets would be limited to 100 feet in length. In addition, subsistence fishers would report their catch weekly, rather than monthly, which should reduce recall bias and improve the accuracy of data.
In Big Bay de Noc, no commercial fishing for or retention of yellow perch would be allowed. Gill net fishing has occurred since 2017 in Big Bay de Noc as part of an effort to assess the impacts of gill fishing in this area. In the proposed decree, walleye could not be targeted by the commercial fishery, but could be retained when caught as bycatch in gill nets. (They could not be retained in trap nets.) Only 15 pounds of walleye per day could be retained between January 1 and May 14. To minimize walleye bycatch throughout the year, there would be depth restrictions in place. Gill nets would have to be set on the bottom in water no shallower than 50 feet, except between October 1 and November 6, when they could be set as shallow as 30 feet. The shallower restriction in the fall would allow for targeting of Lake Whitefish.