Beaver Island Michigan

This article was sent to me from a friend who knows that I fervently fish at a place called Beaver Island...
It was very sad and shocking to read... yet this year when the commercial nets were not in during the early and mid summer months off of Sand Bay, many of us fisherman experienced a banner year (my best) in recreational catch of salmon and lakers... coincidence?

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/agen ... tml?page=1

Though I do not know if these charges are all true, if taken at its' face value, then how this activity affects tourism on Beaver Island should be considered.

Here on the west coast a commercially caught (ocean) coho salmon economically generates somewhere between $22 and $46 per fish, for goods and services.
At the same time a recreational caught (ocean) coho salmon produces between $154 to $239 per caught fish. A recreational salmon caught in the Sacramento River delta region creates an astounding $545 to $1100 per salmon caught! (:USDA/NRC)
Tourism.
Goods and services would include, gas, motels, restuarants, marinas, boat charters... well, you get the idea.Not everyone wants to come and fly fish just for carp.
So, if Beaver Island wants to promote fishing as a tourist attraction... great care and consideration should be used in protecting the resources around the island.

For those that enjoyed the fishing story I would recommend the "Search warrant pdf" Skip right to page 9 for the sad details! https://upperpeninsulabreakingnews.file ... info-1.pdf

Now if you guys could pass off carp as lake trout it would put BI back on the map.

BI Pirate
I think if the illegal netters could be stopped the lake trout population
would rebound... And then you could become gainfully employed as a charter captain...
Heck , I might even start up a charter business myself...
TWO new businesses on the island just like that! And neither of us would be in competition with the Golden Bones carp guys....
It's how we roll in America... Opportunity and honest competition... Well, at least mine would be honest. You BI Pirate, would have some catching up to do....

Pirate,
To continue on the theme of getting you gainfully employed...it seems that you won't even have to bother to get licensed....
Pg 10/#8 /a.b.c. of the affidavit... Seems the State of Michigan/Charlevoix county or the local Township ever bothered to check and see if the Indian band who came to the island and set up the fisherman... bought a lot on the harbor and set up a storefront ever even bothered to get properly licensed .
That's what I call lazaire' ' faire capitalism.... just the kind you,Mr Pirate, would be best at....birds of a feather...

You can use your fancy French terms like "lazy fair" but here in the islands it's not breaking the law if you consider obeying laws as optional. We are all birds of a feather up here and the government need not be involved. I like to think of it as "pick and choose" capitalism.

yes, there seems to be a lot of "Pick N Chose" capitalism going around on Island ....and... if one is to believe the reports , all over the Northern Great Lakes region.... if this were New Jersey... it would be considered a Continuing Criminal Enterprise. Tony Soprano would be proud....
Fogetaboutitehh!

It is pick and choose capitalism at its best or worst. Maybe BI should think about casinos to go along with netting game fish. Some call it pick and choose, to others it is taking back America a quarter at a time. Remember, when laws are optional, there are no bad guys, everyone for their own. The only problem I see is netting by a few is going to kill the game fishing recovery for many, meaning fewer people for me to pirate.