They're suing the state, saying the rules are retaliatory. KRUPP: Mike Perry is an attorney representing Michigan's commercial fishermen. MIKE PERRY: These people are having their livelihoods held hostage by the department. When that happened, the state instituted these new restrictions. KRUPP: The department supported legislation to update the state's fishing laws and fix this problem, but the commercial fishing industry didn't. But Dexter says a lot of those orders aren't legal.ĭEXTER: There were provisions that the department did not have the authority to enact. And for decades, the Department of Natural Resources has issued its own orders to manage fishing. The state laws governing commercial fishing are really old, dating back nearly 100 years. And the reason for that? Well, it gets a little wonky. But he says they don't have a choice on these new restrictions. KRUPP: Jim Dexter is the fisheries chief at Michigan's Department of Natural Resources. JIM DEXTER: It would definitely have an impact on their ability to harvest those fish. And state regulators acknowledge these restrictions will hurt commercial fishing. For most of the year, you won't find these fish above 80 feet in the Great Lakes. KRUPP: This depth is such a big deal because the number-one fish for the industry is whitefish. Dennis VanLandschoot says that's a gut punch to the state's fishermen.ĭENNIS VANLANDSCHOOT: The whole industry is out of business at that 80 feet. KRUPP: That's after a state agency announced new rules to commercial fishing - changes like no catching fish in Lake Michigan in October and no fishing in water deeper than 80 feet. I'm losing tens of thousands of dollars a day right now by not being able to fish. KRUPP: Ruleau is a commercial fisherman working out of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the seventh generation in his family. ROBERT RULEAU: It's an unheard-of January. On a day like this, Robert Ruleau would normally be out fishing.

LEXI KRUPP, BYLINE: It's been a warm winter in the Great Lakes. Lexi Krupp of Interlochen Public Radio reports.

Michigan's commercial fishermen are suing the state over new restrictions they say will put them out of business. A standoff over fishing regulations in Michigan waters could lead to a major shortage of fish being sold from the Great Lakes.

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