Proposals have been made to allow large-scale commercial fish farming in the Great Lakes. There are now legislative bills introduced for this. Now is the time for you to voice your opinion to your legislators.
It’s imperative that you contact key legislators to oppose Great Lakes aquaculture. Below is information on this critical subject to inform you, but the need is simple: you need to contact legislators to voice your opposition to Great Lakes net pen fish farming. Please take the time during the next couple of days to let your voice be heard on this subject no later than Tuesday, February 2nd to beat the first legislative hearing on the topic.
Here is some supporting information on focused advocacy needs, current legislation information, background on the subject, and links to useful research on this subject.
Current Legislation
- HB5255, www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(zoyzodgsunxeakuzvezzqexw))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2016-HB-5255 seeks to prohibit commercial net pen fish farming in the Great Lakes. MITU supports this bill. Its been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, and will receive a hearing on Tuesday February 2, 2016. Sponsored by Representatives Jon Bumstead, Pscholka, McCready, Kivela, Garcia, Pettalia, Cochran, Irwin and Rendon.
- SB526, www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(zoyzodgsunxeakuzvezzqexw))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2015-SB-0526, this bill seeks to prohibit Great Lakes fish farming. A S2 substitute for this bill is imminent, and will ensure that other forms of aquaculture must not be allowed to discharge pollutants or create pollution. This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, where it has not received a hearing (Senator Joe Hune is the Chair). Sponsored by Senators Rick Jones, Schmidt, Marleau, Beida, Knezek, Warren, Hertel, Hopgood, B. Johnson, and Knollenberg.
- Senate bills SB681, 682, and 683, (bill search at www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(zoyzodgsunxeakuzvezzqexw))/mileg.aspx?page=Bills) , would allow Great Lakes net pen fish farming, create an “Office of Aquaculture Development” to both promote the industry and oversee its regulation, would remove local units of governments from decisions on where these could be located, and remove many permitting rules and public comment opportunities. Sponsored by Senators Darwin Booher, Tom Casperson, David Robertson, Shirkey. Most major fishing and conservation groups oppose these bills including Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation.
- House bills HB5166, 5167, and 5168, are identical bills to SB681, 682, and 683. Sponsored by Representatives Ed McBroom, Cole, Lauwers, and B. Roberts. Would allow Great Lakes net pen fish farming, create an “Office of Aquaculture Development” to both promote the industry and oversee its regulation, would remove local units of governments from decisions on where these could be located, and remove many permitting rules and public comment opportunities. Most major fishing and conservation groups oppose these bills including Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation.
Advocacy Needs
- HB5255 will be heard on the House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday February 2, at 9 AM and will be in room 326 at the House Office Building (124 N Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI 48933). This committee’s webpage is www.house.michigan.gov/MHRPublic/CommitteeInfo.aspx?comkey=344.
- If your representative is on this committee, email or call them to support HB5255. (Rep’s: LaFontaine, Rendon, Forlini, Gioke, Posthomus-Lyons, McBroom, Kivela, Smiley, Plawecki). Links to their contact info are on the committee homepage, and are provided below as well.
- If your rep is not on this committee, you can send a simple email to the committee clerk, with your name, and contact information and a statement “I Support HB 5255”.
- If you are available to attend the committee hearing in person, your inperson presence and testimony card can have great impact on the committee. There is limited time for oral testimony, so you can just fill out a testimony card with “does not wish to speak, supports HB5255”. Help us pack this hearing and send a loud and clear message!
- If you attend in person, you can also attend a press conference afterwards, with Rep. Bumstead and Sen. Jones, sponsors of bills to ban Great Lakes net pen fish farming where they will present the results of statewide polling showing an overwhelming majority of all Michiganders oppose net pens in the Great Lakes (regardless of demographic or political affiliation)! It will be at the Capitol Bldg., Rm 402 at noon.
- The House Agriculture committee is likely to hold a hearing on the HB 5166 – 5168 bills next week as well (Feb 3 likley), as its Chair Rep. Lauwers was a sponsor of those bills. As this could happen with short warning, if your representative is on the House Agriculture committee, consider contacting them to voice your opposition to net pen fish farming, and opposition to HB5166 -5168. This committee’s homepage is www.house.michigan.gov/MHRPublic/CommitteeInfo.aspx?comkey=305, and includes links to each members contact information. The members are: Lauwers, Cole, Franz, Glardon, J. Johnson, Outman, Rendon, Hughes, B. Roberts, Sheppard, Vaupel, Brunner, Darany, Talabi, Driskell, LaVoy, and Garrett. You can also send an email stating your opposition to HB5166-5168 to the committee clerk.
- If HB5255 passes out of committee, there will be need to contact all representatives about this issue to help influence their floor votes.
- If your legislator sponsored either HB5255 or SB526, consider contacting them to thank them for their leadership. If your legislator sponsored SB681-683 or HB5166 – 5168, consider communicating your position on this issue to them.
Key Contacts
House Natural Resources
Anthony Forlini R – 517-373-0113 AnthonyForlini@house.mi.gov
Andrea LaFontaine R – 517-373-8931 AndreaLaFontaine@house.mi.gov
Ken Goike R – 517-373-0820 KenGoike@house.mi.gov
Lisa Posthumus Lyons R – 517-373-0846 LisaLyons@house.mi.gov
Bruce Rendon R – 517-373-3817 BruceRendon@house.mi.gov
Ed McBroom R – 517-373-0156 EdMcBroom@house.mi.gov
Julie Plawecki D – 517-373-0849 JuliePlawecki@house.mi.gov
Charles Smiley D – 517-373-3906 CharlesSmiley@house.mi.gov
John Kivela D – 517-373-0498 JohnKivela@house.mi.gov
Joy Brewer, Committee Clerk – 517-373-8474 joybrewer@house.mi.gov
House Leadership
Speaker Pro Tem Tom Leonard R – 517-373-1778 TomLeonard@house.mi.gov
Speaker Kevin Cotter R – 517-373-1789 KevinCotter@house.mi.gov
Majority Floor Leader Aric Nesbitt R – 517-373-0839 AricNesbitt@house.mi.gov
Democratic Leader Tim Greimel D – 517-373-0475 TimGreimel@house.mi.gov
Democratic Floor Leader Sam Singh D – 517-373-1786 SamSingh@house.mi.gov
Brief Background on Net Pen Fish Farming Impacts
They have no animal waste collection, and therefore introduce large quantities of untreated nutrient waste to the bottom of the Great Lakes: disturbing life on the bottom of the lakes, creating oxygen deficiencies or “dead zones”; contribute to nuisance algal blooms; and can foster harmful algal blooms like the ones that made Toledo drinking water unsafe a year ago.
They create ideal environments for aquatic diseases to be introduced, transmitted, and become more virulent and damaging to wild fisheries.
Despite best efforts, large numbers of the domestic fish escape each year, going on to interbreed with wild fish (like our steelhead populations), where they dilute the ability of wild fisheries to thrive.
More supporting background information can be found at Michigan Trout Unlimited’s webpage on this issue, with links to pertinent documents, policies or press at michigantu.org/aquaculture
