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Great Lakes Consent Decree

Update on 2023 Great Lakes Decree

On Aug. 24, 2023, U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney issued his opinion approving the 2023 Great Lakes Decree. The agreement applies to:

  • The State of Michigan
  • The United States government
  • Five of Michigan’s tribal governments with rights reserved under the 1836 Treaty of Washington:
    • The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
    • The Bay Mills Indian Community
    • The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
    • The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
    • The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

The agreement will define for the next 24 years how the state, the federal government and the tribes will cooperatively allocate and manage the resources in the 1836 Treaty-ceded waters of the Great Lakes. The opinion and the order approving the 2023 Great Lakes Fishing Decree are available below.

Opinion regarding the approval of the 2023 Great Lakes Fishing Decree

Order adopting the 2023 Great Lakes Fishing Decree

Read the 2023 Great Lakes Decree

Appendices:

2020 Implementation of the 2000 Consent Decree

This annual report documents sport, commercial, and subsistence harvest and effort by state and tribal fishers as well as enforcement of regulations established by the 2000 Consent Decree.

2020 Implementation of the 2000 Consent Decree

Current Status of the Stocks Report (2022)

This annual report documents the status of lake trout and lake whitefish populations in the Treaty Management Units of the Great Lakes, as well as the process by which annual harvest limits are calculated for each species.

Current Status of the Stocks Report (2022)