{"id":3743,"date":"2024-09-17T09:43:37","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T14:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atomiccoffee.com\/WWA\/?p=3743"},"modified":"2024-09-17T09:43:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T14:43:37","slug":"monitoring-the-business-side-of-fishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomiccoffee.com\/WWA\/monitoring-the-business-side-of-fishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Monitoring the Business Side of Fishing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lt.<\/a>By <\/strong>Lt. Robert Stroess<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we enjoy socially distanced \u2013 and likely limited \u2013 outdoor activities during these frigid winter weeks, I thought now is a great time to tell Wisconsin Waterfowl Association members a bit about what I do for you at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources\u2019 (DNR) Division of Public Safety and Resource Protection (formerly known as the Bureau of Law Enforcement).<\/p>\n

This is my 22nd year as a conservation warden. I spent my first 14 years working in Manitowoc County along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Spending time outdoors fishing, hunting, camping and canoeing solidified my desire to pursue this career protecting our state\u2019s natural resources and making sure that these activities are available for future generations. When we\u2019re not in the middle of a public health emergency, Wisconsin is a destination state for all sorts of outdoor fun \u2013 especially fishing and on-the-water activities.<\/p>\n

Aquatic Trade Enforcement Partners<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2014, I became DNR Law Enforcement\u2019s program administrator \u2013 or \u201cadministrative warden\u201d \u2013 for commercial fishing and other aquatic species in trade. I work with other DNR programs, citizen boards and organizations comprised of natural resource professionals from other states. Those of us in these various programs, boards and organizations mainly focus on commercial fisheries and other aquatic trade industries.<\/p>\n

This means I administer our division\u2019s involvement with commercial fishing in the Great Lakes of Michigan and Superior, along with the Mississippi River and inland waters. Sometimes, this includes working with groups regarding Great Lakes charter fishing and fish guiding on the Great Lakes and investigating the illegal trade in aquatic invasive species (AIS).<\/p>\n

My job\u2019s main focus is to see the commercial fishing-related industries from a broad perspective \u2013 from both a statewide view and from a Midwestern view. This helps to plan for what\u2019s ahead, such as the increased potential for illegal fishing based on market demands for specific fish products and threats from AIS being sold online.<\/p>\n

\"Great<\/a>I serve as Wisconsin\u2019s representative on a few teams. This includes the Great Lakes Fishery Commission<\/a> \u2013 Law Enforcement Committee, for which I also serve as chair. I also am the state\u2019s law enforcement representative on the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies\u2019 Invasive Species Committee<\/a>. And because we share the waters of the Mississippi River, Menominee River and two of the Great Lakes with other states and the province of Ontario, I work closely with them on joint projects and investigations.\u00a0 This helps ensure we are making the best use of time and funds, rather than finding out later that we had been working on the same project.<\/p>\n

There is a lot of teamwork by experts in Wisconsin and beyond who collaborate to keep our fisheries \u2013 and the waters that support those fisheries \u2013 as safe and healthy as possible. Wardens don\u2019t do it alone. Fisheries biologists and technicians don\u2019t do it alone. Aquatic Invasive Species Specialists don\u2019t do it alone. It is truly a team effort.<\/p>\n

Case Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n

To give you a sense of some of the things conservation wardens work on related to commercial fishing, here are a few cases from the past several years:<\/p>\n