Three West Michigan men were stopped by Michigan DNR Conservation Officers on I-96 after they caught 80 walleye in the Detroit River Thursday. That is 65 over the river's daily limit of five per person a day.
An anonymous caller made a tip to the DNR about the men, saying they were suspected of exceeding the walleye limit while fishing in the Detroit River. The caller can a description of their vehicle and said they were driving from Detroit to Grand Rapids on I-96.
Two Conservation Officers were able to locate the vehicle on the freeway, and when the driver failed to use a turn signal when changing lanes, the officers stopped the car in Ingham County.
“We asked the driver to be honest and tell us how many walleye the three men had in their possession,” said Jaime Salisbury, a Conservation Officer. “The driver hung his head and stated, ’too many.’”
The three men, a 28-year-old from Byron Center, a 38-year-old from Allendale and a 30-year-old from Jenison, admitted to fishing earlier in the day and keeping too many fish.
All three of them were issued tickets for possessing an over limit of walleye. An Ingham County judge will determine the reimbursement fee and whether the poachers should lose their fishing license.
Reimbursement is calculated by weighing each individual fish and then assessing at $10 per pound.
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