80 walleye confiscated from Detroit River fishermen

Three fishermen received tickets Thursday after the Michigan Department of Natural Resources confiscated 80 walleye from their vehicle. The amount is 65 over the state limit, in which an angler is allowed to catch up to five walleye a day. 

According to WDIV-TV, the DNR Report All Poaching Hotline received a tip about the fishermen. The tipster gave the hotline a description of their vehicle and said the men were driving from Detroit toward Grand Rapids on westbound I-96. 

DNR conservation officers waited along the highway for almost an hour before they saw the vehicle near Okemos Road in Ingham County. They then stopped the vehicle, since the driver failed to put on his blinker after changing lanes. 

The fishermen include a 28-year-old from Byron Center, a 38-year-old from Allendale and a 30-year-old from Jenison, all cities in the Grand Rapids area. 

In addition to the tickets, the driver of the vehicle received a citation for failing to use a turn signal. 

An Ingham County judge will decide on the reimbursement fee and if the anglers should lose their fishing licenses. Reimbursement is calculated by weighing each individual fish and then assessing the fee at $10 per pound. 

The news is the third walleye case the DNR has comes across in the past month. On April 11, 53 dead walleye were found in a cooler on the side of a road in Muskegon County. 

Last month, twin brothers from Kent County each had to pay a $2,070 fine and lost their licenses after poaching 65 walleye over the limit. 

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