As fishing season shifts into a higher gear, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment reminds anglers that department personnel will be collecting data at lakes, rivers and Great Lakes ports about anglers’ fishing experiences.

DNRE creel clerks will ask anglers about how long they fished, what species they were targeting, how well they did, and where they live. In some cases, they may ask to measure or weigh fish and take scale samples.

The efforts are part of the Statewide Angler Survey Program.

“The point of the whole program is to characterize how many fish are harvested, how many hours anglers spend fishing, and what fish they’re targeting,” said DNRE fisheries biologist Tracy Kolb. “The primary goal is to ensure we have enough information to manage our fisheries across the state.”

Biologists will also try to determine “which lakes are really important to people, which lakes they’re willing to travel long distances to fish, and which lakes are mostly just local fisheries,” Kolb said.

It usually takes only a couple of minutes to answer the questions. The DNRE appreciates anglers’ cooperation.

Anglers interested in seeing the results from surveys of Great Lakes in previous years can find them on the DNRE website at www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing.