LANSING, MI (AP)-- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to hear your fish tales.
DNR "creel clerks" are visiting many fishing spots around the state this winter to interview anglers. Biologist Tracy Claramunt says the department's angler surveys provide valuable information.
They are conducted along Michigan's Great Lakes coasts as well as selected inland waters, including Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair, the Les Cheneaux Islands, Munising, Marquette, Keweenaw Bay and others.
About 80,000 people a year take part in the surveys. They're asked how long they fished, which species they targeted, what they caught and where they live.
Clerks sometimes ask to measure or weigh fish and take scale samples.
Fisheries managers use the data to develop regulations, improve habitat and make decisions about stocking.
