DNR: remove ice shanties by March 15

LANSING — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that the dates for mandatory ice shanty removal are approaching. Anglers are required to remove shanties as soon as the ice is unsafe to hold them, regardless of the date.

In the northern Lower Peninsula, ice shanties need to be removed by midnight March 15. Counties include: Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Bay, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Emmet, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Isabella, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee, Montmorency, Newaygo, Oceana, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon and Wexford.

In remaining counties of the southern Lower Peninsula, shanties must be removed by midnight, March 1.

In the Upper Peninsula, shanties must be removed by midnight, March 31. Persons placing a shanty on Michigan-Wisconsin boundary waters shall remove the shanty by midnight, March 15.

Ice shanties must be removed from Lake St. Clair before sunset, Feb. 22.

After mandatory removal dates, shanties may be placed on the ice on a daily basis, but must be removed daily.

Shanty owners who allow the structures to fall through the ice are subject to penalties of up to 30 days in jail and fines of $100- $500, or both. If a shanty is removed by a government agency, the court can require the owner to reimburse the government for an amount of up to three times the cost of removal.

For more information on ice fishing shanty regulations and fishing in Michigan, refer to the Michigan Fishing Guide online at www.michigan.gov/fishing.