News

Study: Rising Lake Superior temperatures affecting fish species

glbm — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:20:27 +0000

Dan Kraker

May 22 2013

DULUTH, Minn. — A new study shows that climate change could mean better conditions for some Lake Superior fish species, but worse for others.

Surface water temperatures on Lake Superior increased by about 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit between 1979 and 2006. That's one of the fastest rates of any lake on earth. The study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin shows that warming has created more suitable habitat in the lake for some fish, like Chinook salmon, walleye, and lean lake trout, but less favorable conditions for siscowet lake trout, a fatty fish that thrives in cold water.

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Kites draw eyes to the sky at Great Lakes Kite Festival in Grand Haven

glbm — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:13:10 +0000

Lisha Arino

May 22 2013

GRAND HAVEN, MI – Kite enthusiasts and curious onlookers stopped by Grand Haven State Park on Saturday for the second day of the 25th Annual Great Lakes Kite Festival.

All eyes were on the sky, where kites of various shapes and sizes flew over the festival grounds.

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Federal Legislation Would Help With Great Lakes Dredging

glbm — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:27:18 +0000

Mike Simonson

May 21 2013

A $200 million backlog in Great Lakes harbor and channel dredging would end with a bill that just passed the U.S. Senate.

There is a lot at stake economically when ships have to load light: carry less cargo, or risk running aground in the Great Lakes. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc) says this bill will allow the Great Lakes to catch up on digging projects over the next six to seven years, putting the Great Lakes in better position to compete with the ocean ports.

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DNR research vessels take to Great Lakes to learn more about Michigan’s fisheries

glbm — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:06:35 +0000

May 21 2013

The Department of Natural Resources has announced all four of its research vessels are back on the water, conducting annual surveys of Great Lakes fish populations. The DNR’s vessels are critical in the department’s mission to conserve, protect and manage the Great Lakes for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations. The surveys are designed to estimate relative abundance, biomass, age and growth, health, diet, survival rates, natural reproduction and movements of fish in the Great Lakes.

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DNR research vessels take to Great Lakes to learn more about Michigan’s fisheries

glbm — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:05:51 +0000

May 21 2013

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DNR warns boaters to follow aquatic invasive species laws as boating season begins

glbm — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:34:07 +0000

Site Editor

May 20 2013

As boating season moves into high gear this Memorial Day weekend, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) urges boaters and anglers to be extra vigilant to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).

Boaters need to remove all aquatic plants, animals from their watercraft, drain all water and leave drain plugs and water draining devices open during transport.

This year, the DNR will have up to 150 authorized inspectors stationed at high-use public waters infested with zebra mussels – and 23 hot water decontamination units available to clean infested equipment.

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NOAA’s latest mobile app provides free nautical charts for recreational boating

glbm — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:27:00 +0000

Keeley Belva

May 20 2013

As recreational boaters gear up for a summer of fun on coastal waters and the Great Lakes, NOAA is testing MyNOAACharts, a new mobile application that allows users to download NOAA nautical charts and editions of the U.S. Coast Pilot. The app, which is only designed for Android tablets for the testing period, will be released on May 20.

MyNOAACharts, which can be used on land and on the water, has GPS built-in capabilities that allow users find their positions on a NOAA nautical chart. They can zoom in any specific location with a touch of the finger, or zoom out for the big picture to plan their day of sailing. The Coast Pilot has “geotagged” some of the major locations -- embedding geographical information, such as latitude and longitude, directly into the chart so it is readable in the app -- and provides links to appropriate federal regulations. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play™ app store.

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NOAA's National Weather Service and National Safe Boating Council partner for national safe boating week

glbm — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:20:57 +0000

Maureen O'Leary

May 20 2013

This year, more than 80 million Americans will enjoy boating with friends and family. The National Safe Boating Council and the NOAA's National Weather Service have partnered to support boating safety by creating relevant, weather and safety-specific public service announcements for National Safe Boating Week, which runs from May 18 to 24.

"We want boaters to stay safe on the water. The goal of our collaborative effort is to encourage boaters to follow proper boating safety precautions, including ensuring everyone is wearing a properly fitted, USCG-approved life jacket, and being aware of the local weather forecast," said Virgil Chambers, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council.

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Fishery workshop surveys show more positive attitudes about Lake Huron

glbm — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:01:39 +0000

Celeste Bott

May 20 2013

A series of Michigan Sea Grant workshops show growing Lake Huron fish populations and improving attitudes about the Great Lake’s fishery.

The April workshops were held in Michigan at Ubly, Oscoda and Cedarville for anglers, boaters and interested community members.

Researchers from the Sea Grant, Michigan State University, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Great Lakes Science Center gave presentations on invasive species research and fishery management.

“Our spring workshops were pretty exciting, given the drastic ecological changes caused by invasive species in Lake Huron,” said Brandon Schroeder, the northeast district educator for the Michigan Sea Grant.

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BOWMAN: How gobies have altered Lake Michigan fishing

glbm — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:10:07 +0000

DALE BOWMAN

May 19 2013

The unnatural natural world of Lake Michigan fascinates me.

Round gobies were discovered in Lake Michigan in 1994. Since then, the invasives from the Black and Caspian seas have altered the lake’s natural balance and changed fishing. Smart fishermen learned to imitate gobies to catch smallmouth, which have learned gobies make a good food source.

A couple of things stuck with me after interviewing Myers and Adams last week. For one, who was the guy behind Adams holding the fifth smallmouth in the photo?

There was no mystery about their spot: It was ‘‘The Ponds’’ at Lake Street off Gary, Ind. There was no mystery about their basic lure: It was a Poor Boy Erie Darter in Steiger Ice, a pattern from Capt. Ralph Steiger, the young multispecies captain on Lake Michigan.

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Rain may increase algae in Lake Erie

glbm — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:06:38 +0000

Spencer Hunt

May 19 2013

Another wetter-than-average Ohio spring has experts worried that severe toxic-algae problems will return to Lake Erie this summer.

Storms that drenched northwestern Ohio have so far this year nearly doubled the average amount of phosphorus that washes off farm fields each spring and flows down the Maumee River to Lake Erie. Phosphorus, a key ingredient in fertilizers, helps blue-green algae grow.

Jeffrey Reutter, director of the Ohio Sea Grant Program, shared the data during an Ohio Senate Finance Subcommittee hearing yesterday. He said it doesn’t guarantee that a record algae bloom will spread across the lake as it did during the summer of 2011.

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