Apr 2008
Proposal to Review the Daily Bag Limit for Salmon
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/SalmonDailyBagLimitFAQ_232622_7.pdf
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Detroit River run provides legendary walleye fishing
Detroit River run provides legendary walleye fishing
APRIL 24, 2008
When Nick Homayed was a teenager fishing the Detroit River every chance he got, he figured that stretchy monofilament line was a major reason for missing the hook set when a walleye struck.
"So I spooled a reel with dental floss, and it really worked. I thought I was on to something," said Homayed, a Dearborn Heights angler who is one of the most knowledgeable walleye guides in the state...
Click Here for the entire article:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/SPORTS10/804240402
Out-of-This-World Fishing (PICS)
2008 Fishing Guide and Trout and Salmon Guide
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2008 Fishing Guide
2008 Trout and Salmon Guide |
Fresh is better
APRIL 17, 2008
For dinner recently my wife, Susan, and I had perch that were caught in Lake Erie about eight hours earlier. Dredged in spiced bread crumbs and sautéed gently, the fish were incredibly tasty served with a fresh salad and pierogi, the latter a relatively recent addition to our very British-oriented palates.
What made the perch so good was that they were so fresh. I've had the experience of rummaging through the freezer and coming up with a plastic-wrapped mass of something that I had caught or killed so long ago I couldn't even identify it.
Experience has taught me that thawing such packages and cooking whatever was inside usually results in a meal that makes the offerings of the greasiest diner look good.
Some fish keep better than others. Halibut is one. I've had halibut steaks that after a year in the freezer were as tasty as some "fresh" halibut I've bought that probably had been sitting on ice for several days before reaching the fish market.
But freshwater fish don't usually fare as well in the freezer, and those with higher fat contents -- including salmon, trout and whitefish -- often develop an unpleasant taste after three months because the fat starts to oxidize. Leaner fish such as walleye, perch and sunfish can be kept frozen for up to a year. But just because a fish is edible after months in the freezer doesn't mean it's palatable. After about 30 days, freezing causes subtle changes in taste and the texture of the flesh.
Anglers would do themselves a great favor if they worried less about catching limits of fish and more about keeping just enough to eat in the next week or so.
Eric Sharp
Source: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080417/SPORTS10/804170403
Frog and Toad Survey
Apr 21, 2008 07:30 PM Filed in: Government
| Great Lakes
Source: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153--189002--,00.html
No Child Left Inside
Apr 20, 2008 04:10 PM Filed in: Government
There was a time . . . when children knew their home range well. They created special names "The crooked tree", "Three pines", and the "Cow field" and all the kids in the neighborhood could direct you to these places not with street names, but by a variety of natural markers. They drew maps of secret rendezvous, adventures, and hidden treasure identifying the creeks, trees and hills along the way.
There was a time . . . not long ago!
Today . . . children spend less than 30 minutes a week in unstructured outdoor play. The total range for children playing and wandering outdoors is one-ninth of what is was for current adults. Much of this reduction is due to competition from electronic media, structured sports and activities and the concerns of parents letting kids roam free unsupervised. Ask a child to draw a map of their area and most would be able to identify few natural landmarks beyond their backyard. "It is clear that unstructured outdoor and nature play today is becoming less and less relevant to children", says Raymond Rustem with the Department of Natural Resource's Outreach and Education Unit.
The Department is encouraging kids, educators, parents, guardians and mentors to help mend the child-nature connection. We hope you find the information on these pages and additional web links useful.
Governor's Proclamation: Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, proclaims April 22 - 27, 2008 as "No Child Left Inside" days.
Calendar of Events: Here's a list of activities in Michigan State Parks and Visitor centers across Michigan.
Source: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10369_45551---,00.html
Michigan Water Use Legislation
Hello, Metro West members.
The status of the proposed water use legislation is that it is currently being debated in Lansing. Your legislators need to hear from steelhead/salmon fishermen and cottage owners right now.
This weekend and next week is VERY IMPORTANT timing to send your comments to your legislators. Indications are that the legislature will try to wrap up the deliberations and try to arrive at a consensus on the legislation in the next two weeks.
If you want steelhead and salmon out in the Great Lakes, it's time to speak up for the rivers and streams where they grow up as juveniles and return to spawn.
As you may know, the House and the Senate bills are very different in how they would implement the new set of rules and regulations over groundwater withdrawals in the state. The Senate version is very unfriendly to rivers and streams, and that includes the river stretches that support the spring and fall spawning runs of steelhead & salmon. Missing from these deliberations is the voice for "Water in its Place." That is, the importance of Michigan's water to stay where it is now...in its streams, lakes, and wetlands...for the multi-billion dollars of recreation, tourism and property values that make Michigan the unique state that it is.
The big water user pushing for the excessive limits of water use is the Farm Bureau. No, agricultural irrigation water does not all trickle back down to the aquifers. A significant amount of that water is taken up by crops. Whether it's in a pound of cherries, a sack of potatoes, or a gallon of ethanol, increased agricultural uses can mean lots of water leaving the state in finished agricultural products.
The critical period where groundwater withdrawals can most impact salmon/trout populations is in the warm, low flow summer months. The Senate version of this legislation would allow up to 25% of summer flows to be withdrawn...without any permitting process or any public input...and acknowledges that this would reduce trout populations. Making matters worse, this is mean monthly flow...meaning no restrictions on what might happen on any given day or days during the month. All current users/usages would be grandfathered...including all the lake-level control structures that affect streamflows in the Muskegon, the Platte, the Huron, the Clinton, and many more.
The "Groundwater Assessment Tool" is a great start at modern-day water management in Michigan. But, it's unproven science, and it is incomplete. It is based on an inventory of 11,000 stream segment types in the state. Yet, there are only 230 USGS streamflow gages operating in the state. If the summertime flow of water on a trout stream is signficantly reduced
by withdrawals in years to come, how will you or I or some other angler prove that it is excessive?
Have you fished a Michigan river in July, August, or September? If not, you have no idea how low these streams get...now, before any new rules. It is unimaginable to me that our state would enact water legislation that says it's ok to reduce stream flows by 25% in the summer months. Fish need habitat 100% of the time, not 99% of the time.
Will all of these dire things happen to the state's trout streams? We don't know. What we do know is that the Senate version of the legislation would provide no means for any member of the public (individuals, groups, property owners) to contest a proposed large-scale groundwater withdrawal. What we do know is that the package of laws being developed now will determine
how groundwater is used in Michigan for decades to come. All the circumstances argue to go slow and cautious as this gets implemented for the first time.
There are just too many unknowns to the consequences of such a far-reaching new set of regulations like this, to be comfortable with being so aggressive right out of the box. A lot of the good trout/salmon rivers will be unaffected...AuSable, Manistee, Pere Marquette. But, others could be really impacted because of where the are in the state and/or their unique
characteristics: The Muskegon and the smaller rivers in SW Michigan come to mind.
Below is my mid-March message on this issue. Its attachment is included on this message as well.
Let me know if you have any questions or need more information on this. If you need help figuring out who your legislators are (both Senate and House are important here), start with www.vote-smart.org and type in your zip code. Or, email me.
All you really have to say is that you are in favor of strong protection for Michigan's salmon/troutstreams, that you support the House version of the proposed legislation, and that you are opposed to the Senate version. Anything additional would just be icing on the cake.
Dan Keifer
Metro West Steelheaders Club
and Clinton River Watershed Council
Click here for the mid-March message
Warming could sap Superior
Apr 11, 2008 10:53 PM Filed in: Great Lakes
Great Lakes face algae, disease
BY TINA LAM • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • APRIL 11, 2008
EAST LANSING -- Lower lake levels, less ice cover, more algae, more invasive species and more waterborne diseases linked to sewer overflows after severe storms.
Those are among the dire forecasts about the impact of global warming on the Great Lakes from scientists who concluded two days of presentations Thursday at Michigan State University.
Some changes already are dramatic. Consider the speedy warming of Lake Superior, where water temperatures are rising twice as fast as air temperatures.
Still, the future effects of climate change are tough to predict at a local level, and most scientists said much more study is needed to understand how the region will change and how to plan for it.
The Great Lakes, the source of 18% of the world's fresh surface water, get far less funding for study than oceans do, they said.
One consensus of the scientists in attendance: Governments need to start planning for changes, such as lower lakes, storms and floods that could overwhelm existing sewer systems.
"We may have significantly lowered lake levels," said Steve Colman, professor at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Although many climate researchers say they think the Great Lakes region will be wetter and warmer in the future, lake levels still will decline because there will be less ice cover in winter, allowing more water evaporation, he said.
Warm winters a threat
Warmer winters have meant that ice doesn't form in some areas where it regularly had and doesn't form until much later in winter in other areas. Under either scenario, the exposed water is more easily sucked out of the lakes by winter's cold, dry air.
Colman said his research, and that of colleague Jay Austin, shows that less ice also means that the dark water absorbs more solar radiation, making the water warmer and leading to even less ice, in a perpetual loop.
What Colman and Austin have found on Lake Superior could be repeated on other lakes, Colman said.
"We could be at a tipping point," he said. "Less ice has huge effects. The lakes are very sensitive to it. The system is reacting in ways we wouldn't have expected."
The lakes also will see more cyanobacteria, a class of harmful algae that includes toxic forms, said Steve Wilhelm, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee. Algae blooms can smother fish and harm animals and humans.
"We already have major issues in the Great Lakes with these algae," he said.
Recent research shows that the algae grow faster at higher water temperatures, and more algae will survive and outcompete other algae and tiny creatures as temperatures rise.
Lake Erie, the warmest and shallowest, has had increasing amounts of algae, including toxic forms, in the past decade with warmer temperatures.
Meanwhile, cylindrospermopsis, a type of algae prevalent in Florida, now is established in the Great Lakes, Wilhelm said.
Even in winter, Wilhelm has found algae under the ice, as well as in open water.
"Algae blooms we used to see in the spring, we're now seeing in winter," he said.
As temperatures warm, Wilhelm predicts more dead zones in the lakes, which deprive fish and plants of oxygen.
Strong storms, more disease
The strong storms that climate modelers say Michigan and other Great Lakes states could get with climate change also bring a risk of spreading diseases, said Joan Rose, director of the Center for Water Sciences at MSU.
Rose's research shows a link between heavy rainfall and disease outbreaks nationally between 1948 and 1994. That's because sewer systems get swamped and overflow, carrying untreated sewage and agricultural waste into waterways.
Research also shows a link between strong El Niño winter storms in Florida and increased fecal and other bacteria in water.
In 2005, 1,500 people got sick on Lake Erie's South Bass Island after heavy rains inundated septic tanks and wells, spreading bacteria into drinking water.
Increasing storms, combined with higher temperatures that make it easier for pathogens to survive, could bring more disease outbreaks in the future, Rose said.
Governments need to invest in better sewage treatment and plan for the future by monitoring what happens to public health now, she said.
Contact TINA LAM at 313-222-6421 or tlam@freepress.com.
Border protection policy is fishing for more work
Border protection policy is fishing for more work
March 30, 2008
You may have heard that U.S. Customs and Border Protection will require fishermen to carry passports or other approved identification and check in with immigration upon returning from Canadian waters on the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, even if they don't touch land in Canada.
It's what you'd expect from the government that gave us the recovery plan for Hurricane Katrina: impractical, unenforceable, inconvenient, infuriating and expensive.
But if you're one of tens of thousands of local anglers who would be affected by this latest window dressing to create the illusion of national security, there's hope that sanity will prevail.
Chief Ron Smith of the agency's Detroit office has told his Washington headquarters that the plan is unenforceable and would create a bureaucratic nightmare.
"If we're going to require fishermen to check in every time they run a boat across that invisible border (on the water), we're going to have a problem," said Smith, adding that he hopes to have "clarification" of the requirement next week.
"The water boundary is our weakest link, but we need to make sensible decisions about how we protect it," Smith said. "I've been out on the Detroit River during the walleye season and have seen five, six rafts of boats with more than 100 boats in each raft. They're not anchored, just drifting down the river. How do we track all of them?
"I hope we get a decision (from Washington) by next week, because the walleye season is almost here again."
This mess started a couple of weeks ago when border patrol officials in Cleveland told local charter captains that if they entered Canadian waters on Lake Erie, they would have to file the same kind of paperwork required of large commercial ships transiting the lakes.
Besides the skipper and crew filling out paperwork and learning new rules before the season, charter captains also would have to fax in daily lists of their customers, including personal information such as citizenship and birthdates.
All passengers would have to carry passports or other approved official identification, and everyone aboard would have to check in with immigration upon returning to Ohio (after the skipper calls the border patrol at least an hour before returning to port).
It's the kind of goofy rules you'd expect from cubicle denizens who know little about the situation for which they are making the rules, bureaucrats who probably have never seen a fishing boat, never mind gone fishing.
Needless to say, it has not made the Ohio charter captains happy, or people on other parts of the Great Lakes who routinely pass through Canadian waters and have heard about the plan.
Meanwhile, Smith has been meeting Detroit-area boating groups and telling them that if they don't tie up to the Canadian shore, or land in Canada, they don't have to check in upon returning to the United States. He said that technically, the boaters should check in if they anchored in Canadian waters, but even that regulation hasn't been enforced because it doesn't make a lot of sense if the boaters anchor in the middle of a lake or river.
Smith is right about creating a bureaucratic nightmare. The border patrol simply doesn't have the boats and agents it would take to make this law effective.
If anglers want to see these rules repealed, I suspect the easiest way would be to follow them. How many hundreds of calls a day is the border patrol equipped to handle?
After all, what good is this law going to serve? If a group of anglers merely leaves the United States, motors into Canadian waters and then comes back, what does checking in do to make us safer? And if the boaters are terrorists or people smugglers who make an illegal landing in Canada, do you think they will check in upon returning?
Unless the border patrol is prepared to track the movements of a significant percentage of the boats on our waters, this latest plan is simply another government boondoggle.
There's hope: Rebecca Humphries, director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, has asked the Natural Resources Commission to rescind a rule that bans the shooting of all-white deer.
Contact ERIC SHARP at 313-222-2511 or esharp@freepress.com.