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Lake Michigan brook trout record
A possible new state record brook trout was taken from Lake Michigan on Nov. 3 by Daniel
Frazier of Waukegan. Fishing from shore off the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in North
Chicago, Frazier landed a 7 lb. 5 oz. "brookie" on a Krocodile spoon. When all the
paperwork is completed, the 24 in. fish with a 17 in. girth will be a new Lake Michigan
record. |
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| Minnesota lakes not fished out, but catch rates down
A new report released by the DNR reveals that Minnesota lakes still produce as many pounds
of fish as ever. Yet the study also confirms what anglers have been noticing for years. It takes
longer today to catch a fish than it did 60 years ago.
Why? Fishing pressure on our walleye lakes is up, way up, explains Mark Cook, a DNR
fisheries research biologist at Bemidji.
Increased pressure is partly due to more anglers fishing Minnesota's lakes. Fishing license sales
jumped dramatically after World War II, though they have risen by only 15 percent since the
1950s. More significant has been the rapid increase in the average number of days each
angler fishes. Each angler is fishing, on average, far more days each year says Cook.
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Boat ownership has increased from 1 for every 16 Minnesota residents to 1 for every 6
residents, according to DNR records. Though waterskiing and other aquatic sports account
for part of this boat boom, there's no doubt that more anglers per capita own boats today than
in years past. Anglers in boats can cover more water and reach spots inaccessible to shore
anglers, making them more effective.
Also addressed in the study is the increase in fish-catching technology. The new gear includes
GPS receivers, depth finders, pH meters, spider-thin fishing line, graphite rods, trolling motors,
and oversized outboards. These and other gadgets make it easier than ever for anglers to
reach hotspots, mark fish, and set the hook.
The pie is staying the same size year after year, Cook explains. But with more fishing
pressure, the size of each slice keeps getting smaller.-
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Sturgeon long distance traveler
SANDUSKY, OH - Sturgeon sightings on Lake Erie continue to increase with the 41st
sighting this year reported to the Ohio Div. of Wildlife by a waterfowl hunter. The Division
learned the sturgeon traveled at least 100 miles from where it was tagged a month earlier.
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The fish was tagged by the OMNR and had been captured in a commercial trap net in
southern Lake Huron. Biologists tagged the fish and re-released it in Lake Huron at Point
Edward; near Sarnia, Ontario Oct. 19. The sturgeon weighed 37 lbs., was 53 in. long and
was approximately 24 years old.
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Danger is name of game for commercials
It's not news that commercial fishing is dangerous. But how dangerous?
Since 1992, the federal government reckoned fishing to be the most dangerous occupation in
the U.S. During the period, 380 fishermen lost their lives, 112 of them off Alaska. The death
rate averaged 140 per 100,000 workers, meaning fishermen faced a risk of fatal, on-the-job
injury 28 times greater than the risk for all occupations combined.
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7 1/2 ft. sturgeon found
NYDEC enforcement personnel reported finding a 7 1/2 ft. sturgeon struggling near the beach
in the Hamburg area of Lake Erie. The sturgeon was found in poor condition. It was
determined the 100-year-old fish was ailing from old age, and it died soon after.
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Lake Erie license plate available for trailers.
TOLEDO - Since 1993, the Lake Erie license plate featuring the Marblehead Lighthouse, the
oldest operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes and a symbolic landmark, has been a popular
choice for vehicle owners to display their love for the state's Great Lake while providing funds
to protect the lake as a unique economic and recreational resource. Now it's also available for
boat trailers and campers.
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A set of Lake Erie plates costs Ohioans an additional 25 dollars per year above regular
vehicle registration fees, with 15 dollars from each sale going to the Lake Erie Protection Fund
to finance projects that improve the quality of Lake Erie and its waterways. During the past
five years, more than 234,000 Ohioans have purchased Lake Erie license plates, generating
more than $3.5 million for the preservation, protection, and restoration of Lake Erie.
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Researchers find frogs insensitive to PCBs
In scattered sites around the world, frogs, toads, and other amphibians are mysteriously dying
or developing with deformed or missing limbs. Researchers found that tissue levels of PCBs
were fairly low - much lower than fish typically exhibit. In fact, laboratory experiments show
that deformities don't occur until levels are about 10 times higher than those found in the
field.
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They appear to be relatively insensitive to PCBs,- said William Karasov, UW Madison
wildlife ecologist. More controlled experiments in Karasov's laboratory showed similar
results.
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USACE to Assess Shoreline Damage
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Detroit District has begun an extensive and long-term
assessment of shoreline damages over the next 50 years due to fluctuating lake levels along the
Lake Michigan shoreline. The study, started in 1996, is expected to be completed by 2000,
and is dedicated to meeting several of the recommendations that came out of the 1986-1993
Inter-national Joint Commission Great Lakes Levels Reference Study. |
The Lake Michigan Potential Damages Study web site, found at:
http://www.vgivision.com/LMPDS/
will provide up-to-date information on the status of the
study as well as scientific, economic and social investigations and data of the study.
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