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Stocking conference report now available
Our report on the Lake Michigan lake-wide stocking conference of September 12 is now available online. It can be found at:
http://www.great-lakes.org/stocking_report.html
Included is a review the day's proceedings, pros & cons on the stocking
options offered, some observations generated, some revealing attendance
statistics, and comparisons between the lake-wide conferences held on coho
and yellow perch.
Get a new look at the role that Fish Community Objectives continue to play
in the scheme of lake management and the eye opener that Lake Trout
continues to play in management's' desire for the future of Lake Michigan.
See just where the highly prized Chinook salmon is placed in management's'
view of the Lake's fish community, and how this king of freshwater fishes is
portrayed overall.
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| OMC To Close Its Milwaukee And Waukegan Facilities
WAUKEGAN, Ill.,
Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) announced that it will close its manufacturing facilities
located in Milwaukee, Wis. and Waukegan as part of the company's efforts to improve manufacturing efficiencies and delivery
to customers. The company said the closure of each facility will take place over the next two years as it prepares to move the
operations currently within those facilities to other manufacturing sites.
"OMC has been a leading manufacturer of marine engines and accessories for many decades," said David Jones, OMC
president and chief executive officer. "However, in recent years, the marine marketplace has become increasingly competitive,
and the current structure and design of our manufacturing system has kept us from responding more aggressively to the
ever-changing markets in which we compete.
"With the closure of our Milwaukee and Waukegan based operations, we can improve the overall efficiencies of our
manufacturing system, maximize our productivity, reduce product costs, strengthen our competitive position in the market and
improve delivery to our customers," said Jones.
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The Waukegan plant makes gear cases and has diecast operations; the Milwaukee plant makes makes several parts, including
some for OMC's proprietary single-stroke Ficht engines. The announcement does not affect OMC's Waukegan world
headquarters.
As part of the company's cost-cutting program, OMC recently closed a research facility in Waukesha, Wis., and a boat
building plant in Tennessee. Jones is focusing on OMC's proprietary technology, Ficht, which is used to make quieter, cleaner
and more efficient two-stroke engines, and is marketing Ficht-based engines for a wide range of uses, including PWCs, lawn
mowers and weed whackers. Jones, former president of OMC rival Brunswick's Mercury Marine division, was hired as chief
executive shortly after Greenmarine acquired control of OMC.
Outboard Marine Corporation is a leading manufacturer and marketer of marine engines, boats, accessories and FICHT® fuel
injection - the industry leading low-emission engine technology.
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HOW MANY FISH ARE THERE IN LAKE ERIE?
LONDON, ONT It’s impossible to count all the fish in a lake as big as Lake
Erie, but over the next three months, biologists and commercial fishers will
be conducting surveys that will give a good estimate of the status of the
lake’s fish stocks.
For the ninth consecutive year, the Ontario Commercials (OCFA) and the
Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) will be conducting the partnership index
gillnetting survey. However, this will be the first time since 1994 that the
survey has covered the whole lake. The data from the index survey is
combined with data from other MNR surveys and pooled with similar data
collected by the four American fisheries agencies on Lake Erie.
Most of the 35 or so species of fish caught in the nets are monitored for
such characteristics as abundance and size from year to year. For the most
important species, such as walleye and yellow perch, additional biological
data such as age composition and growth rates are collected.
The 1998 survey started in late August and should be completed by the end of
October. Experimental MNR gill nets will be set at more than 130 Canadian
locations, and this survey plays an important role in the annual setting of
Ontario’s commercial fish quotas"
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The OCFA supplies the fish tugs and crews to set and retrieve the survey
nets. The OCFA is also supplying staff to do the laboratory analysis and
assist with the compilation of the final report. MNR’s Lake Erie Management
Unit provides the data management and analysis. In some instances, the
ministry will be using its vessels to set and retrieve the nets. Members of
OFAH have been involved in the design of the survey and will help to make
sure that anglers understand the importance of the survey.
The lake has gone through significant changes since 1989 when the first
index survey was conducted. In 1989, Lake Erie walleye stocks were at
historically high levels, zebra mussels had just arrived and international
phosphorus reduction targets were being met. The survey has documented
changes in fish stocks in response to the changes in the lake, including
declines in walleye and yellow perch and increases in smallmouth bass and
whitefish .
Each spring the Five Lake Erie management agencies comprising the Lake Erie
Committee uses this information to set total allowable catch (TAC) limits
for walleye and yellow perch. This survey plays an important role in the
annual setting of Ontario’s commercial fish quotas. Sharing formulas then
are used to set Ontario’s share of the TAC and in turn used to finalize
commercial fishing quotas for the year.
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