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Anglers/Boaters win reprieve for Loran C
Loran-C, the popular radio navigation system targeted for shutdown by the Coast Guard in 2000, has
been given a reprieve; at least until 2008.
A feasibility report conducted by Booz-Allen & Hamilton for the Department of Transportation (DOT)
estimated it would cost the million-plus civilian Loran users nearly $700 million to buy new navigational
systems.
The study, which has been presented to Congress, found it would cost DOT $100 million to terminate the
system by 2000.
Discussion on eliminating Loran in favor of the newer and increasingly popular global positioning system
(GPS) have been going on since 1994. The proposal to drop it in 2000 created an uproar, and 94% of the
2,300 public comments the Coast Guard received were from people opposing the shutdown.
A big boost for the defendants (State of Minnesota, Landowners and Counties)
is the several amicus curiae or friend of the court briefs filed which
support the position that the 1837 Treaty privilege does not continue to
exist. Two other organizations, Citizens Equal Rights Alliance and Pacific
Legal Foundation, each submitted a brief.
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Their principal argument is that Loran, operated by the Coast Guard since 1970, and GPS complement one
another as backup systems. Civilian users of GPS have long complained about the deliberate jamming of
the civilian signal by the US military, although this degradation, known as "selective availability," has
been targeted for elimination by 2006.
The Booz-Allen study found that keeping Loran until 2015 would cost the government $473 million for
technical upgrades and $27 million more in operation and maintenance expenses It also recommends that
the Federal Aviation Administration assume a bigger share of the costs, since at least 80,000 general
aviation pilots use Loran. That would relieve the Coast Guard of some of the financial burden.
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| Native fish found in Lake Ontario after 50 years
A deepwater sculpin has been found in Lake Ontario. US Geological Survey scientists hauled the fish up
from depths of nearly 500 feet in April. It marked the first time the deepwater sculpin, a species once
abundant in Lake Ontario, had been seen in the US waters of the lake in more than 50 years.
In the Canadian portion of Lake Ontario, the fish is extremely rare, only six deepwater sculpin
have been reported in Canadian waters since 1972 (three in 1972 and three in 1996).
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Deepwater sculpin are abundant in Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior. Sculpins are an important link in
the offshore food chain, eating bottom-dwelling invertebrates and, in turn, being eaten by lake trout;
historically the lake's top predator.
The numbers of two other formerly abundant native fishes; burbot and emerald
shiner are increasing in survey catches.
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Eating Michigan sport fish is cited as a "healthy choice"
Eating Michigan sport fish is a healthy choice. There is an abundance of evidence in the scientific
literature to document the health benefits of fish consumption.
The Michigan Environmental Science Board says that the benefits associated with fish consumption by
adults may outweigh the risk associated with chemical contaminants in Great Lakes fish. You can get the
benefits of eating fish by wisely choosing safer types of fish, safer places to catch fish, safer ways to
prepare fish, and moderation in how often you eat fish and how much you eat.
Among the health benefits of eating fish are these points:
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Fish are a highly nutritious food. They are a good source of protein and are low in saturated fat.
Fish contain similar nutrients as meat but without the saturated fat. In fact, fish comes as a healthy
balance of mono-, polyunsaturated, and saturated oils. Many fish, including pike, perch, walleye,
bass and sunfish are actually very low in fat.
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Lake trout, whitefish, and, to an extent, salmon contain generous amounts of a unique, beneficial
oil called omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which lower triglyceride and cholesterol in blood.
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Fish contain many valuable vitamins and minerals, and are leaner than most animal sources of
protein. Eaten regularly, fish oils can prevent hardening of the arteries and therefore heart disease.
As a mater of fact, the American Heart Association recommends eating two to three fish meals per
week. In many people, fish oils may also lessen arthritic pain.
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From a nutritional standpoint, fish are categorized as high fat or low fat. High fat fish such as
salmon have 11 grams of fat per 3.5 ounce cooked serving. Lower fat fish include flounder, perch
and pike, and have one to two grams of fat per 3.5 ounce cooked serving.
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Some studies have also shown that eating fish regularly can reduce mildly elevated blood
pressure, enhance the therapeutic action of antihypertensive drugs, and benefit both smokers and
non-smokers suffering from certain lung diseases.
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Angler reminder: using gobies for bait is illegal
SANDUSKY, OH - The Ohio Division of Wildlife reminds anglers that gobies, small non-native fish now
abundant in Lake Erie, are illegal bait.
"It is illegal to possess, import, or sell live gobies," said Kevin Ramsey, law enforcement supervisor for
the Division's Lake Erie Law Enforcement Unit. "Many anglers do not see any harm in using them
for bait, because they are plentiful in the lake. However, the law was enacted to prevent the spread of this
nuisance species to inland waterways, and we are strictly enforcing this law."
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Gobies could easily be introduced to inland waterways by anglers through bait buckets, and live wells
and bilges of boats.
Anglers should be aware it is illegal to release any baitfish from one body of water to another. It is also
illegal to possess, import, or sell live zebra mussels, another aquatic nuisance species also abundant in
Lake Erie, the Ohio River, and some inland lakes.
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Ohio gets mandatory boater education
Ohio has joined seven states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia in requiring that boaters pass a
boating safety class or exam. The law was approved this year, although it does not take effect until Jan 1,
2000.
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All Ohio boaters born after Jan. 1, 1982 will be required to pass a boating exam or class to operate a vessel
of over 10 hp. In addition, individuals who are found in violation of Ohio boating laws may also be
required to take a boating class. People wishing to rent a boat in Ohio must pass a 10-question quiz on
the spot, administered by boat liveries.
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