They already know that sportfishing is big business. Chinook and steelhead are two of five species that make up the salmonids group. Spending associated with fishing for salmonids in the Great Lakes is estimated to contribute $1 billion per year to the economy, according to a Great Lakes Fisheries Commission Special Economic Report. However, estimating the economic benefit of improvements can be tricky, but incorporating detailed data on costs and benefits can have tangible effects.

"We are also still concerned that the ATSDR did not use all of the published literature in developing this MRL. Important data on the effects of prenatal exposure to methylmercury and associated effects on child development have been published in the Journal of Neurotoxicology and Teratology (Grandjean et al., 1997). This data should also be reviewed and evaluated when considering a methylmercury health benchmark. We believe ATSDR should delay the release of the Toxicological Profile for Mercury until additional results from ongoing studies and the National Academy of Science review can be incorporated in the mercury MRL assessment.

"Mercury continues to be a high priority pollutant for Michigan. We hope the ATSDR will use the best available data in developing a MRL that is protective of all citizens, including sensitive populations."

"The deadly Ohio gill nets were banned 15 years ago," said Toledo fishing guide Jim Fofrich, longtime spokesman for Lake Erie angling groups and an advocate of a netting ban. "Now it's time to do away with the seine and trap nets," Fofrich said. "The days of the freelance fishery must end. Kills like this in spring are not uncommon. It's only common that the (ODW) becomes aware. Since walleye were granted protection in 1970, this problem pops up every spring," Fofrich added.

A seine is a large net that hangs vertically in the water and encloses fish when it is pulled together and drawn to shore. At the seining ground, the fish that can legally be caught with the seine are put on a conveyor, and fish that are not legal are returned to the bay.

This procedure was followed, but when the walleye were released, they began to die and wash back up on shore. The kill was attributed to excessive stress on the fish. Division of Wildlife officials iced down the fish and contacted various agencies where they could donate them. Port Clinton Fisheries cleaned the fish.

The buildup of a large population of spawning-age fish on the Sheboygan Reef is the direct result of stocking efforts. Continuous stocking on an annual basis was first initiated on the reef in 1982. This population was first apparent in fall assessments in 1994. Over the last four annual assessments, the 1982 and 1984 year-classes have been increasing in abundance. Also in 1998, the large abundance of the age 7 and 8 year-classes can be attributed in large part to fish stocked at other Southern Refuge sites.

It appears the development of an increasingly abundant and older spawning population on the Sheboygan Reef is serving as an attractant for fish of spawning age maturity originally stocked throughout the Southern Refuge. The Michigan DNR and USGS conducted assessments on three stocked spawning reefs in the Northern Refuge area of Lake Michigan: Boulder Reef, Gull Island Reef, and Richard's Reef. The Little Traverse Band of Odawa Chippewa Indians and COTFMA biologists conducted nearshore sampling at the six nearshore sites: Fisherman's Island, 9-Mile Point, Menonaqua Bay, Good Hart, Sturgeon Bay, and Il Aux Galet.

The mid-lake refuge area contains healthy spawning populations of adult lake trout with age distributions that are increasing. The Northern Refuge area, on the other hand, is showing mediocre returns at two of the offshore stocked sites and poor returns at a third, Richard's Reef. Many fish planted at offshore sites are moving to nearshore locations. The age distribution is relatively low with few fish returning beyond the ages of 7 and 8.