Indiana wiper record broken --- again

A second state-record hybrid striped bass has been certified this spring by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. David Coffman from Frankfort, Ind. caught the new record fish May 22 below Lake Freeman's Oakdale Dam. The white bass/striped bass hybrid, often called a wiper, weighed 22 pounds, and was 32 inches long. The fish's tail fin spanned a foot rule. The new biggest-ever Indiana

wiper beat the 19.5-pound record wiper caught below the same dam on April 30.

Coffman's wiper hit a crankbait lure cast in the early morning darkness and drawn across the Tippecanoe River below the Lake Freeman dam.  "The wipers are a new fish for me," said Coffman. "But I've really focused on them for the last three weeks. I caught a couple 16 pounders, and then the big fish, where the current breaks (below the dam)."  "The fish was like something you would see in the ocean," said Coffman.

More about Indiana striper waters

The tailwaters below Norway and Oakdale dams, the two dams on the Tippecanoe River that create lakes Shafer and Freeman, have consistently produced the biggest Hoosier wipers over the last 20 years. Since 1985, 20 of 22 state record wipers have come from the Tippecanoe River. 

The wiper record is Indiana's most often broken sport fish record. The record has been broken more than 20 times since 1985.  More than half the record hybrids were caught during April and May. The wiper record was broken six times in 1988.

Wipers will attack a wide variety of cast or trolled lures or baits. These powerful fish are a genetic cross between white bass

and striped bass and resemble their temperate bass cousins,  striped bass, white bass and yellow bass. 

The best lakes in Indiana for adding wiper poundage to your stringer are Monroe Lake near Bloomington or lakes Freeman and Shafer near Monticello. Big wipers are also often caught below Ohio River dams.

Indiana record fish factoids:  www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/recordfish_factoids.htm

Indiana Record Fish: www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/recordfish_list.htm

Salt Creek Public Fishing Area opens

New fishing access site ready for summer steelhead

The new Department of Natural Resources Salt Creek Public Fishing Area in Porter County is open and ready for the summer Skamania steelhead run.

The 75 acres of natural land northwest of Valparaiso provides anglers with nearly 6000 feet of access to a high-quality steelhead trout and salmon fishing stream and protects a section of Salt Creek's watershed.

Salt Creek flows from south to north through upland and bottomland hardwood forest and fallow farm fields at Salt Creek PFA. The public property is similar to the DNR's nearby 76-acre Chustak Public Fishing Area along Salt Creek. Chustak PFA opened in 2001 and has a parking area off County Road 600 North.

Salt Creek PFA was bought in 2004 with funds provided from the sale of state fishing licenses. Salt Creek is a tributary to Lake Michigan, and generally offers excellent small-stream trout and salmon fishing as these fish swarm out of Lake 

Michigan on seasonal spawning runs. During mid to late June, depending on water temperatures and water levels in the tributaries, summer-run adult Skamania steelhead trout return to Indiana tributaries where they were planted as fingerlings.

Most Skamania will "stage" near the mouths of Lake Michigan tributaries, with fish rushing upstream -- especially after a heavy rainfall -- to begin the run. By mid-August (depending on tributary temperatures and water levels), good numbers of Indiana Skamania have entered home tributary streams.

Skamania will continue to enter tributaries throughout the fall and winter months until March. Chinook and coho salmon return to Lake Michigan tributary streams to spawn from late August to early November. Winter-run steelhead should be in the stream from November to mid-April.

Salt Creek is small to medium-size stream flowing north through Porter County in northwest Indiana. Salt Creek joins the Little Calumet River near Portage, which flows into Lake Michigan near Burns Harbor.

Oceangoing ships will need Michigan permit by 2007

Governor Signs Legislation to Protect Great Lakes from Aquatic Nuisance Species

LANSING, MI -Oceangoing ships will need a state permit to enter Michigan ports starting in 2007 under a state law aimed at protecting the Great Lakes from exotic aquatic species. Governor Jennifer Granholm on June 6 signed legislation requiring oceangoing ships to prove they will NOT discharge ballast water or are equipped to treat it.

�Those who rely on the Great Lakes for economic and recreational activities have a responsibility to protect them,� Granholm said.  �Requiring ships to prove they pose no threat to our health and safety will help protect our people, our environment and our economy.�

Vessels often take in thousands of gallons of ballast water to stabilize the ship when traveling without cargo.  The ballast water is then released in port as new cargo is loaded, potentially releasing millions of live organisms into the lake.  Often these invasive species have no natural predators in their new environment and can crowd out native species, cause environmental damage, or transport foreign disease or parasites.  There are currently more than 160 identified non-native species in the Great Lakes, including sea lampreys and zebra mussels .  Damage estimates from zebra mussels alone exceed $3 billion over the past ten years.

�Invasive species cost literally billions of dollars to control once they are introduced to the Great Lakes ecosystem, and often, trying to control them is a losing battle,� said Ken DeBeaussaert, director of the Office of Great Lakes. 

�These new laws are the right thing to do to protect the lakes, and it makes economic sense to spend money on keeping invasive species out, rather than the much larger cost of trying to control them once they are here,� added Steven Chester,

director of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

House Bill 4603 (Public Act 32 of 2005) and Senate Bill 332 (Public Act 33 of 2005) mandate that all oceangoing vessels apply for a permit from the DEQ before being allowed to use Michigan ports.  To qualify for the permit, ships must prove they either will not discharge ballast water or they are equipped to prevent discharge of aquatic nuisance species.  Failure to comply with permitting requirements could result in a fine of up to $25,000 per day.  The bills also require DEQ to form a coalition with our Great Lakes� neighbors to implement policies to protect the waters.

Granholm commended Representatives Kathleen Law (D-Gibraltar) and Matt Gillard (D-Alpena) and Senators Ray Basham (D-Taylor) and Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor) for their work on this issue.  Each has introduced a resolution calling on the Coast Guard to join in this fight by eliminating exemptions that allow many ships to enter the Great Lakes without inspection under federal law.

The legislation also would encourage other states in the Great Lakes region to adopt stricter measures to fight exotic species, which raise energy costs and deplete some native fish populations.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality concludes that sufficient technology exists to effectively treat ballast water. The problem is cost; the shipping industry obviously doesn't want to spend the estimated $125,000 cost per ship on a ballast-cleansing system.

The shipping industry may not be as quick to acknowledge the cost to Great Lakes states having to deal with invasive species like the zebra mussel. That tiny mollusk causes an estimated $10 billion in damage each year to boats and water intake plants at power plants.

Boat capsizes, captain blames gill net

Tribe denies any responsibility for swamping

The Ludington Daily News reports fishing last week on Lake Michigan turned into a frightening experience for Joe Frontiera, of Hart, and his brother, Sam Frontiera, of Ludington.  Both were fishing in a 17-foot fiberglass Crestliner boat that capsized at roughly 2:40 p.m., about a mile-and-a-half from shore, after getting caught in a net owned by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.  Aside from a few bruises and sores, neither was injured.

Joe Frontiera, a licensed captain who was fishing off the Ludington State Park bathhouse with Sam, was trolling back to shore that day when he noticed the flags marking the tribe�s fishing net. Knowing exactly what the flags were for, he said he made sure he kept at least a quarter of a mile away from the nearest net.

�I made sure I went way around it,� he said. �Evidently, the nets are stretched out way past the markers.� Frontiera said the boat�s downriggers got caught in the presumed to be the net, pulling the back of the boat down and causing water to flow onboard.

�The water was coming in good and we couldn�t get it to stop,� he said, adding that even the two pumps on board couldn�t stop the influx of water. �There was nothing we could do.�

When the water reached the front of the boat, Frontiera said he knew they were going to go under, and immediately called the Coast Guard. Minutes later, the boat capsized, and the Frontiera brothers, who had put life jackets on when the water started to flood the boat, were forced into the 55-degree water.

Frontiera said that about four or five feet of the front of the boat was above water. He said Sam grabbed onto the bow, while he tried to grasp the bottom, although cold, slippery hands and crashing waves made it that difficult.  �I just kept sliding up and down and the waves kept pounding me, and knocking me back and forth,� he said.  The brothers were in the water for 25 minutes, according to Sam�s watch, but Frontiera said it felt more like 45 minutes.

Joe Marion of the Ludington Coast Guard Station, said the Coast Guard team � Matt Herrmann, Seth Miller, Dave Duenow and Tommy Hissong � arrived on the scene in the

station�s 30-foot rigid-hull inflatable boat about 10 minutes after receiving the phone call around 2:40 p.m.

The boat was at 43�01.2N, 086� 32.4W and the brothers were floating in the water when the team arrived, according to Marion. The Coast Guard brought the boat near shore, and escorted the brothers to the Coast Guard station, where they called for a ride.

The Coast Guard was assisted by Mason County marine sheriff�s deputies.

Frontiera said the experience was kind of scary, but more than anything he�s angry at the fishing nets, which he said destroyed his boat and could have caused his and his brother�s death.  �I lost everything,� he said, adding that there were thousands of dollars worth of tackle on the boat and a slew of fishing equipment he�s collected over the years. �And I have no way of replacing it.

�Those nets are a big hazard. It�s just wrong the way they are placed out there,� he said. �I really think they have no right to put nets out there without proper markers.�

Glenn Zaring, public information director for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians tribe, said that Sea Grant Extension recommendations state that boaters should go 2,600 feet around net markers, and that Frontiera was closer than that.  Zaring added,  the net was properly marked.  �The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians encourages boaters to follow Sea Grant Extension recommendations to stay 2,600 feet from net markers, and the tribe is taking no responsibility for the incident.�

Frontiera said he went one quarter of a mile around the net marker to avoid hitting the net.

�Our nets are marked in excess of legal requirements and are located at positions provided through the sea grant,� Zaring said. �I�m sorry the gentleman lost his equipment but our tribe is in no way responsible for the accident.

The boat is still in Lake Michigan, stuck on a sand bar about 30 feet from shore. Marion said it will be removed from the lake by a commercial salvage company.

DNR Unveils Proposed  Budget Reductions

to Address Projected Deficit in Game and Fish Fund

Facing a projected $8.1 million deficit into Fiscal Year 2007 in its general purpose Game and Fish Fund, Department of Natural Resources officials today announced a proposed spending reduction plan to address the shortfall and to continue to develop a plan for a long-term funding solution for the fund and other areas that lack sufficient funding.

"Revenues in the Game and Fish Fund are projected to be stagnant while expenditures continue to grow due to inflation," said Frank Wheatlake, chair of the Natural Resources Commission Policy Committee on Finance and Administration "To address this deficit, we have identified reductions throughout the department, and we will continue with our core mission of protecting, managing and conserving Michigan's natural resources."

The general purpose Game and Fish Fund is primarily supported by revenue generated from hunting and fishing license sales. The fund is in deficit due to stagnant revenues brought about by flat license sales.  DNR Director Rebecca Humphries said the reductions will not affect full-time, permanent DNR employees, but will mean reductions in seasonal and short-term employees. Some of the reductions include:

 * Reducing deer head collection and disease testing - $1

million;

* Reducing seasonal and short-term workers who perform habitat and maintenance activities in game areas - $430,000;

* Delaying fisheries equipment purchases, such as nets, materials for building nets, data recording devices and replacement parts for outboard motors - $400,000;

* Delaying the placement of large woody debris in the Au Sable River to restore river habitat - $400,000;

* Delaying Great Lakes assessments - $247,400;

* Reducing inventory and assessment surveys of inland lakes and streams - $257,400;

* Reducing major maintenance projects at fish hatchery interpretative facilities - $300,000;

* Eliminating inland fishery grants programs for two years - $400,000;

* Reducing inland creel survey staff from 40 to 38 - $200,000;

* Reducing Coho stocking in Lake Michigan - $300,000;

"While the department has taken steps to protect funding for our core-mission programs, these reductions will not impact our ability to manage natural resources in Michigan," Humphries said. "We will continue to work with hunters and anglers to seek a long-term funding solution, and work for wise management of natural resources in Michigan."

Hunting Trends in Michigan

Bill Moritz, Chief, Wildlife Division, reviewed demographics, recruitment and retention of Michigan hunters. 

Fewer people are buying the most popular licenses.  For example, between 1999 and 2004, 9 % fewer deer licenses were sold; 12 % fewer waterfowl licenses were sold; 35 % less elk licenses were sold; and 16 % fewer small game licenses were sold. 

Deer hunter participation has remained consistent among the

A 20 year average (1960-79) of hunters shows that 2.4 % of small game licenses and 5.9 % of deer licenses were sold to females.  From 2002-04, 3.2 % of small game licenses and 8.1 % of deer licenses were sold to females.

Fishing Trends in Michigan

Tammy Newcomb, Acting Assistant Chief, Fisheries Division, reviewed demographics, recruitment and retention of Michigan fishers.

From 1999-03, there was a 6 % decline in fishing license sales.  Fishing license sales peaked in 1987 and have been declining annually with the 22-40 age group declining the most.  Restricted species are showing the greatest decline in sales of approximately 19 %.  Approximately 30 % of men ages 25-65 purchase a license, and only 7 % of women ages 21-60 purchase a license.  Participation by anglers 60 and older remains consistent.  Nonresident license sales have declined 10 % where non-resident-all species license sales have increased 19 %.  Ninety percent of the licenses sold are sold in-state.

Newcomb reviewed items that influence angling participation: 

quality of the fishery; weather; economy; competing hobbies; changes in family unit; and changes in social patterns. 

Dr. Moritz reviewed the Pittman Robertson Fund or federal dollars available to the DNR (luxury tax on guns, ammunition, etc.).  Several items, including the Brady Bill and 9/11, have affected munitions sales.  Therefore, declining hunter numbers are nation-wide.  He stated that more than the Game and Fish Fund is affected from the reduction in hunters.  It also affects the Deer Range Improvement Fund as well as the amount of money from the Federal government that tie into the shooting sports.

Regarding 25-45 age group, there is a large amount of time spent, both parents and children, on athletics and other school activities, taking up a great deal of time.

Temporary Closures at Chippewa Lake Access Site during June

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials announced the Chippewa Lake boating access site will be renovated this month, and visitors will encounter limited parking and occasional temporary closures during construction. The project will expand parking from 20 spaces to 40, upgrade vault toilet facilities and relocate the entrance road to enhance safety.

Chippewa Lake is a 791-acre water body, located about 12

miles northeast of Big Rapids in Mecosta County. The lake is known for its bass, walleye and a variety of panfish.

Through June 24, anglers and boaters are urged to contact the Clare field office prior to venturing out to use this location. Contact Eric Fransen at (989) 386-4067 for current construction activity and site closure information.  The DNR Parks and Recreation Division's construction crew based in Grayling will complete the project with assistance of personnel from the Clare field office.

Historic Agreement Signed in Restoring Boardman River to Natural State

A historic agreement between local, state, tribal and federal officials was inked Wednesday that is seen as the first step to potentially restoring the Boardman River in northwest Michigan to a free-flowing, natural state.

At the center of the agreement is the license surrender, decommissioning and potential disposition of three hydroelectric dams * Sabin, Boardman and Brown Bridge * and one lake control dam (Union Street in Traverse City) on the Boardman River in Grand Traverse County. The agreement is the first of its kind to be crafted and executed in Michigan.

"Successful completion of this project will lead to rehabilitation of the Boardman River as a premier trout stream," said Todd Kalish, Department of Natural Resources fisheries management biologist.

The settlement agreement was negotiated by the DNR, the Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Traverse County, the city of Traverse City, Traverse City Board of Light and Power, the Michigan Hydro

Re-licensing Coalition, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The agreement outlines the process for license surrender, dam decommissioning, developing an engineering/feasibility study, preparing an environmental assessment and gathering community input, which will be used by the city of Traverse City and Grand Traverse County to make an informed decision about the final disposition of the dams. This process is expected to take two to three years.

The hydroelectric facilities currently are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The agreement will be forwarded to FERC to start the process of license surrender and decommissioning. Once that process is complete, the regulatory oversight for the facilities will be turned over to the appropriate authority under the Michigan Dam Safety Act.

The key value of the Boardman River watershed is its ability to sustain cold water aquatic communities and habitat. Currently, the dams on the river degrade that habitat by warming water temperatures, inhibiting the flow of nutrients, sediments and woody debris and segregating aquatic communities by limiting their movement throughout the watershed.

Moose season application deadline is June 17

The application deadline for the 2005 Minnesota moose hunt is Friday, June 17. Applications may be made from any of the 1,800 statewide electronic license terminals or from the DNR License Center at 500 Lafayette Road in St. Paul.

This year, 284 permits are available in 30 zones in the northeastern part of the state. There is no hunting season in northwestern Minnesota. The season dates are Oct. 1 through Oct.16, 2005.

Moose hunters must apply in parties from two to four individuals. An application fee of $3 per individual must be included with the application. Only Minnesota residents, at least 16 years old, are eligible for the moose hunt.

applicants who have been unsuccessful at least 10 times since 1985, will be placed in a separate drawing for up to 20 percent of the available licenses. A person who is still unsuccessful in this separate selection will also be included in the regular drawing. Because the moose hunt became a once-in-a-lifetime hunt in 1991, hunters who received permits for moose hunts for the 1991 hunt and later are not eligible to apply for the 2005 drawing.

The bag limit is one moose of any age or either sex per party. The license fee is $310 per party. There will be mandatory orientation sessions required for all hunters chosen for moose licenses.  In 2004, 3,062 parties applied for the 246 available state permits. State licensed hunters harvested 127 bulls and 24 cows, for a party success rate of 62 percent.

Minnesota to offer elk hunt in 2005

Big game hunters will once again have a chance to harvest an elk in Minnesota this year. Five elk permits will be offered through a lottery drawing in the primary elk hunt zone around Grygla.

The hunt will reduce the population from the present level of 35 to 30, according to the goal stated in the elk management plan. One of the five permits will be for a legal antlered bull, while the remaining four permits will allow the harvest of antlerless elk only. 

In Minnesota, a legal antlered bull is defined as a male animal with at least one 10-inch long antler. Hunters may apply individually or in parties of two. A nonrefundable application fee of $10 per hunter must accompany applications. Successful applicants will be notified by mail. They must purchase an elk license for $250. Each party will be authorized to harvest one elk.

Applications may be made on the DNR elk application form or an 8.5-inch by 11-inch sheet of paper. Applications and instructions can be obtained online at  www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/elk/index.html , or by calling (651) 296-6157 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367). Applications submitted on paper must include the hunter�s name and address, drivers license number, Social Security

number, daytime phone number and signature. To apply, a hunter must be 16 years of age by Sept. 17, 2005.

Applications must be postmarked by July 15 and mailed to: Elk Hunt, DNR Regional Wildlife Office, 2115 Birchmont Beach Road NE, Bemidji, MN 56601.

One of the five licenses will be issued in a preferential drawing to qualified landowners within the elk zone. The drawing for this license will occur first. Unsuccessful landowner applications will then be added to the general drawing. Four more applicants will then be selected in a general drawing for a total of five successful parties. 

From this pool of five successful parties, a second drawing will take place to determine which party will receive the bull license. The remaining parties will be issued antlerless licenses. Alternates will be selected in case successful parties opt not to purchase their permit. If no qualified landowners apply, all five licenses will be drawn from the general pool of applicants. The hunt is once in a lifetime, which means that parties that choose to purchase their license will not be eligible to apply for future elk hunts.

The 2005 bull elk hunt season will be Sept. 17-25. The antlerless elk hunt will be Dec. 3-11.

Ohio Finds No Merit In Tribe's Claim To North Bass Island

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A claim by the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma to ownership of a chunk of North Bass Island in Lake Erie has been rejected by Attorney General Jim Petro. A spokesman for Petro said that experts hired by the state see no merit in the tribe's claim.

The tribe's attorney, Richard Rogovin of Columbus, declined to comment  The tribe is pressing a claim for 350 acres, more than half of the island, plus damages for the loss of its island acreage for 172 years.  All of the 350 acres is owned by the state, which bought most of the sparsely populated island for $17.5 million in 2003.

The Ottawas controlled a large chunk of northwest Ohio in the 1700s and Rogovin said the Ottawas never ceded their rights to North Bass Island.   The Ottawa tribe has sought a casino in Ohio, but has denied that the land claim is related to gambling.   It said it wants to set up a fishing fleet on North Bass, which lies 18 miles off Port Clinton.

A spokesperson for Jim Petro said the Ohio Attorney General will not meet with the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma to negotiate an agreement concerning the tribe�s land claims in the state. The Shawnee Tribe has stated it hopes a settlement can be reached without litigation and is using the land claim to force the state to the bargaining table so it can bring several resort-style casinos to Ohio. It already has four deals inked and several more in the works, including one in Stark County.

Terry Casey, a representative for the tribe, has stated the 

former 350-acre Republic steel site is one of three in the running for the Stark County project.  Both Gov. Bob Taft and Petro have made their position clear � no additional gambling in Ohio.

Early last month Enyart sent a letter to Petro noting the Shawnees �had substantial legal land claims concerning its aboriginal lands.� Enyart�s letter was supported by a 14-page letter from Mason Morisset. He has argued Native American issues before the U.S. Supreme Court successfully in the past, Casey said.

The tribe doesn�t want to take any land away from Ohio residents, Enyart said in his letter, but wants to work with the state and local communities to return to their homeland. The claim includes vast tracts of Ohio, mostly in the western half of the state � something which could tie up the deeds of thousands of land owners and make selling property a nightmare.

Enyart had requested a meeting on May 23, 24, or 25, and has received no reply from Petro, Casey said. Casey said he didn�t want to comment on possible legal action � that would be Morisset�s position. Morisset could not be reached for comment, but his 14-page letter lays the ground work for a legal claim.

�These claims left unresolved could cloud title to substantial areas of land in Ohio for the indefinite future,� he wrote on Feb. 28 in the letter to Enyart.   That is a tactic tribes have used successfully in other states to get gaming rights, said Steve DiPietro, one of the owners of the Republic site.

Tribe informs state of plans to fish commercially on Erie

The Ottawa tribe of Miami, Oklahoma has notified State of Ohio officials that it is hiring crews and buying fishing boats and gill nets � which are illegal in Ohio � to begin commercial fishing on Lake Erie.

In a letter sent last week to state Department of Natural Resources Director Samuel W. Speck, Columbus attorney Richard D. Rogovin wrote that the Ottawa tribe of Miami, Okla., "intends to exercise the fishing and hunting rights granted in the Treaty of Fort Industry" of 1805. State regulations do not apply to tribes� fishing rights granted under a federal treaty, Rogovin said. However, the tribe wants to practice good

conservation and avoid conflicts with recreational fishing, he said.

Attorney General Jim Petro last week rejected the tribe�s claim to 350 acres of Lake Erie�s North Bass Island.  Roger Knight, administrator of the Lake Erie Fisheries Program in the Division of Wildlife, said gill nets were outlawed in Ohio in 1983 and are "totally indiscriminate" about size, ages and species of fish caught, typically killing them.

The tribe wants to develop the northern 250 acres of the 677-acre island into an Indian cultural village and vacation hotels, but will not seek to establish a gambling facility, Rogovin said.