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Angler bags 92 lb Bighead Carp while bowfishing

Courtesy, Belleville News-Democrat

While bowfishing for gar from the shore in backwater above the Melvin Price Lock and Dam No. 26 on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River near Alton, Darin Opel shot a 92.8 lb bighead carp with a compound bow and arrow.  After fighting the behemoth for 10 minutes, Opel jumped into the muddy water, bearhugged the beast and inched him to the shore.

"It was real heavy, like lifting a refrigerator," said Opel, who ripped his jeans on the arrow sticking from the back of the carp's head during the ruckus. "Once he got out of the water, he started fighting hard. He beat me up pretty good. He definitely got a few licks in."  Opel won the fight -- and the admiration of anglers everywhere who fantasize about landing a monster fish such as his trophy.

Weighed on a certified scale at Worden Food Market in Worden, the huge Asian carp had a 30-inch girth and measured 62" long. It obliterated the previous Illinois bowfishing record for bighead carp of 35.5 lbs set by John Borgers on June 8, 2006.

According to Duane Chapman, a fish biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who specializes in carp studies, Opel's catch is the largest on record by a recreational fisherman in the Western Hemisphere.  Chapman said there are only two bigger bighead carp on record in the world. A 93-pounder was captured in a reservoir in northern Texas a few years ago, but it was not caught by an angler and not weighed on a certified scale.

Chapman said a commercial fisherman in Pakistan landed a bighead carp that weighed more than 100 pounds several years ago. The fish now hangs in a museum in that country, where carp are revered.  "Both of those were kind of oddballs," Chapman said. "Other than that, I don't know of any fish that are bigger than his that have been captured anywhere."

Tissue and bone samples are being sent to Chapman to be tested for age and origin. Chapman said he won't hazard a guess on the age of the record fish.  "Any time you get something that's a contender for a world record, it's wild," said Opel, who has been bowfishing for 25 years. "A buddy told me I was just in the perfect place at the perfect time. Everything just came together.

Weekly Great Lakes Water Levels for May 9, 2008

Weather Conditions

The Great Lakes basin experienced significant precipitation last Friday, but did not receive notable precipitation afterwards until this past Wednesday's storm. In the past week, temperatures throughout the northern part of the region were slightly below normal, while temperatures in the southern half of the region were slightly above average.   Temperatures that will be slightly below average are expected over the weekend and into early next week for the entire region. Rain showers will arrive to the Lake Erie basin on Friday, while much of the Great Lakes region will see rain on Sunday.

Lake Level Conditions

Currently, Lake Superior is 12 inches higher than it was at this time last year.  Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Erie, are 1 to 2 inches lower than they were a year ago, while Lake Ontario is 11 inches higher than last year's level.  Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are predicted to rise 5 and 3 inches, respectively, over the next month.  Lake St. Clair is projected to climb an inch the during the next 30 days, while Lakes Erie and Ontario are predicted to fall 1 to 2 inches.  Lake Superior is forecasted to stay above last year's water levels through October, while Lake Michigan-Huron will reach and exceed its levels of a year ago over the next few months. Lakes St. Clair and Erie will remain at around last year's level, while Lake Ontario is predicted to remain higher than last year's levels over the next several months.  See our Daily

Levels web page for more water level information.

Current Outflows/Channel Conditions

Outflows from the St. Marys, St. Clair and Detroit Rivers are expected to be below average for May while outflows from the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers are forecasted to be above average.

Alerts

Lake Superior is currently below chart datum, but is forecasted to rise above it in June.  Users of the Great Lakes, connecting channels and St. Lawrence River should keep informed of current conditions before undertaking any activities that could be affected by changing water levels.  Mariners should utilize navigation charts and refer to current water level readings.

Court orders American Indian to trial for shooting eagle

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) � An American Indian who shot a bald eagle for use in a tribal religious ceremony must stand trial, a federal appeals court has ruled.

A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on May 8 reversed a 2006 lower court ruling that dismissed a criminal charge against Winslow Friday, a Northern Arapaho Indian who has acknowledged shooting a bald eagle in 2005 during the tribe's Sun Dance. In dismissing the charge, U.S. District Judge William Downes of Wyoming said the federal government has shown "callous indifference" to American Indian religious beliefs. Eagle feathers are a key element of ceremonies of the Northern Arapaho and many other tribes.

The appeals court ruled that American Indians' religious freedoms are not violated by federal law protecting eagles or the government's policy requiring American Indians to get permits to kill the birds.  "Law accommodates religion," the court said in its ruling. "It cannot wholly exempt religion from the reach of the law."

Friday declined to comment on the court's ruling. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail and a $100,000 fine.  Friday's public defender, John T. Carlson, said the ruling "reflects a failure to grasp the unique nature of the Northern Arapaho religious practice surrounding the eagle." Carlson said he and his client haven't decided how to respond to the ruling. Their options are asking the full appeals court to hear the case, appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court or allowing the case against Friday to proceed to trial in Wyoming.

John Powell, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in

Cheyenne, said the office planned to proceed with the prosecution.

Friday, who's in his early 20s, said last year he didn't know about a federal program that allows American Indians to apply for permits to kill eagles for religious purposes. Lawyers representing him and his tribe have argued that the USFWS did its best to keep the program secret and only grudgingly issued permits.

In his ruling, Downes said it was clear that Friday wouldn't have received a federal permit to kill an eagle if he had applied for one. The judge wrote that the Fish and Wildlife Service has encouraged American Indians to apply to receive eagle parts from a Colorado repository that holds the remains of birds killed by power lines and other causes. He said the agency makes no effort to encourage American Indians to apply for permits to kill birds of their own.

The bald eagle was removed last year from the list of threatened species. It had been reclassified from endangered to threatened in 1995. However, the species is still protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Kathryn E. Kovacs, a lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, told the federal appeals court in arguments in December that Friday had no standing to argue about shortcomings of the federal permitting process because he never applied for a permit before killing the eagle. The appeals court agreed. It also rejected Friday's argument that the federal Religious Freedom Restitution Act, which prohibits the government from placing undue burdens on religious practices, should block the federal government from prosecuting him for killing the eagle.

Wingshooting Clinics

The IDNR and partnering organizations are hosting a series of wingshooting clinics for beginning shooters and for more experienced hunters this spring and summer.  Youth/Women�s clinics are free.  Saturday sessions generally provide instruction for girls and boys ages 10 - 15, while Sunday sessions are generally used to provide instruction for girls and women ages 10 and older.  (Youth participants must be at least 4 feet 6 inches tall and weigh at least 75 pounds).  Instructors are certified by the National Sporting Clays Association.  Hunter clinics are designed to enhance the wingshooting skills of those ages 16 and older.  Hunters with wingshooting skill levels from beginner to advanced are encouraged to attend.  A small fee is assessed each hunter clinic participant to cover the cost of clay targets and refreshments.

Upcoming Youth/Women�s clinics (and contact phone numbers) include:

May 17-18 - Des Plaines Conservation Area (Will Co.); phone 217/785-8129

June 14 - Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (Cass Co.); phone 217/452-7741

June 28-29 - St. Charles Sportsmen�s Club, Elburn (Kane Co.), phone 630/363-6180

Upcoming Hunter Wingshooting Clinics include:

May 31-June 1 - Des Plaines Conservation Area (Will Co.); phone 217/785-8129

June 7-8 - Briar Knoll Hunting and Fishing Club (Lee Co.); 815/857-2320

June 21-22 - Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA (Cass Co.); phone 217/452-7741

Ohio awarded $260,365 federal grant for pump-out stations

COLUMBUS, OH - Recreational boaters across Ohio will soon benefit from a $260,365 grant awarded to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft for the construction and installation of shoreline sewage pump-out facilities.

The division was among 27 state waterway agencies nationwide that received a Clean Vessel Act Grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in late April. Ohio's funds will

install facilities in six communities: Vermilion, Zanesville, Cleveland, Columbus, New Richmond and Ripley.

Since the Clean Vessel Act program's inception in the early 1990s, nearly $150 million has been awarded to install thousands of sewage pump-out stations across the country.  Funding for the Clean Vessel Act program comes from the Sport Fishing and Boating Trust Fund, formerly known as the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund. It is supported by excise taxes on certain fishing and boating equipment and marine fuels.

Game Commission Removes Protection on Feral Swine

First step in effort toward eradication of invasive species

HARRISBURG - At the unanimous direction of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, and in response to a recent state Supreme Court ruling, Carl G. Roe, agency executive director, today issued an order removing protection on feral swine in 64 of the state's 67 counties.  Counties where protection remains in effect are Butler, Bedford and Cambria counties.

"The Game Commission has determined that the eradication of feral swine from Pennsylvania is necessary to prevent further harm to public and private property, threats to native wildlife and disease risks for wildlife and the state's pork industry.  We are not seeking to establish a hunting season, but we are committed to rid Pennsylvania of this invasive species."

Licensed hunters, including those who qualify for license and fee exemptions are eligible to participate in the unlimited incidental taking of feral swine.  They may use manually-

operated rifles, revolvers or shotguns, as well as and muzzleloaders, bows and crossbows.  All other methods and devices legal for taking feral swine much be conducted in compliance with the provisions of Section 2308 of Title 34 (Game and Wildlife Code), which can be view on the agency's website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) in the "Laws & Regulations" section in the left-hand column of the homepage. 

Additionally, the agency may issue permits to authorize individuals to engage in feral swine trapping operations, including the U.S. and Pennsylvania departments of Agriculture.  Feral swine trapping, by permitted individuals, will only be allowed from the close of the flintlock muzzleloading season in mid-January to the beginning of spring gobbler season, and from the end of spring gobbler season until the beginning of archery deer season. 

Nearly 25 states across the nation have persistent and possibly permanent populations of feral swine established in the wild, and Pennsylvania is one of 16 new states where introduction is more recent and may still be countered through decisive eradication efforts.