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Week of May 24, 2010 |
| Beyond the Great Lakes |
| Hunting & Shooting Products/Issues |
| National |
| Illinois |
| Indiana |
| Michigan |
| Wisconsin |
| Other Breaking News |
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Beyond the Great Lakes
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Border Incursions degrading Natural resources Wake up America, what price we pay
Recent photos
from near the Arizona - Mexico border show
In 2006 alone, more than 1.18 million pounds of trash was collected along the southern Arizona border.
Interestingly, "Seventeen states are now filing versions of Arizona's SB 1070, which is designed to help local police enforce America's existing immigration laws," Americans for Legal Immigration PAC said in a report last week. The report said numerous national and local polls indicate 60 to 81 % of Americans support local police enforcing immigration laws. |
The dirty secret
about our open borders is that of the 1.2
The states where some form of immigration crackdown is under development include Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
Meanwhile, thousands of acres are being decimated by these incursions
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Hunting & Shooting Products/Issues
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Thompson/Center Introduces Dream Season Omega Muzzleloader
Thompson/Center
Arms Company, Inc., a Smith & Wesson
Built on the company's venerable and trusted black powder platform, the Omega, the Dream Season muzzleloader incorporates several key features. From the rifle's sleek profile to its drop breech action, the Dream Season Omega Muzzleloader is both simple to operate and extremely accurate. The .50 caliber muzzleloader is standard with a uniquely crafted 26-inch stainless steel, precision rifled barrel with a 1 in 28 inch twist. At the heart of the muzzleloader is the rifle's sealed pivoting breech, which is accessed via the trigger guard lever. The closed breech design not only seals the 209-primer ignition from inclement weather, but it also provides
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quick access to the removable breech plug and helps to simplify cleaning.
To help soften recoil, the muzzleloader features a FlexTech stock that is equipped with four Energy Burners, allowing the stock to slightly compress during recoil. This design is easy on the shooter's shoulder and reduces felt recoil by 43%. Other standard features include adjustable sights with fiber optics inserts, aluminum PowerRod and the company's patented Quick Load Accurizor (QLA) muzzle system that incorporates a false muzzle design into the very end of the barrel. This unique system is designed to align the bullet squarely with the barrel, while enhancing accuracy and saving precious time when reloading. The Dream Season Omega Muzzleloader also features QD sling swivel studs and the Mossy Oak Treestand pattern. The new muzzleloader is built entirely in the United States and backed by T/C's lifetime warranty.
About $499.00
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Thompson/Center Pro Hunter .308 Handgun Larry Weishuhn Signature Series Encore
Thompson/Center
Arms Company, Inc., a Smith & Wesson
The new Encore pistol bears Weishuhn's signature on the right side of the blued receiver along with his personal antler logo created in gold inlay. The esthetically pleasing handgun
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remains true to its original platform with its single-shot break open design and interchangeable barrel capabilities. The blued frame Encore Pro Hunter is chambered in .308 and is standard with a 15"" blued barrel with fluting. As part of the package, each Encore pistol will be shipped with a new Nikon Encore pistol scope, Pachmayr grips and a soft carrying case. The pistol features Thompson/Center's patented automatic hammer block safety with bolt interlock and a highly accurate precision barrel.
About $1,199.00
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Remington introduces HyperSonic Steel World's Fastest Waterfowl Shotshell
Few things are
more challenging than hitting fast moving, high
At the heart of the new HyperSonic Steel load is the patent pending Xelerator Wad. The newly designed wad features a unique Ignition Chamber which allows higher velocity with safe pressures.
How does the Xelerator Wad work? The primer ignites a small portion of the powder charge captured in the "Ignition Chamber", this captive charge accelerates the wad and payload forward until the remainder of the powder charge is ignited. The increased volume behind the wad allows for the remainder of the propellant to burn, driving the shot to 1700 fps without causing excessive pressure - all in just a fraction of a millisecond.
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With the HyperSonic Steel producing velocities at 1700 fps, the lead on flying ducks is shortened by 8" at 40 yards which gives the hunter a higher success rate and less crippling with fewer shots. Waterfowl hunters now have a load with the highest steel pattern energy ever produced; up to 16% greater energy than current steel high velocity loads, with longer-range lethality in 10 load choices. At 1700 fps HyperSonic Steel is the most innovative and exciting shotshell developed in decades. It will change the way that we hunt waterfowl.
Features of the New HyperSonic Steel Waterfowl Loads ► Patent Pending Xelerator Ignition Chamber Technology ► Allows Highest Velocity with Safe Pressures ► The "World's FASTEST" Waterfowl Loads Available ► Highest Steel Pattern Energy, 16% Greater Energy ► Longer-Range Lethality ► Industry-Leading 1700 fps Velocity - All Loads ► Shortens Leads by 11% (8 Inches at 40 Yards) About a Duck's Body Length ► Higher Success Rate - Fewer Shots Required ► For the same shot size- Same On-Game Lead in Every Load
About $22.99-32.99
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Steiner unveils new 10x50 LRF laser range-finding binocular
The LRF is pressurized with dry nitrogen fill and is waterproof to a depth of 16 feet. The chassis is made with Makrolon, a fiber reinforced polycarbonate material that is extremely impact resistant. All alloy components are anodized, and
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external metal parts are finished in enamel to prevent corrosion. The advanced military-oriented design is armored with Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) making the new Steiner 10x50 Military LRF is exceptionally rugged, yet it�s surprisingly light in weight at approximately 46 ounces.
Key Features:
Weight: 45.9 oz Field of view: 318' @ 1000 yds Eye relief: 15.8 mm Dimensions: (inches) 8.1L x 5.4W x 3.9H
About $2,499.00
800-257-7742
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Hoppe�s New Bore Snake Viper offers increased cleaning capability
Hoppe�s new Bore
Snake Viper takes the world�s fastest gun
The Bore Snake Viper has a cone shaped bore guide on the leading end to allow for easy insertion into your gun�s bore. The pull cord on the Bore Snake Viper is attached directly to the brushes for superior strength. The area to apply lubricant on the Bore Snake is clearly marked in bright orange. |
The Bore Snake Viper is available to fit .22 - .30 caliber rifles, 9mm � .45 caliber hand guns and 12 gauge shotguns. Hoppe�s Products are now part of the Bushnell Outdoor Accessories.
800-423-3537
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National
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Judge finds sellers of Scent Lok clothing use false advertising
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scent,� �odor is eradicated,� and graphics demonstrating that human odor cannot escape the carbon-embedded fabric are all false statements as a matter of law. In addition, the Court found claims that the Scent Lok clothing could be �reactivated� to �like new� or �pristine� condition to be false as a matter of law.
The Court will issue an injunction to prevent Defendants from further false advertising.
Scent Lok's advertising-at least in part- fails a Federal District Judge's smell test for odor elimination
The Minnesota case is now ready for trial. The remaining issues in the Minnesota case are the amount of damages to be paid to each plaintiff and the award of attorneys' fees and costs to plaintiffs' attorneys.
Because the Court earlier denied Plaintiffs' motion for class certification, Plaintiffs in the Minnesota case are only able to recover damages for their own purchases. However, the injunction against false advertising will benefit all future consumers of Scent Lok products in Minnesota. Download: Scent Lok Summary Judgment Order |
Regional
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Weekly Great Lakes Water Levels for May 21, 2010 Weather Conditions Seasonal temperatures and sun returned to the Great Lakes basin this week due to the high pressure system that remains over the basin. Inland areas of the basin are seeing temperatures several degrees above normal with highs well into the 70's and lower 80's. A low pressure system is expected to move into the basin late Friday bringing a chance of wet weather for the beginning of the weekend. Parts of the basin may experience scattered rain showers with up to half an inch of rain in some areas. The warmer temperatures and minimal rainfall in northern Michigan could elevate the danger of spreading wildfires. Temperatures are expected to continue to slowly climb with highs predicted to be in the 80's by early next week. Dry weather can be expected for the workweek. Lake Level Conditions
Currently, all
of the water levels on the Great Lakes are below last year's levels. Lakes
Superior and Michigan-Huron are 7 and 9 inches below last year's levels,
respectively. Lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are 7, 8 and 19 inches,
respectively below the last year's levels. Over the next month, the water
levels of Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are both expected to increase by
3 and 2 inches, respectively, while Lakes St. Clair and Erie are expected to
stay near their current levels. Lake Ontario is projected to rise 4 inches
over the next month. The outflow from Lake Superior into the St. Mary's River is |
forecasted to be below average. The outflows from both Lake Huron into the St. Clair River as well as the Detroit River are forecasted to be below average. Near average outflow is expected from Lake Erie and into the Niagara River. The flow in the St. Lawrence River is forecasted to be below average throughout the month. Alerts 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.
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Slimy lawyer fish complicates lake trout restoration in Great Lakes By Jeff Gillies, Great Lakes Echo Burbot, a native Great Lakes fish species, are slimy, big-mouthed bottom feeders. �That�s why they call them lawyers,� said Martin Stapanian, a research ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey�s Lake Erie Biological Station. They�re also called threatened in many parts of the world, according to a report co-authored by Stapanian and published in the March issue of the journal Fish and Fisheries.
That makes the story of the species� Great Lakes collapse and recovery even sweeter.
But new research shows that the burbot revival could also hamper the multi-million dollar effort to restore lake trout, another Great Lakes native. In the 1950s, commercial fishing and invasive sea lamprey wiped out Lake Michigan�s lake trout. Burbot populations dropped drastically, too, but the species hung on in small numbers. Biologists think that�s at least partly because burbot were never a popular target for commercial fishers.
They�re not kidding.
From 1929 to 1950, commercial fishers reported a Lake Michigan burbot harvest of around 1.2 million pounds, according to records maintained by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. That�s around 50,000 pounds per year. If that sounds like a lot of fish, the commercial lake trout harvest over the same period was reported at 104 million pounds, or 4.75 million pounds per year.
That means that for every pound of burbot caught and reported, commercial fishers pulled in another 90 pounds of lake trout. The small commercial burbot harvest doesn�t mean that the burbot weren�t in the lake.
�There were a lot more burbot than that in the lake,� said Randy Eshenroder, a science adviser with the Fishery Commission. The lack of commercial interest may have helped Great Lakes burbot through tough times, but it�s also gotten the fish in trouble around the world. �The overall lack of commercial and sport interest in burbot has undoubtedly contributed to its being ignored or regarded as a �trash� fish by some management agencies,� according to the Fish and Fisheries article.
Burbot populations were listed as �secure� in only four of the 24 Eurasian countries surveyed in the report, and 10 of the 25 U.S. states. In the Great Lakes, management apathy toward burbot has played out much differently.
The lakes� burbot couldn�t have rebounded without the massive sea lamprey control program coordinated by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Stapanian said. The drop in invasive alewives, which feed on burbot larvae, was also essential. But burbot have recovered in all of the lakes except Ontario (where alewives are still too plentiful) without the help of a stocking program, Stapanian said. |
That�s not the case for other Great Lakes natives.
Since 1965, managers have stocked Lake Michigan with an average of 2.7 million lake trout per year in an effort to reestablish a naturally reproducing population. Since 1986, many of those fish have been stocked in the lake�s two lake trout refuges where fishing is off limits.
The refuges are relatively shallow and have rocky bottoms that were historically fruitful lake trout spawning sites. Biologists hope that the fish will return to the refuges once they are fully grown and lay eggs. So far, it hasn�t worked very well. Biologists aren�t exactly sure why, but they often point to invasive species like sea lamprey and alewives. But a new study to be published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research shows that the resurging burbot may have something to do with it.
One of the lake trout refuges sits between Michigan�s Leelanau Peninsula and Beaver Island. People are particularly interested in getting lake trout to spawn there, said Greg Jacobs, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey�s Great Lakes Science Center. �So we wanted to get a good idea on whether burbot might have an effect on that,� he said.
To do that, Jacobs and his colleagues checked the stomachs of 95 burbot caught in northern Lake Michigan from 2006 to 2008. When they checked burbot caught near lake trout stocking sites, they found the effect they were looking for: Burbot eat small lake trout. It�s not yet clear how big of a drain burbot are on lake trout stocking, Jacobs said. That�s because no one is sure how many burbot are hanging out around the lake trout refuge.
But there have been a few studies on burbot densities in other lakes and even other sections of Lake Michigan. Those studies give scientists a range of how many burbot might live in a given area.
If northern Lake Michigan burbot are on the high end of that range, it could be lights out for the refuge�s lake trout.
�It could be entirely possible that they could eat all of the lake trout that are stocked out there within 30 days,� Jacobs said. �Which is about the time it would take for a lake trout to grow large enough to be able to escape those burbot.�
Any stocked fish are an easy target for predators already in the lake, Eshenroder said. �They�re coming out of hatcheries, they�re naive, kind of bewildered, you might say,� he said. �They�re disoriented.� It�s also possible that there aren�t enough burbot to eat all the lake trout. But even if there are only enough to take out a quarter of the stocked fish that would still put a dent in lake trout restoration, Jacobs said.
Biologists need more research on burbot density and behavior before they can be sure how big that dent is. �Until recently, there hasn�t been a lot of real good burbot research,� he said. �Mostly because nobody�s really interested in catching them |
Illinois
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Chemical in Fox River killed fish, wildlife SOUTH ELGIN, Ill. (AP) � Illinois Conservation Police are investigating the alleged dumping of chemicals into the Fox River that left fish and wildlife dead.
Witnesses called South Elgin police on Saturday after seeing bubbles floating downstream and fish popping up from the water.
Police Sgt. Randy Endean says officers and fire officials
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followed the bubbles to their source. There, he says they found two people putting substances into the water. Endean wouldn�t say what the substance was. Police have questioned the two people. The case has been turned over to conservation police from the state�s DNR. No charges had been filed yet. Endean says workers have been cleaning the water, recovering dead fish and caring for affected wildlife |
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Asian carp sampling effort underway on Little Calumet River CHICAGO, IL - An aggressive monitoring and sampling plan to guide Asian carp control efforts is under way in the Chicago Area Waterway System, according to the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC).
A five-mile section of the Little Calumet River in South Chicago closed to all traffic on May 20 and should re-open on or about May 26 as sampling efforts for Asian carp got underway. The Waterway closure was necessary for personnel to safely and effectively apply Rotenone to a more than two-mile stretch of the waterway at T.J. O�Brien Lock and Dam (South and West) as a part of ongoing Asian carp sampling efforts by the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC).
With over forty thousand dead fish recovered Sunday evening, May 23, no Asian Carp have been found. Because of the unseasonal and extremely warm weather, many of the fish that sank to the bottom are now floating back to the surface. No Asian Carp have been found in that area either.
The plan called for intensive electrofishing and netting; and in some cases the application of the fish toxicant Rotenone. In order to accomplish the plan objectives, it was necessary to institute temporary closure of certain reaches of CAWS to recreational and navigational use, beginning May 20 � May 26. Real-time closure schedules routinely will be posted at www.uscg.fishbarrierinfo.com You can find more information at www.asiancarp.org
The length and location of the application and fish removal area was chosen to maximize the opportunity to capture Asian carp by including a variety of habitats along a substantial length of river channel that has had a high frequency of positive eDNA detections. In addition to the Rotenone action, simultaneous electrofishing and commercial netting took place between the downstream block net and Acme Bend. Electrofishing and netting allows for an expansion of the area sampled and a comparison of conventional methods with Rotenone sampling.
The waterway was treated in one day, and the fish recovery phase of the operation was to last for four to five days. During that time, the FWS, IDNR, and other participating agencies aim to recover as many fish in the application area as |
possible to determine the abundance and type of fish present in the treated area.
The toxicant will eradicate Asian carp and other fish in the canal, but does not present a risk to people or other wildlife when used properly.
Drinking water in homes near the treatment area is safe. There are no known private wells near the treatment area and the nearest public drinking water system in the direction of flow downstream is over 150 miles away. During the application and recovery phases, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will implement a safety zone from River Mile Post 321.5 to 326.5 to protect waterway users and workers conducting sampling operations in the vicinity of the O'Brien Lock. Access to the river will be restricted for a period of five to seven days, meaning that boaters will not be able to transit the safety zone until sampling operations are completed and the safety zone is rescinded by the USCG. The safety zone notice for this sampling is published in the Federal Register and is also posted online at http://www.uscg.fishbarrierinfo.com.
Rotenone, a fish toxicant commonly used in fisheries management, was previously used on a six-mile stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal in December of 2009 while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shut down the Electric Barrier System for routine maintenance. That effort yielded one Bighead carp caught just above the Lockport Lock and Powerhouse approximately six miles downstream of the electric barrier. No Asian carp have been found above the electric barrier to date. Knowledge of the population size and location of possible Asian carp in CAWS is important data that will inform biologists and decision makers on selecting and prioritizing appropriate future actions to keep Asian carp from moving into Lake Michigan.
Further details on implementation of this new sampling and monitoring plan is detailed in the updated Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework, released in May 2010, on http://asiancarp.org . The Framework, which is guided by the latest scientific research, is expected to encompass more than two dozen short- and long-term actions and up to $78.5 million in federal investments to combat the spread of Asian carp. |
Indiana
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When Max Amstutz of Spencerville caught several walleyes from a northern Indiana natural lake recently, he did the right thing. Amstutz let them go. Legally, however, that wasn�t necessary.
Each of the walleyes measured exactly 14 1/8" long from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail�that is, with the tip of the tail stretched out to its maximum length. The walleyes were at least 14 inches long, Indiana�s minimum size limit for walleye. Trouble is, and what bothered Amstutz, was the fact that the walleyes were only 13 and � inches long when the tail was unfolded and measured in its normal position. Not wanting to risk arrest for keeping fish that were too small, he let them go.
Then he contacted the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) to find out how fish are supposed to be measured in
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order to comply with size limit requirements. �I didn�t want to bring them to the boat ramp and have a game warden check them and find them short,� he said.
According to the rules, Amstutz could have kept the fish. �Fish are measured for their maximum length from the tip of the jaw to the tip of the compressed tail fin,� said Jed Pearson, DFW fisheries biologist. �His walleyes were legal size, although barely.� �Max could have kept his walleyes but we�re glad he let them go,� said Pearson. �The next time he catches them, or someone else catches them, they will be bigger.�
Pearson said DFW biologists have considered increasing the walleye size limit at some lakes but so far they do not have strong scientific data to indicate it is needed. �Increasing the size limit is something we�re looking at,� he said. |
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Additional trout releases scheduled for area streams Additional trout will be stocked in four northern Indiana streams by the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife before Memorial Day weekend.
The Pigeon River (Steuben and LaGrange counties) will be stocked at County Road 175 North and at County Line Road. Turkey Creek (LaGrange County) will be stocked at County Road 150 North. These stream crossings are located on the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area. The trout stockings schedules for the Little Elkhart River (Elkhart County) will take |
place at the Bonneyville Mill County Park. The Little Kankakee River (LaPorte County) will be stocked with additional trout at County Road 100 South.
Although these stream sites will be the only areas to receive additional trout in May, fish from the initial releases in late April are still available in most of northern Indiana�s trout streams. Although anglers fishing the more remote areas continue to report good catches, the DNR�s practice of providing additional stockings at a few sites, which began in 1990, provides a bonus and extends trout-fishing opportunity |
Michigan
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DNRE announces U.P. Deer Habitat Improvement partnership projects Six cooperative deer habitat improvement projects totaling $50,000 have been approved for the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative, the DNRE announced.
The initiative is designed to enhance Upper Peninsula habitat for white-tailed deer through joint projects between the DNRE and non-government organizations on private lands. The state�s Deer Range Improvement (DRIP) Fund, which is made up of a $1.50 allocation from every deer license sold in the state, will provide the funding for the projects.
Projects have been approved in Gogebic, Alger, Schoolcraft, Mackinac, Delta, Menominee, Dickinson, and Ontonagon counties. Projects include planting 80,000 red oak seedlings, restoring and improving wildlife openings, planting wildlife soft mast apple orchards, transplanting large oak trees for hard mast production, and planting numerous small wildlife
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habitats.
Partners include the Straits Area Sportsman�s Club, Eastern Dickinson County Sportsman�s Club, Delta County Conservation District, Gogebic County Conservation District, Ontonagon County Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited, Alger County Game and Fish Alliance, UP Whitetails Chapter of Alger County, UP Whitetails chapter of Schoolcraft County, and Forest Land Group, LLC. The work will improve deer range on several hundred acres of private and Commercial Forest Act lands across the UP.
�This year�s projects will focus on private-land habitat improvement where the public has access,� explained DNRE wildlife biologist Bill Scullon. �This whole effort has been an excellent opportunity for the DNRE to build partnerships with sportsmen�s clubs and the public across the UP to help improve deer habitat in innovative ways.� |
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Long Lake Boating Access in Iron County Closing June 7-11 The Michigan DNRE announced the Long Lake Boating Access Site in Iron County will close temporarily on Monday, June 7, for installation of a new concrete ramp and skid pier. The project is anticipated to be completed by June 11.
This project is financed through the Michigan State Waterways |
Fund, a restricted fund derived from boat registration fees and the Michigan marine fuel tax, which is used for the construction, operation and maintenance of recreational boating facilities, harbors and inland waterways. For more information or updates about this project, contact the Baraga Field Office Supervisor Dan Dowdy at 906-353-6558, or Robert Strittmatter, Bewabic State Park supervisor, at 906-875-3324. |
Wisconsin
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Musky seasons open May 29 in northern zone and Lake Michigan WOODRUFF � Good news for anglers looking forward to the May 29 opening day of the northern zone musky season.
The early spring experienced in northern Wisconsin and most of the state means the muskies are done spawning and ready to concentrate on eating. Even an early May blast of snow in many parts of northern Wisconsin shouldn�t put a damper on the bite, says Steve Gilbert, Department of Natural Resources
�We had 2 to 3 inches of snow in early May and the water temperatures did drop 4 or 5 degrees, but the temps are going to rebound fast,� Gilbert says. �The muskies are done with spawning. Things are going to warm up. We still have nearly two weeks before the opener and the weather forecast looks cool but not unusually cool, so the muskies will be in their post-spawn, late-spring pattern.�
Fishable populations of musky are found in 711 lakes and 83
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stream segments in 48 Wisconsin counties but the heaviest concentration of lakes with musky is found in the headwater regions of the Chippewa, Flambeau, and Wisconsin rivers. Online lists of lakes and rivers can steer anglers to where musky populations are known to be found.
The musky season opens May 29 in Wisconsin north of U.S. Highway 10, excluding Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters, and runs through Nov. 30, 2010. The daily bag limit is one and the minimum length limit is 34 inches in most cases, but some lakes have special regulations. Please see the �Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations 2010-11."
Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters opened for musky fishing on May 15. The southern zone musky season opened with the regular game fish opener on May 1. Lake Michigan waters north of Waldo Boulevard in Manitowoc open for musky fishing May 29
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Walleye bag limits to increase on 369 northern lakes MADISON � Daily walleye bag limits increased May 21 on 369 lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory to reflect spring spearing harvest by six Wisconsin bands of Chippewa Indians.
A daily bag limit of two walleye will increase to three walleye per day on 83 lakes. In addition, 286 lakes will go from an initial bag limit of two or three walleyes per day to the state daily bag limit of five, according to Joe Hennessy, who coordinates the treaty fisheries management program for the Department of Natural Resources.
Anglers should consult the 2010-11 "Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations", signs at boat landings, and the 2010-2011 Revised Ceded Territory Walleye Bag Limits pamphlet for lake-specific information.
As part of a 1983 Federal Appellate Court decision affirming |
Chippewa off-reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering rights, the six bands of Wisconsin Chippewa set annual harvest quotas for off-reservation lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory. To assure the combined tribal and recreational angler harvest does not exceed a sustainable level, the state sets recreational bag limits in lakes declared for harvest by the Chippewa bands.
An administrative rule passed by the state Natural Resources Board in 1998 allows the department to adjust initial bag limits annually to reflect actual spring spearing harvests and projected summer harvests.
Of the 243 lakes with bag limits less than five, 83 lakes will have a bag limit of two walleye per day, and 160 lakes will have a daily bag of three walleye per day. The six Chippewa tribes together harvested 34,157 as of May 15, 2010.
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AG demands additional action to stop Asian Carp threat MADISON � Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced last week that his office has sent a letter to Major General John Peabody of the United States Army Corp of Engineers demanding that the Army Corp take certain specific actions regarding the imminent Asian Carp crisis in the Great Lakes.
�Asian Carp pose an enormous economic and environmental threat to the Great Lakes and Wisconsin specifically,� said Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. �The Asian Carp invasion must be stopped.� The letter is signed by the Attorneys General of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and other Great Lakes states. A copy of the letter is available at: www.doj.state.wi.us/news/files/Peabody_Ltr5.pdf.
A list of the documents requested from the Department of the Army and USFWS is available at: www.doj.state.wi.us/news/files/Peabody_Ltr5-Docs_Reqd.pdf.
The letter demands five things. First, the letter demands that the Army Corp take more comprehensive action more quickly, commensurate it with the urgency and magnitude of the threat. Second, the letter requests that the Army Corp provide specific information about what is and is not being done and why. Third, the states are requesting that the Army Corp include the knowledgeable natural resource experts in the Great Lakes states in the regional coordinating committee. Fourth, the states have demanded that the Army Corp produce certain documents essential to a comprehensive understanding of the process. And fifth, the letter demands that planning for a permanent solution be accelerated for physically separating the Chicago area water system that is infested with Asian Carp from Lake Michigan.
The letter acknowledges that the federal government has broad legal authority to take emergency action ranging from closure of locks to killing fish in order to prevent the migration of Asian Carp through the Chicago area waterway system into the Great Lakes. The states are demanding that the Army |
Corp move quickly to take this action and use its legal authority to take immediate measures to prevent the movement of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes. The states note that eDNA evidence shows that the Asian Carp have already moved lakeward of the electric barrier system in the Chicago area waterway system. The states demand that additional physical barriers be put in place to deter adult fish passage such as fine mesh screens inline with the gates at the Chicago and O'Brien Locks and changes in lock, gate, and pumping operations.
Finally, the states demand some necessary short-term actions including applying Rotenone, a poison, at all locations where eDNA tests have indicated the presence of Asian Carp, including the Grant Calumet River in Calumet Harbor and the north branch of the Chicago River. The states continue to demand closing the O'Brien and Chicago Locks except as needed to protect public health and safety, and closing the gates in the lock and dam system except as needed to protect public health and safety. The states continue to demand that planning for a more comprehensive and permanent solution be accelerated and that at this stage no delays can be justified.
Great Lakes states, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, joined earlier this year in requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court order the Army Corp of Engineers and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Authority to close the locks and gates in order to prevent the migration of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes. The request was made as an immediate emergency fix while the agencies and the states could cooperatively come up with a permanent, long term solution.
On April 26, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the request. The attorneys general of the impacted Great Lakes states continue to work together and are considering both negotiations and litigation as next steps to prevent the invasion. |
Other Breaking News
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(Click on title or URL to read full article)
Chemical in Illinois Fox River killed fish and wildlife Illinois Conservation Police are investigating the dumping of chemicals into the Fox River that left fish and wildlife dead. Witnesses called South Elgin police after seeing bubbles floating downstream and fish popping up from the water. Officers and fire officials followed the bubbles to their source; there, he says they found two people putting substances into the water.
Chemical in Illinois Fox River killed fish and wildlife Illinois Conservation Police are investigating the dumping of chemicals into the Fox River that left fish and wildlife dead. Witnesses called South Elgin police after seeing bubbles floating downstream and fish popping up from the water. Officers and fire officials followed the bubbles to their source; there, he says they found two people putting substances into the water.
Asian carp fight moves closer to Lake Michigan
Slimy lawyer fish complicates lake trout restoration in Great Lakes
Cox, others: Efforts against carp inadequate
Would you eat Asian carp? What if it was called silverfin?
Lamprey control efforts under way in Delta Co.
Salmon decline opens up lake
House bill would allow Lake Erie waters to be leased for wind farms
Waukesha mayor says city may not pursue Lake Michigan water
Invasive species measure will hurt shippers: official Salmon decline opens up Lake Huron Lake Huron is a lake where the loss of salmon has resulted in a population explosion of big walleyes, steelhead and lake trout. Jim Johnson, who runs the DNRE research lab at Alpena, said walleye fishing in Saginaw Bay and much of the rest of Lake Huron probably is as good today as it ever has been. |
The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the GLSFC, its officers or staff.
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The
Steiner 10x50 Military Binocular Laser Rangefinder (LRF) is a lightweight,
laser-rangefinding binocular. Unique and compact in design, the new 10x50
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On
May 13, 2010, United States Federal District Judge Kyle found that ALS, the
manufacturer and seller of Scent Lok clothing, and Cabela's and Gander
Mountain, both of which sell Scent Lok and their own private-label clothing
using Scent Lok technology, falsely advertised the ability of their Scent
Lok clothing to eliminate odor. The Court found that �Defendants have
published countless advertisements� almost all of which �utilize the slogans
�odor-eliminating technology� or �odor-eliminating clothing.�� The Court
further found that the experts agreed that the Scent Lok clothing �cannot
eliminate odor, even when new.� The Court held that all advertisements
that used the words �odor-eliminating technology,� �odor-eliminating
clothing,� �eliminates all types of odor,� �odor elimination,� �remove all
odor,� �complete scent elimination,� �scent-free,� �works on 100% of your
scent 100% of the time,� �all human 