Fishery News Stories Basin Report is a monthly on-line publication Prior Basin Reports
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| August/September Edition |
More Weekly Fishing News
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Hybrid striped bass found in Lake Michigan.
USACE Chicago District Fisheries biologist Dr. Phil Moy informed us, "We
were shocking Indiana Harbor during our routine monitoring program when we
found two hybrid striped bass floating on the surface. The third one was
rising to the top but got away." He also stated, "One was a female and the
other was a male, both in the 7-8 lb. range."
To emphasize the predatory
capability of hybrid striped bass, Moy exclaimed, "These are not cows,
they're lions!"
Next May, the Canadian government intends to terminate its annual spending of $5 million on the Sea Lamprey Control Program.
The Province of Ontario has returned full responsibility for enforcing federal laws for fish habitat protection in Ontario to the federal government of Canada.
An interim agreement between the two levels of government ended September 18, 1997. Ottawa has shown no interest in a permanent agreement, and we believe the federal government would prefer to enforce fish habitat laws in Ontario, said Natural Resources Minister Chris Hodgson.
Native Americans will be
allowed to continue commercial salmon fishing this year in Lake
Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay.
U.S. District Judge Richard Enslen ruled Thursday
that the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians could take up to
80,000 pounds of salmon from the bay, instead of the 90,000 pounds
allowed by tribal regulations.
Enslen also denied a request by the Department of
Natural Resources for a
preliminary injunction that would have required the
tribe to remove its fishing nets from the bay.
Lake Erie biologists from Ontario and Ohio are studying the impact of
changing environment factors in commercial and sport fisheries, including
studies on plummeting phosphate levels. The fact that they recognize the
issue as a problem worth studying is a point in their favor as will be the
obvious results of their studies showing major declines and changes in
fish stocks and food chains.
New fishing regulations for anglers on Lake Superior and its tributaries
below the posted boundaries became effective Aug. 25, 1997.
The new regulations for rainbow trout will be catch and release only for
all unclipped (wild) fish. The limit for clipped rainbow trout will remain
at three, with a minimum size limit of 16 inches.
For salmon, the possession limit will be lowered from 10 to 5.
For brook trout, often referred to as coasters, there will be a minimum
size limit of 20 inches, a possession limit of one, and a closed season
from Sept. 2, 1997 through Apr. 17, 1998. The new brook trout regulations
will not apply to Lake Superior tributaries in Carlton County and the
Knife River upstream of Lake County Road 9. |
 A fifty-one year old , Michigan, Lake Superior Lake Trout record was broken on Sunday August 17, by 16-year-old Lucas Lanczy of L'ance, Michigan. Lucas was fishing with Charter Captain Duncan Price , Fisher Price Charter Service of Chassell, Michigan, when he caught the 61 lb-8 oz. monster, shattering the 1946 record held by Angler Ned Watson. Anglers Gain New Service
[ Lake Superior] [ Lake Michigan] [Lake Huron] [ Lake Erie] [ Lake Ontario] Fishing on the Great Lakes has been excellent this season and now anglers have an added tool thanks to a cooperative state and angler effort lead by Michigan Sea Grant and CoastWatch. Sea Grant CoastWatch has expanded its on-line Surface Temperature Mapping Images" to include all Great Lakes regions including detailed surface maps for 44 ports.
DEC Tightens Snagging Regs
Brochures spelling out the rule are being posted at fishing access sites and distributed to tackle shops in Lake Ontario shoreline communities this month.
The DEC will be stepping up its enforcement of the no-snagging rules. DEC officials feel anglers have had two years to get used to this idea, and the time has come for enforcement.
No New Ruffe Populations
Ruffe Control Committee Chairman Tom Busiahn reports no new populations
of ruffe since 1995. Ruffe surveys are continuing in all five Great Lakes
at a very intensive level. St. Louis Harbor in Lake Superior still
maintains the highest population of ruffe�the largest of any fish species
in the river. Surveys at Alpena showed five ruffe in April of this year,
but none since then. The GLSFC is a member of the Ruffe Control
Committee.
Biologists say they've mapped out a plan to restock two Great Lakes with a species of fish thought to have died out more than 20 years ago.
Fisheries experts from the United States and Canada want to restore the once-plentiful blue pike by isolating DNA from what they believe is a rare specimen caught in 1989.
They hope to match the DNA to what are thought to be other scarce blue pike still living in lakes in Minnesota and Canada, then reintroduce positively identified fish into Lakes Erie and Ontario.
Two days later, 15 tournament-sized largemouth bass were found dead in
Lake Minnetonka's Maxwell Bay, where the tournament fish were released. To obtain a print version of "Great Lakes Basin Report", published monthly, call 630-941-1351
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Although Minnesota state officials still don't know what killed an estimated 7,800 brown trout in a popular Minnesota stream in late July, they've found no evidence that bacteria, parasites or viruses were the cause.
The Courts decision could have serious long-term consequences for every angler on Lake Michigan.
STUDIES OF PHOSPHATE DECLINES AND IMPACT TO FISHERIES UNDER WAY
New Lake Superior fishing regulations
New regulation states that "attempting to take fish by snagging, which may be indicated by repeated exaggerated jerking motions of the fishing rod, is prohibited."
Ruffe graphic courtesy Mn Sea Grant 
