Monday, March 29, 2010
Chubs May Be A Cyclical Species
Monday, February 08, 2010
Atlantic Salmon Fact
From Eric Sharp at the FreeP:
See: Ask Free Press outdoors writer Eric Sharp
Virtually all of the Atlantics caught in the Great Lakes today were spawned in the St. Marys.
See: Ask Free Press outdoors writer Eric Sharp
Monday, November 30, 2009
Good News For The Sturgeon
Via GL Echo: Old fish makes new Great Lakes comeback
This is of interest to Neebish Island folks as historically, the St. Marys River has had a self-sustaining population of sturgeon.
This is of interest to Neebish Island folks as historically, the St. Marys River has had a self-sustaining population of sturgeon.
Labels: ecology, fish;, St. Marys River
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A Good Thing About Having Cougars Around
They can improve the overall health of the deer herd which is good for hunters.
Via the NYT: When Mountain Lions Hunt, They Prey on the Weak
Via the NYT: When Mountain Lions Hunt, They Prey on the Weak
...by consuming infected carcasses, the animals may be keeping infectious agents out of the environment, reducing transmission to healthy deer.
Labels: cougar, ecology, hunting, wildlife
Friday, October 30, 2009
New To Me - There Are Native Lamprey
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
St. Marys River Fish Survey
Via SooToday: St. Marys River boaters are asked to watch for this: Fisheries Task Group plans survey on St. Marys River in August
Labels: ecology, fishing, St. Marys River, study
Friday, May 22, 2009
Smelting Away
A story of the disappearing smelt the the Herald Times Reporter (Manitowoc): Commercial fishermen are coming up empty
According to the Department of Natural Resources, commercial fishermen were able to pull more than 650,000 pounds of smelt from Lake Michigan in 2006. By 2008, that number was cut in third to just more than 208,000 pounds. So far this year, the smelt harvest has been a paltry 19,000 pounds.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Fishy Links
Here are a couple of recent stories about fish that caught my attention.
- The story of the last 400 Coaster Brook Trout at MyNorth: Saving Michigan’s Coaster Brook Trout
This story was also on IPR.
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the Lake Michigan fishery; where things have changed so much that native Lake Trout are no longer reproducing on their own but the introduced Chinook Salmon is: Choppy waters on a great lake
- The story of the last 400 Coaster Brook Trout at MyNorth: Saving Michigan’s Coaster Brook Trout
This story was also on IPR.
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the Lake Michigan fishery; where things have changed so much that native Lake Trout are no longer reproducing on their own but the introduced Chinook Salmon is: Choppy waters on a great lake
Friday, December 19, 2008
Snowy Owls
The Snowy Owl is uncommon in Michigan yet is sometimes seen in Chippewa County.
New research indicates it may be more of a marine species than originally thought.
New research indicates it may be more of a marine species than originally thought.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Examing The State Of The Lakes From the Canadian Leader
Via the CSMonitor: Great perils of the Great Lakes
Labels: ecology, economy, freighter, pollution, shipping, water levels
Monday, December 01, 2008
Throw The Big Ones Back
For a healthy fishery it helps to have a significant population of larger adult fish. The evidence supporting this idea has been building for the past several years and a recent study by the University of Toronto confirms it.
See: Keep big fish in their small ponds
See: Keep big fish in their small ponds
Friday, November 28, 2008
The Spread Of VHS
See: Regulatory action needed now to stop the spread of VHS into Lake Superior
A new map... produced by Geoff Maas of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, makes frighteningly clear why we need immediate action to stop the unregulated discharge of ballast water from spreading invasive species in the Great Lakes. Since 2003, the invasive fish disease Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) has spread through four of the five Great Lakes, with only Lake Superior still unharmed.
Friday, September 19, 2008
New Research On Cormorants
See: Cormorants can impact fish populations
I have not seen that many cormorants around Neebish Island but they are most likely having an impact on perch in the St. Marys River as the latest study shows a correlation for the Les Cheneaux area:
I have not seen that many cormorants around Neebish Island but they are most likely having an impact on perch in the St. Marys River as the latest study shows a correlation for the Les Cheneaux area:
New research confirms that trends in cormorant numbers best explain the collapse of yellow perch in the Les Cheneaux Islands region of Lake Huron. Between 1980 and 2004 cormorants went from zero to over 5,500 nests (about 14,000 birds).
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Fish Also In Distress
On the heels of the VHS fish virus (See:
Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes) comes more bad news for freshwater fish species.
See: Silent streams? Escalating endangerment for North American freshwater fish
And the decline in freshwater and saltwater fish populations is just one small part in Earth's sixth mass extinction event which is happening before our eyes.
For example, most people are aware of the worldwide collapse of bee colonies. Less well known is that populations of fireflies (what I used to call "lighting bugs") have declined by 70% worldwide.
Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes) comes more bad news for freshwater fish species.
See: Silent streams? Escalating endangerment for North American freshwater fish
Nearly 40 percent of fish species in North American streams, rivers and lakes are now in jeopardy, according to the most detailed evaluation of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the last 20 years...
"Fish are not the only aquatic organisms undergoing precipitous declines," said USGS researcher Noel Burkhead, a lead author on the report and the chair of the AFS Endangered Species Committee. "Freshwater crayfishes, snails and mussels are exhibiting similar or even greater levels of decline and extinction."
And the decline in freshwater and saltwater fish populations is just one small part in Earth's sixth mass extinction event which is happening before our eyes.
For example, most people are aware of the worldwide collapse of bee colonies. Less well known is that populations of fireflies (what I used to call "lighting bugs") have declined by 70% worldwide.
Labels: ecology, fishing, invasive species
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Understanding Dead Zones
