DNR announces 2016 Black Lake sturgeon season harvest results

Sturgeon lined up on ice during 2016 Black Lake season

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials announced the 2016 Black Lake sturgeon harvest season ended after one hour Saturday, Feb. 6, with seven fish being harvested. The fishing season, which included spearing or hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 6-10, or until the harvest quota had been reached. The allocation of sturgeon for Black Lake anglers this year was seven fish, although DNR officials set a quota of six fish.

There were 261 registered anglers on the ice Saturday, down from 303 the year before. Most anglers preregistered Friday, Feb. 5, which allowed for a much more streamlined process. Anglers of all ages and genders participated, including a good number of supervised youth. Read more

Streamlight Introduces Super Siege Rechargeable LED Lantern


New Model Rivals Brightest LED Lanterns; Also Functions as Portable USB ChargerEAGLEVILLE, PA – Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting, introduced the Super Siege®, a brilliant 1,100 lumen rechargeable light that is one of the brightest LED lanterns available today. The new model is ideal for large-scale scene lighting required by industrial users, first responders and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

The Super Siege also functions as an auxiliary USB power source to charge personal electronic devices. Its rechargeable 8800 mAh Lithium Ion battery provides up to 4 full charges for most smartphones and up to 8 full charges for most Streamlight USB-rechargeable flashlights. Read more

Affordable Night Vision Monocular for Boaters from FLIR

The Marine Industry’s first sub-$600 thermal camera helps increase nighttime awareness

WILSONVILLE, OR – – FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced the FLIR Ocean Scout TK thermal camera at the 2016 Miami International Boat Show. A sub-$600, pocket-sized thermal vision monocular, the Ocean Scout TK features FLIR’s revolutionary low-cost Lepton micro camera core, making thermal imaging technology even more accessible to boaters.

The smallest and most affordable model in the FLIR Ocean Scout series, Ocean Scout TK creates high-contrast images using heat, rather than visible light. As a result, Ocean Scout TK makes it possible to see the differences in temperature and heat emitted by boats, buoys, and landmarks in total darkness. Ocean Scout TK also reveals people overboard and marine mammals breaking the surface of the water. Read more

Shark Attacks Hit Record High in 2015


International Shark Attack File notes 98 unprovoked shark attacks – including six fatalities – with US, Australia and South Africa witnessing highest numbers Sharks attacked people 98 times in 2015, a spike in unprovoked attacks that set a new record as human populations rise, researchers found in an annual global tally released on Monday.Six people were killed by sharks, including a snorkeler in Hawaii. Two deaths were recorded off the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, and shark attack victims also died in Australia, Egypt and New Caledonia, according to data submitted by scientists worldwide. Read more

Tawas Point Lighthouse Keepers Program offers opportunities


Tawas Point LighthouseLighthouse enthusiasts are invited to serve as volunteer lighthouse keepers at the Tawas Point Lighthouse, in Tawas Point State Park, this summer. Keepers will receive lodging on-site in exchange for conducting guided tours of the lighthouse. In 2016 the program will run from May 12 through Oct. 13.The 1876 Tawas Point Lighthouse is a well-known landmark in the state park, attracting visitors from all over the world. Keeper tasks include greeting visitors, giving tours, providing information about the lighthouse and the Tawas area, and light maintenance duties. Participating keepers provide roughly 35 hours of related service per week. Read more

New Legislation Introduced to Ban Fish Farms in the Great Lakes

New legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives by Rep. Jon Bumstead (R-Newago) to ban commercial net-pen fish farms in the Great Lakes, which poses disease, escapement and effluent risks to Great Lakes fisheries. House Bill 5255 would ban commercial cage culture operations from Michigan-controlled waters of the Great Lakes

Call your representatives on the House Natural Resources and Agriculture committees and tell them to protect Great Lakes fisheries!

“This is just common sense,” said Bumstead. “The Great Lakes support a $7 billion sport fishery. Why would the state authorize an unnecessary risk to the Great Lakes economy? This legislation will ensure that it doesn’t.”

This legislation comes in the midst of competing legislation to specifically authorize commercial net-pen fish farms – also called cage culture – in the Great Lakes following two proposals for siting in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

“Commercial cage culture poses serious risks to wild fisheries,” said Dr. Bryan Burroughs, executive director of the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited. “These risks include escapement and breeding with wild fish, making them less genetically fit to survive in the wild, passing disease from immune domestic fish to wild fish which are not immune to the diseases, and, especially, the effluent deposited by concentrated populations of domestic fish into lakes.” Read more

U.S. Senate Committee Approves Top Sportsmen’s Priorities

Sportsmen Contacts Needed ASAP

On Jan. 20, the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee approved a bill containing some of the top priorities of the hunting and fishing community, including the Sportsmen’s Alliance.

  1. 659, the second half of the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2016, includes a key provision sponsored by Sen. John Barrasso (R- Montana) directing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the Endangered Species List. Despite greatly exceeding population targets for delisting, anti-hunting groups successfully persuaded a federal judge to keep wolves protected. The amendment returning wolves to the state management, which has been advocated for and supported by the Alliance, passed on a voice vote.

The committee also rejected an attempt by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) that would have stripped language preventing the EPA from regulating lead in ammunition. Read more

Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act Advances to Senate Floor

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee improves and passes important fisheries legislation

Alexandria, VA – The sportfishing industry applauds the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for advancing the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015. This bill, which will improve fisheries conservation and recreational fishing access throughout the country, has now cleared all committees of jurisdiction in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and now awaits action on the floor of both chambers. Read more

MI DNR creel clerks collecting angler information this winter

Creel clerk interviewing an angler along river

As the winter fishing season gets under way, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that fisheries staff again will be interviewing them about their fishing trips. The DNR appreciates anglers’ cooperation in obtaining these critical data for fisheries management.

DNR creel clerks will, through brief interviews, ask anglers thow long they fished, what species they targeted, what they caught and where they live. In a few instances, they will ask to measure or weigh fish and take scale samples to gather key biological information on anglers’ catches. Read more

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