The Department of Natural Resources will offer free tours to the public and school groups this fall at the Boardman River Weir (in downtown Traverse City), the Little Manistee River Weir (in Manistee County) and the Platte River Weir (in Benzie County). Tours are available throughout September and October. Read more

The public again this year is invited to purchase surplus salmon that has been harvested at Department of Natural Resources weirs around the state.

Seasonal salmon runs include large numbers of fish returning to their native streams to spawn and die. The DNR maintains multiple sites (weirs) where fisheries biologists and technicians collect eggs and milt (sperm) from Chinook and coho salmon for use in state fish hatcheries. Once egg-take needs are met, fish in prime physical condition are made available to the public by American-Canadian Fisheries, a private vendor that assists the DNR with the salmon harvest. Read more

CLEVELAND – A Lake Erie fisherman was found safe aboard his vessel early Friday morning after being adrift since Wednesday morning.

At about 6:30 p.m., Thursday, a search-and-rescue coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Detroit received a report of an overdue boater. The boater, a 63-year-old male, reportedly departed Turtle Creek Marina near Oak Harbor, Ohio, at 7 a.m., Wednesday. Read more

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Water expands in volume by about nine percent when it freezes, creating a staggering force that can crack a boat engine block, damage fiberglass, split hoses, or destroy a boat’s refrigeration system overnight. As fall approaches, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) recently dug deep into its insurance claims files unearthing a trove of winterizing-related boat insurance claims and found that more than three-quarters involved cracks in the engine block or the exhaust manifolds. Now, the national boating services, safety and advocacy group is making available at no-cost the 15-page “Boater’s Guide to Winterizing” that can make the task easier for any type of boat. Read more

The Department of Natural Resources today announced plans to conduct lake reclamations in October to restore the trout fisheries of Bullhead and Dillingham lakes in Luce County, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

A lake reclamation consists of restoring a lake system and its aquatic life to a more natural state through science-based efforts.Bullhead Lake is a five acre lake stocked annually with brook trout since 1993. This lake is located more than 25 miles north of Newberry via M-123 and County Roads 407 and 416. Its fishery provides diversity to anglers in this area.

Dillingham Lake is a 16-acre lake stocked with brook trout since 1950. It is located more than 9 miles north of McMillan via county roads 415 and 455. This lake has yielded many quality brook trout over the years and has become a very popular destination for anglers seeking larger fish.

Both lakes currently have undesirable stunted yellow perch populations, which are detrimental because they out-compete brook trout for the same forage resources. Unless these perch are removed, future brook trout management in these lakes will not be successful. Netting to remove the perch is not a viable option because this process would only remove a sub-portion of the population. Read more

The Department of Natural Resources, in collaboration with several partners, invites the public to join in celebrating the September release of juvenile lake sturgeon from the New Richmond facility into the Kalamazoo River.

The public event, scheduled to run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, will be at New Richmond Bridge County Park located at 5740 Old Allegan Road in Manlius Township, Michigan. Guest parking is available on both the north and south sides of the Kalamazoo River.

The public is invited to mark the occasion with a full day of events, including guided tours of New Richmond Bridge County Park and the lake sturgeon rearing facility, food, music, gifts, a turning of the historic New Richmond swing bridge, tribal ceremony, and, of course, the release of the juvenile lake sturgeon into the river. Read more

On behalf of boaters, NMMA urges White House to act swiftly for a final rule on the RFS.

On Friday, August 22, as a part of the EPA’s work to finalize the Renewable Fuel Standard, the agency submitted the Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) to the Office of Management and Budget. This number, which is not currently publicly available, will mandate the amount of ethanol that is blended into the U.S. fuel supply. The National Marine Manufacturers Association continues to advocate on behalf of the recreational boating industry and is actively engaged in this process to ensure that boaters continue to have access to the fuel they need.

NMMA’s Nicole Vasilaros, director of federal and legal affairs, says, “NMMA is encouraged as the EPA takes a step forward by sending the 2014 RVOs to OMB and urges the White House to expedite this already delayed process. Our desire remains that the final rule will adequately ensure the availability of E10 and E0 in the marketplace — failure to do so will breach the blend wall and flood the market with E15. Mid-level blends are prohibited for use in marine engines, and studies have proven that misfueling will lead to significant engine damage and failure. NMMA will continue to work with the White House to ensure the broad availability of E10 and E0 on behalf of the recreational boaters who require it in order to enjoy our nation’s waterways.”

The Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State University, Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership and Sturgeon For Tomorrow will host sturgeon hatchery tours at the Black River facility near Onaway, Michigan, Saturday, Aug. 23. Tours will run from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Read more