Volunteers are needed in Cheboygan County now through early June to stand guard as mature lake sturgeon head upstream to their spawning sites along the Black River.

The Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow is working in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and tribes to protect the fish from being illegally harvested during the six-week spawning season.

Sgt. Mark DePew, who leads DNR Law Enforcement Division’s efforts on the river, said, “Joining efforts in this alliance helps to preserve this endangered species when they are most vulnerable. By working together, we can double the efforts, making a greater impact on conservation and preservation efforts.”

The lake sturgeon, which can weigh up to 200 pounds and live to be 100 years old, is listed as a threatened species in Michigan, with any sport fishing being closely regulated. Read more

Twelve fish habitat conservation projects in streams and lakes across the state will share close to $1.8 million in Fisheries Habitat Grants administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The projects, supported by an additional $1.6 million in matching partner contributions, will rehabilitate and protect valuable fish habitat that provides the foundation for Michigan’s world-class fisheries. Four of the funded projects are identified by the DNR as priority habitat conservation projects. Read more

If you’re at a Great Lakes port this season, you might see one of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ large fisheries research vessels conducting annual fish surveys.

The public is encouraged to visit the vessels when in port and talk with the crews about their work. To ensure the safety of all, anglers and boaters are asked to give research vessels and their deployed sampling gear plenty of space when on the water.

“The staff on these vessels are working on a wide variety of studies to better understand Great Lakes fish communities, population sizes and habitats,” said Gary Whelan, DNR fisheries research manager. “Their work and the knowledge gained are essential to supporting current and future fisheries management.”

The vessels are based out of Marquette, Alpena, Charlevoix and Harrison Township harbors.

Lake Huron

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It may not be as good as you think

SPRINGFIELD, Va., April 18, 2022 – There’s been a lot of pain at the pump lately with gas prices. The Biden administration’s April 12 move to give a waiver from the Clean Air Act to allow the sale of gasoline containing 15% ethanol (E15) during the summer months is intended to lower costs and stretch the nation’s fuel supply. However, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) says the unintended consequence of the waiver could inadvertently put a harmful fuel prohibited for use in recreational vessels into your boat’s gas tank.

BoatUS notes recreational vessels are never compatible with E15 (15% ethanol). It is not permitted by federal law to use E15 fuel in boats (as well as motorcycles, off-road vehicles and power equipment), voids the engine warranty, and it has been proven to cause damage to marine engines. It also causes engines to run hotter and contains less energy than E10. Recreational vessel engines may only use gasoline containing no more than 10% ethanol (E10). Read more

A new study begins this month on Saginaw Bay, using acoustic transmitters that will be implanted in walleye to help researchers with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State University and several partner agencies obtain data about where the fish spawn.

Fish in such telemetry projects have acoustic transmitters affixed to them. Each transmitter then beeps a fish-specific code every few minutes. Acoustic receivers deployed in Lake Huron decode the tag beeps and log when fish tags are detected. The network of acoustic receivers in Saginaw Bay includes receivers in the mouths of rivers to listen for tagged fish moving to spawning grounds and receivers in Saginaw Bay to determine where walleye may be spawning.

Having a better understanding of relative sources of natural reproduction for walleye will help fishery managers determine which rivers and reefs to protect and, when needed, where to invest in actions that enhance and improve fish habitat.

Volunteer charter boat operations are assisting in the study by collecting the walleye hook and line in May while the fish from all spawning sources are mixed post-spawn, but before any leave the bay. Then when the fish return for spawning next spring, their locations will be logged in the receivers. There are at least 15 rivers and five offshore reefs that are likely sources of walleye spawning. Read more

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com

Johnny Morris is a classic American success story, starting out in his 20’s selling a little tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield. Missouri in 1972.

Today, the company he built, based mostly on the Bass Pro Shops logo, has a value of about $6.5 billion and employs over 40,000.

It owns not only 152 Bass Pro Shops superstores nationwide and in Canada but also 50 Cabela’s stores as well as White River Marine Group, parent company of Tracker, Ranger, Triton, Mako and other well-known boating brands sold at hundreds of dealerships around the nation.

And Morris has done an amazing amount of good with the money he and his team have earned. Just this month, as reported in yesterday’s TOW, he donated an added $1.5 million generated by the Bass Pro Shops World’s Fishing Fair and Concert in Springfield, Missouri

As with a number of other high-profile outdoors companies these days, the Bass Pro Shops empire has done its best to support the fish, wildlife and the outdoors fans that have made success possible. It all comes back to Johnny Morris, who has made a lifelong commitment to conservation.

The company has an ongoing effort to seek out and support worthwhile causes—see details here: https://about.basspro.com/community/support.

(In full disclosure, I worked for Outdoor World Television, a part of Bass Pro Shops, for eight years in the early 2000’s.)

More fishing news below… Read more

VERNAL — Several agencies are asking for anglers to keep any lake trout under 25 inches that are caught at Flaming Gorge Reservoir, in an effort to improve the health of the fishery. Several fishing tournaments will be held to incentivize anglers to help in this effort.

Currently, the popular reservoir in northeastern Utah — known for producing some of the largest lake trout in the U.S. — has too many small lake trout in it. In Flaming Gorge, lake trout larger than 25 inches primarily consume kokanee salmon and rainbow trout. If the abundant population of smaller lake trout (under 25 inches) is not reduced, there could be impacts on the salmon and rainbow trout populations, as well as fewer fish to feed the trophy lake trout.

“In the 1990s, an 8-year-old lake trout was about 30 inches long,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Flaming Gorge Lead Fisheries Biologist Ryan Mosley said. “Today, an 8-year-old fish is about 23 inches long. On top of the decreased length, the number of small lake trout in the reservoir has increased, and we’re concerned the situation is going to get worse. We’re managing for a balanced fishery of predators and prey, and currently, there are too many predators. Reducing the number of small lake trout now will mean healthier lake trout in the future, while also increasing the survival of trout and salmon that are highly sought after by anglers. They’re already growing slower and unless we can ‘thin the herd,’ it will only get worse.” Read more

For the past 20 years, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State University have focused on lake sturgeon management, hatchery production, research and outreach at Cheboygan County’s Black Lake.

To celebrate this milestone, the DNR and MSU invite the public to attend an event celebrating lake sturgeon restoration efforts on May 7 at the Black River spawning site at 11 a.m. before continuing at the Black River streamside research and hatchery facility at 1 p.m.

The event will showcase the restoration work of this iconic species, recognize the important contributions of partners and raise public awareness of lake sturgeon. Attendees will have a chance to observe fisheries staff collect data from spawning lake sturgeon as well as go on a hatchery tour. Additional activities will recognize the contributions of agency, academic, industry and citizen partners who have made sustained sturgeon renewal efforts possible.

Rehabilitation of lake sturgeon in the Cheboygan River watershed is a cooperative effort involving the DNR, the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, Michigan State University, Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership, the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Read more

Contact: Jay Wesley, 616-490-5090

Collecting key data on Michigan’s world-class fisheries is critical for successful management of our diverse fisheries resources. Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries management units completed over 260 fisheries surveys across Michigan in 2021. Specifically, DNR fisheries staff surveyed 152 inland lakes and 115 streams.

Overall, the surveys revealed that most of our lakes and streams have healthy, self-sustaining populations of fish.

The surveys are useful for tracking inland fisheries populations, evaluating if stocking increases angler opportunities or addressing concerns from anglers throughout the year.

So, just what are crews looking for?

According to Jay Wesley, DNR Fisheries Division Lake Michigan basin coordinator, surveys fall into three categories:

1. Evaluating management actions.
2. Understanding status and trends.
3. Finding answers to new questions or concerns.

“The management units stepped up last year and safely conducted these surveys to evaluate if management actions, like fish stocking or habitat improvement projects, had the desired effect,” Wesley said. “Surveys help us understand whether or not our management actions resulted in better recreational fishing in certain areas or improved a lake’s overall health.” Read more

Have you seen fish stocking trucks out on the road this spring? We’re in the midst of our spring fish stocking season. This time of year, you’ll find Michigan Department of Natural Resources fish stocking trucks releasing their prized recreational cargo at hundreds of lakes and streams throughout the state.

Fish stocking is a valuable tool used by fisheries managers for different reasons, including:

• Restoring ecosystem balance.
• Providing diverse fishing opportunities.
• Rehabilitating low fish populations.
• Reintroducing extirpated (locally extinct) species.

The DNR does not stock on top of wild populations when it can be avoided. Fish production staff take great pride in the quality of the fish they produce, but – when feasible – prefer relying on naturally reproducing fish that are adapted to their local ecosystem.

However, there are instances where the combination of angling pressure and habitat limitations keep wild fish from maintaining the desired population level on their own. In those instances, hatchery fish are stocked to supplement natural reproduction.

The DNR accomplishes this work by rearing fish at its six fish production facilities throughout the state; cooperatively managing up to 29 rearing ponds and six Great Lakes imprinting net pen/pond locations (which help developing fish return to spawning waters when mature); and by maintaining a fleet of 18 specialized fish stocking vehicles. Read more