The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that mandatory ice shanty removal dates are approaching. Regardless of the date, shanties must be removed as soon as the ice is unable to safely support them. The ice quickly can become unsafe for anglers to retrieve their property in warmer weather.

Ice shanties on Lake St. Clair must be removed by sunset Sunday, Feb. 25.

For counties in the southern Lower Peninsula, shanties must be removed from the ice by midnight Thursday, March 1.

The deadline for removal from waters in the northern Lower Peninsula is midnight Thursday, March 15. Counties in this area are Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Bay, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Emmet, Gladwin,Grand Traverse, Iosco, Isabella, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee, Montmorency, Newaygo, Oceana, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon and Wexford. Read more

Everyone in Michigan is invited to fish for free Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 17 and 18, for the 2018 Winter Free Fishing Weekend. A license is not required to fish those two days, but all other fishing regulations still apply.

These two days make up #MiFreeFishingWeekend – an annual effort to promote Michigan’s world-class fishing opportunities. While many individuals and families will bundle up and head out to fish for free on their own, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources points out that there are many events organized throughout the state to get you started, too. Here are a few: Read more

Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department to hold ninth-annual event on Sunday Lake

During Michigan’s winter Free Fishing Weekend, the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department will hold its ninth-annual ice fishing contest on Saturday, Feb. 17 on Sunday Lake in Gogebic County.

The 224-acre lake located in Wakefield is one of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ designated Family Friendly Fishing Waters, home to perch, panfish, walleye and northern pike.

All fishing license fees are waived during Free Fishing Weekend. Residents and out-of-state visitors may enjoy fishing on inland and Great Lakes waters for all species of fish. All fishing regulations still apply.

“We’ve been hosting our fishing contest on Michigan’s Free Fishing Weekend for the past several years in an attempt to attract people who otherwise may not fish, as well as to draw participation from Wisconsin and Minnesota,” said Jennifer Jacobson, secretary of the fire department’s ice fishing contest committee. Read more

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials announced the 2018 sturgeon harvest season on Black Lake (in the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula) ended after two and a half hours Saturday, Feb. 3, with seven fish being harvested. The fishing season, which included spearing or hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 3-7, or until the harvest quota had been reached. The allocation of sturgeon for Black Lake this year was seven fish, although DNR officials set a harvest quota of six fish.

There were 426 registered anglers on the ice Saturday, up from 332 the year before. Most anglers registered at the pre-registration held Friday, Feb. 2, which continues to allow for a much more streamlined process. Anglers of all ages and genders participated, including a good number of supervised youth. Read more

Last year the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and Michigan Technological University received a $117,175 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation to support Michigan’s Arctic Grayling Initiative, an effort to reintroduce Arctic grayling into the state.

Recently completed work supported by this grant addressed two immediate needs for a successful Arctic grayling reintroduction. The first was to collect stream habitat and fish community data in the upper Manistee River. This data collection allowed for both the evaluation of current stream habitat conditions and the development of criteria to determine which other streams may provide suitable habitat for Arctic grayling.

Additionally, funds from the Consumers Energy Foundation grant supported collaboration among interested partners, including the development of the initiative’s official action plan, which was released in July 2017. This document provides direction for all activities related to Arctic grayling reintroduction, including research, management, fish production and outreach. Read more

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced the totals from its 2017 fall fish-stocking efforts. The DNR stocked nine different species totaling 834,175 fish that weighed nearly 11.5 tons. Fish were stocked at 76 locations throughout the state.

“It was another outstanding fall fish-stocking season that will provide enhanced opportunities throughout Michigan,” said Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager. “When added to our successful spring and summer stocking efforts, that brings the total for 2017 to more than 26.4 million fish put into Michigan’s waters.” Read more

By Shelby Isaacson, Mote Marine

Dr. Bob Hueter, Director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory, and scientists from several other institutions are boarding OCEARCH’s research vessel this week for a return expedition to the waters off South Carolina, north Florida and Georgia –Expedition Lowcountry II. This Jan. 15-Feb. 5 trip, the 31st expedition hosted by OCEARCH, aims to expand scientific knowledge about white sharks, popularly known as great white sharks.

“We’re returning to the Lowcountry because our white sharks led us here,” said Chris Fischer, OCEARCH founding chairman and Expedition Leader. Previous data collected shows that OCEARCH’s mature, Lowcountry-tagged white sharks have traveled differing paths from those of OCEARCH’s mature, Cape Cod white sharks. The team is returning to gather data that will assist researchers in understanding if there are differences in habitat use of the Lowcountry vs. the Cape Cod white sharks. Read more