Category Archives: Inland Fisheries
Alberta pushing Fort Chip commercial fishers north to Great Slave Lake
After 57 years of setting his nets on Lake Athabasca, Ray Ladouceur is out of work, a victim of the Alberta government’s decision in August to end commercial fishing across the province. “We’re looking for compensation, but so far, nothing has been offered,” Ladouceur told The Journal last week. Read the rest here 21:59
Understanding the Canadian Commercial Fishing Industry on Lake Erie
The natural resources that Lake Erie provides are valuable to millions of people. That is why conversations get heated with the topic of Lake Erie fisheries management. Distrust and blame are often beseeched upon neighboring management agencies. Canadian commercial fishermen are looked upon with disdain by many Americans for their use of gill nets and harvest rates. Read the rest here 16:57
Lake Winnipeg Commercial Fishermen say quota system forces them to waste fish
Some of the nearly 1,000 people who rely on Lake Winnipeg’s commercial fishery for their livelihoods say the current quota system hurts their pocket books and results in thousands of kilograms of wasted fish. But he frequently finds other fish in his net as well, including whitefish, which counts against his seasonal quotas. But there could be another solution. Read the rest here 13:13
Hundreds of pounds of Lake Erie fish left to spoil in untended nets
A Leamington commercial fishing company and boat captain have pleaded guilty to allowing fish to spoil and have been fined a total of $3,500. Conservation officers got a tip in early August that spoiled fish had been seen in a commercial trap net on the northwest side of Pelee Island. Read the rest here 08:07
Government can be slow – and foolish – Lake Winnipeg whitefish disaster awaits
Here on Lake Winnipeg in Canada, it’s been boon times for fishermen. The walleye have been numerous for years. But we got a wake-up call this fall. A competing species, the whitefish, worth half the value of pickerel and yet counting on our quotas (the poundage we are allowed to catch each year), have come in droves. We cannot escape them. Read the rest here 11:34
Ten U.S. and Canadian agencies testing their ability this week to deal with potential Lake Erie carp attack
The field exercise Tuesday through Thursday involves about 60 employees from six of the eight Great Lakes states and the province of Ontario as well as federal agencies. “This exercise will help us fine-tune our,,, yeah yeah yeah. I’m calling my bookie! Read the rest here 10:45:1
N.W.T. forest fires to blame for slow fishing season
It’s been a slow summer for commercial fishers in the Northwest Territories who have netted less than half of last year’s catch. The lower numbers are partially due to forest fires, according to Jason Grabowski with the Winnipeg-based Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, which buys, processes and markets all freshwater fish caught for commercial sale in Manitoba, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories. Read more here 19:48
Illinois company latest to test market for carp
When they arrive at the processing plant, the fish that have been cursed as a menace to American lakes and rivers are raked onto a conveyer belt, some of them still flopping. Brought by the boatload to this facility north of St. Louis, the Asian carp quickly meet a gruesome fate: They are ground to a bloody pulp in a maze of machines that churn their bony bodies into dehydrated meal and fish oil. Read more here 20:22
Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority cautions boaters to avoid commercial salmon nets
The Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA) cautions boaters in northern to avoid tribal commercial salmon fishing nets. “We are trying to keep the public aware of where they’re at,” ”said CORA Executive Director Jane TenEyck in making the announcement. Read more here> 08:27
DFO Officers seize 1,700 kg of rotten fish near Hay River, N.W.T.
Fisheries officers then took out a boat and found two kilometres of abandoned net that had about 1,770 kilograms — roughly 3,900 pounds — of fish that were rotten and <Read more here> 15:44
Don’t throw away that fish waste!
The disposal or reuse of fish processing waste has long been a challenge for Michigan’s fish processing industry. Approximately 5 million pounds of waste from commercially processed lake whitefish, lake trout, and salmon are generated, annually. <Read more here> 08:44
Owner insists nothing’s fishy, Says seized pickerel bought properly
The owner of a fish and seafood shop at The Forks at the centre of poached pickerel sting last Friday said he and his business play by the rules. It’s alleged three commercial fishers from Lake Winnipeg were delivering the fillets. Because some of the fillets were fresh, it means they were caught outside the summer commercial fishing season, which is over on Lake Winnipeg. “I can’t comment on what they were doing. I don’t want to get into that while it’s before the courts.” Read more here 09:59
Annual Redneck Fishing event to spotlight jobs, Catch as many Asian carp as fast as possible
There is a good-food, good-jobs theme at this year’s Redneck Fishing Tournament in the Illinois River community of Bath. Economic development and elected officials from across central Illinois are expected to join the two-day contest, Aug. 1-2, in the community of 300, about 60 miles northwest of Springfield. The contest is simple. Catch as many Asian carp as fast as possible from the Illinois River. Read more here 12:55
Asian Carp vs. Commercial Fishermen: 2.5M lbs of now out of Illinois
It’s been four years since the discovery of an Asian carp between the electric barriers and Lake Michigan. That’s when the state went into emergency mode. They hired a select group of Illinois commercial fishermen. Video, Read more here 07:53
DNR Question of the Week – Is there commercial fishing in Minnesota?
A: Commercial fishing in Minnesota for walleye and other game fish was eliminated in 1983. Today, commercial harvest is mostly limited to rough fish such as common carp, buffalo and freshwater drum. These fish are harvested primarily using large seine nets up to 3,000 feet long and 20 feet deep. Read the rest here 10:18
Low lakes equal high costs; $19B by 2050 says Great Lakes study
Wheatley Harbour manager Al Matthews knows all about the problems low water levels can cause for the that last year brought in more than $8 million of fish. Read more here 08:57
Neglected fishing nets lurking in Lake Michigan create headaches for boaters
LUDINGTON, MI — The mid-morning lake water off Ludington was choppy last October as Petty Officer Kegan Thompson and three others in his Coast Guard rescue boat sped toward a disabled vessel on Lake Michigan. As the team passed the large hydroelectric plant and reservoir south of town, something unexpected in the water yanked the boat to an abrupt halt. Read more here 18:35
Asian carp invasion a growing problem
No one really dreams anymore of completely ridding the Wabash River of invasive, destructive — and, let’s be honest, ugly-looking — Asian carp, a voracious breed of fish that grows quickly, reproduces rapidly and vacuums up so much microscopic plankton that it can starve out native species higher up the food chain. Read more here 11:26
Asian Carp more than just a nuisance for Illinois River fisherman – video
PEORIA, Ill. — The Asian Carp was introduced to American fisheries in the 1970s in an attempt to help to clean up the water. They have since invaded the Illinois River. It is the heart of spawning season, and fisherman say the fish are out of control. Read more here 10:08
Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee announces steps to protect lakes from carp
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Authorities plan stepped-up monitoring and commercial fishing operations in the continuing effort to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. Read more here 11:13
Some local restaurant owners believe there’s something fishy about catches from Lake Erie
The advent of spring and summer means we can now look for perch, walleye and our other favorite Lake Erie fish on local restaurant menus. The warmer months also introduce to the lake raw sewage after heavy storms, phosphorus runoff from fertilizer and algae blooms, exacerbating a decades-long problem of environmental degradation caused by pollution from heavy industry, agriculture and human negligence. Read more here 09:28
Schumer: Feds should renew permit to keep cormorants away from Oneida Lake
Schumer said. “For the thousands of New Yorkers who rely on Oneida Lake for their livelihood, for anglers, and for summer recreation, the return of the invasive and fish-devouring cormorant bird population is a troubling thought. These non-native birds damage the ecosystem and hurt tourism by .” Think about that for a minute. Chuck understands predator/prey! Adult double-crested cormorants are capable of eating more than a pound of fish per day, and in the past have decimated fish population in the eastern end of Lake Ontario Read more here 07:12
New Minnesota environmental law bans triclosan
A University of Minnesota study published in January 2013 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology said increasing amounts of triclosan were found in the sediment in eight Minnesota lakes and rivers, including Lake Superior, the Duluth harbor, Shagawa Lake in Ely, Lake Pepin, Lake St. Croix, Lake Winona and East Lake Gemini, all of which receive treated sewage effluent. Read more here 12:11
NY State moves toward microbead ban, industry urges delay
State lawmakers are moving to ban the sale of some face soaps, shampoos and toothpastes that contain very tiny plastic spheres that flow straight through most municipal sewer systems to gather in the ocean, Lake Erie, and most probably, the Hudson River. Impossible to effectively remove from the water, the beads themselves can collect certain types of pollution, like toxic PCBs, and then can be eaten by fish and other wildlife, accumulated, and passed up the food chain possibly to humans. Read more here 10:57
Bizarre fish in Newark park a step to caviar
NEWARK, Ohio — A chance encounter with an ugly fish has turned a Newark city park into a potentially lucrative enterprise. In industry jargon, it’s called “aquaculture.” But for the layman, let’s call it what it is — a caviar farm. Read more here 10:00
Plans for a local Asian Carp processing center are on the way
EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Local leaders, international entrepreneurs, and local businesses are cooking up a plan to control the invasion of Asian Carp in the Illinois River. Ten entrepreneurs in China have expressed interest in bringing an Asian Carp processing center to the Peoria area. Read more here 22:29
Valuable fishery – Whitefish prices rise, Great Lakes commercial anglers benefit
MARQUETTE – A 30 percent rise in wholesale whitefish prices helped keep the value of Great Lakes fish harvested by licensed commercial anglers above the previous year, according to statistics reported recently by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division. miningjournal.net Read more here 10:20
Whitefish population healthy in Green Bay, Lake Michigan
Winter weather and state regulations, not a dropping whitefish population, led to some shortages of the popular species this spring. “It’s not a stock problem,” said Wisconsin Commercial Fisheries Association president Charlie Henriksen of Sister Bay, a commercial fishermen who sets nets in both Green Bay and Lake Michigan. “It’s a Mother Nature problem.” doorcountyadvocate.com Read more here 15:54
How a whitefish shortage is causing Passover meal problems
A shortage of whitefish in the Great Lakes region resulting partly from the winter deep freeze is coming at an inconvenient time for Jewish families: the Passover holiday, when demand is high because it’s a key ingredient in a traditional recipe. Read more here 07:40
Asian carp invasion headed our way
Most sport fishermen are bitterly opposed to commercial fishing with nets. Many think their nets harm game fish populations. But the day might be coming when sport fishermen wish there were more commercial fishermen. Asian carp have invaded the lower reaches on the Tennessee,,, Read more here nooga.com 11:13
