Spiel

Muskoka anglers win top prize at pike tourney May 28, 2008 / bracebridgeexaminer.com Photo by Matt Driscoll / LAKE MUSKOKA MONSTER. Huntsville’s Mike Bertelsen hoists a 41.25-inch pike he hauled out of Lake Muskoka during Saturday’s Lake Muskoka Pike Tournament hosted by Muskoka Bassmasters. The fish tied for the biggest of the day. Bertelsen and his partner Allan Weisberg finished third overall, behind the team of Mike Blewett and Brian Gardy, and winners Wes Foster and Mike Reid. Saturday was the perfect day for fishing when 68 teams set out for the Muskoka Bassmasters’ annual Lake Muskoka Open Spring Pike Tournament. After the anglers returned to Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst for the 4 p.m. weigh-in, the local team of Mike Reid and Wes Foster were declared the winners with five pike, measuring 173.5 inches in total. Their biggest fish of the day measured in at 39 inches. Reid and Foster took away $6,800 in prize money for their efforts. The second-place team was Mike Blewett and Brian Gardy who recorded 171.75 inches of fish. Their biggest catch measured 41.25 inches, winning them $660. Blewett and Gardy walked away with $2,720 in prize money. Third place belonged to Mike Bertlesen and Allan Weisburg, who won $2,040 in prize money, plus $660 for their biggest catch, which also measured 41.25 inches. The team of John Meadowcroft and Shawn Morrissey claimed fourth place and $1,360 for a total of 164.75 inches in pike. Rounding out the top five was the team of Chris Marling and Phil Curtis, who won $680 with a total catch of 158 inches. Out of the three tagged fish to be caught, only one was captured, winning anglers Tim Ellis and Shane Labelle free entry into next year’s tournament. Muskoka Bassmasters reports the big winning, free Yamaha 4-wheeler tag was not caught. Photo by Amberly McAteer / FAMILIAR FACE. Bob Izumi shows off his catch, a 25-1/2-inch pike, at last weekend’s Muskoka Bassmasters tournament in Gravenhurst. The TV show host placed 17th in the competition held on Lake Muskoka.

Anglers be warned fishing regulation blitz underway Thursday, May 29, 2008 Ministry of Natural Resources News Release ******************** The walleye fishery will get special attention as the Ministry of Natural Resources conducts a fishing regulation blitz across northeastern Ontario to ensure that anglers know and follow the rules. The area of the blitz extends from Hudson Bay and James Bay in the north to the French and Mattawa rivers in the south, and from the Ontario-Quebec border in the east to Lake Superior and the Manitouwadge Area in the west. The blitz runs from May 17 to June 14. The walleye fishery generally opens May 17 across the northeast Anglers are reminded of the following licensing requirements: - Residents of Canada must have a fishing licence tag attached to a valid Outdoors Card. - Non-residents of Canada must have a fishing licence tag attached to a signed basic licence form. - Outdoors Cards and non-resident licences are not transferable and they must be carried anytime you are fishing. - Anglers must show their licence to a conservation officer if asked. When transporting fish, anglers must ensure that fish length is readily measurable at all times for fish taken from waterbodies where size limits are in effect, unless the fish are: - being prepared for immediate consumption; - prepared at an overnight accommodation for storage; - being transported on the water from a temporary overnight accommodation to a person's primary residence and that person is NOT engaged in sport fishing; or - being transported overland Conservation officers must also be able to determine the species and number of fish that are in the anglers’ possession. For more information on fishing regulations, please continue to consult the 2008 -2009 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary before heading out to fish. It is available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres outlets and from most licence issuers, as well as on the ministry’s website at: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsF...L02_163615.html Some patrols may be carried out jointly with the Ontario Provincial Police. The police may enforce other statutes, such as the Liquor Licence Act and Boating Restrictions Regulations. Conservation officers may also enforce Small Vessel Regulations. To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Lake Manitou claims lives of fishing pals; Two Ohio men drown in tragic boating mishap May 28, 2008 Alicia McCutcheon / manitoulin.ca LAKE MANITOU-Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) underwater search and recovery unit discovered the bodies of two American tourists early Saturday morning after their fiberglass boat had been reported found without the occupants on Thursday evening at approximately 6:22 pm. The two Ohio men, Harpal Chohan, 48, of Columbus and Russ Morrison, 44, of Gahann were staying at the Wee Point Resort on Bidwell Road and had only just arrived Thursday. The pair left for a boat ride on Lake Manitou at around 5 pm and were not seen again. Jim Hembruff, proprietor of Wee Point Resort said he and his family are greatly saddened by the event, explaining that one of the men had been coming to Wee Point for over 10 years. He said the lake was "wild" that day and noted that the vessel the men were traveling in was not very large. "There's an old saying that goes 'there's no two fishing trips alike,'" Mr. Hembruff said as a warning of the unpredictability of Mother Nature. "Conditions can change fast on the lake." The proprietor said the boat was seen from the resort property Thursday evening running in "figure eights" and obviously unmanned when the police were called. Constable Al Boyd, community services officer with the OPP, said that upon police arrival-approximately 6:30 pm-the boat was found on shore with the motor still running. That evening a search was initiated with officers on foot as well as the marine unit. The United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin Tribal Police also assisted in the search, launching their vessel on Lake Manitou as well. Constable Boyd explained that the emergency response team and the OPP helicopter from Sudbury were activated that evening. The search continued until sunset that night and resumed at daybreak Friday morning. Both the North Shore Search and Rescue team and the Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton were notified and on standby. When the search again resumed on Saturday morning, the dive unit located the bodies of the two men not far from the resort. Police investigation has shown that neither men were wearing a life jacket. Mr. Hembruff could not say enough about the police efforts over the course of the three days. "They did everything they could do," he said. Constable Boyd warned of the lake temperatures, both inland and in the North Channel and Lake Huron. "We haven't had warm temperatures considering the time of year and the water is still extremely cold," Constable Boyd said. "Hypothermia should be a considering factor for those venturing out fishing or boating. People need to be aware. It doesn't take long until the core body temperature starts to go down." "I can't stress the importance of life preservers enough, even in the middle of summer when the water is warm," the officer continued. "They should be worn at all times." Tracy Braun of the Canadian Red Cross said the biggest mistake people make is believing they can put their life jackets on after there is a mishap. "You don't usually end up in the water by choice," she said. "It's the same message as seatbelts. You wouldn't wait until an accident to put it on, would you? It's only going to prevent something if you have it on-not use it as a seat cushion." Ms. Braun noted that the highest rate for drowning victims is males between the ages of 14 and 45 as they are the "hardest group to try and change their behaviour." "Even good swimmers drown," she said. "The best life jacket is the one you wear." Constable Boyd noted that this makes three drownings already this year-including 38-year-old Sergio Girimonte of Brampton drowned in Mudge Bay on April 26. Mr. Girimonte lost his footing while fishing for rainbow trout and slipped under the water. His body was recovered the following morning by the OPP underwater recovery unit. "Know the conditions of the water and always wear a life preserver," Constable Boyd stressed. "Take extra precautions and always notify someone as to where you're going."

Why no VHS-caused fish kills this year? Calm Before Storm? Friday, May 30, 2008 David Figura, Outdoors Editor / syracuse.com John Berry / The Post-Standard Francis Daher, owner of Mickey's Bait & Tackle, holds Golden Shiners to be used as bait. Bait-sale restrictions are still in place after past fish kills connected to the VHS virus. Last year at this time, the Central New York fishing community was buzzing about fish kills connected to the VHS virus and a new set of controversial restrictions governing the sale of bait. The bait-sale restrictions are still in place and those who violate them risk getting a ticket costing the angler up to $250. In fact, the state Department of Environmental Conservation is considering making the bait restrictions a little tighter. So far this spring, though, there hasn't been a single VHS case confirmed anywhere in the state. "It may be the calm before the storm. We don't know what's going on out in the wild," said Geoffrey Groocock, a professor working for Cornell University's Aquatic Animal Health Program, which tests diseased or suspicious-looking fish for the state. The disease, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, causes fish to hemorrhage and destroys the organs that make blood cells. The virus has been identified in 20 freshwater species and has resulted at times in large fish kills, primarily in the Great Lakes. The virus presents no health risk to humans, officials have repeatedly said. Last spring on Skaneateles Lake, hundreds of dead rock bass and smallmouth bass infected with VHS either floated to the surface or stayed on the bottom. A single lake trout, turned in by an angler, also tested positive. In addition to Skaneateles Lake, the virus was detected last spring in sunfish in the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, in gobies and other fish in Lake Ontario and in a rainbow trout from the Little Salmon River (a tributary to Lake Ontario). The year before, there was a sizable walleye fish kill on Conesus Lake. So why no VHS-caused fish kills this year? Groocock and others point out that last year's spring was prematurely warm. Temperatures rose rapidly during the time when many fished were stressed physically from spawning. The resulting warmer water may have been more conducive to the spread of the virus. This year, it's been a colder spring.

Cloud hangs over marsh May 30, 2008 Eric McGuinness / The Hamilton Spectator Hamilton Spectator File Photo Cootes Paradise -- threatened by a proposed new plan to regulate the level of Lake Ontario -- happens to be enjoying nearly ideal conditions for fish and wildlife this spring. Tys Theysmeyer, aquatic ecologist for the Royal Botanical Gardens, which owns the nature sanctuary at the west end of the Hamilton Harbour, says low water last fall helped get rid of most of the remaining carp blamed for uprooting marsh plants and stirring up sediment. High water this spring is good for nesting water birds, spawning fish and other wildlife. "It's perfect breeding habitat for our frogs and fish, what we need after the Biedermann (pesticides plant) fire that wiped out a lot of life last summer," Theysmeyer said in an interview. " We've never had so many fish at the fishway," which excludes carp while letting desirable fish enter the marsh to spawn. "The numbers continue to rise." The present plan for controlling outflow from Lake Ontario was adopted by the Canada-United States International Joint Commission (IJC) in the 1950s. Environmentalists say it doesn't allow enough seasonal fluctuation for birds, fish and wildlife, while waterfront property owners in New York state maintain it doesn't do enough to minimize shoreline erosion. A $20-million, five-year study of alternatives produced three options, but the commission set them aside in favour of a compromise called Plan 2007. Theysmeyer, and most environmental interests, prefer one of the original three known as Plan B+. The N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation says the IJC proposal will damage the lake ecosystem as much or more than the current plan, prompting Governor David Paterson to ask U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to intervene on behalf of Plan B+. Ontario Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield says Plan 2007 does have many good features, but said she believes there is more merit in B+. The IJC is holding 10 public hearings around the lake, the first in Jordan at 7 p.m. June 9 at the Best Western Beacon Harbourside Inn and Conference Centre, 2793 Beacon Blvd. For more information, go to the IJC website at ijc.org.

Transgenic fish could shed light on contamination

Oldest Live-Birth Fossil Found; Fish Had Umbilical CordCarolyn Barry in Sydney, Australia for National Geographic News May 28, 2008 / nationalgeographic.com Remains of the world's oldest known mother have been unearthed in the Australian outback, scientists say. The remarkably well-preserved fossil—about 375 to 380 million years old—shows an embryo connected to its mother fish by an umbilical cord. It is the earliest evidence of a vertebrate giving birth to live young, shifting back the date some 200 million years, said John Long, head of sciences at Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, and lead author of a new study describing the find. The fossil is also the earliest record of vertebrate sex, since live birth occurs when an ovum, or egg, has been fertilized internally by male sex cells. "Having such advanced reproduction for a fish that primitive is amazing," Long said. Evidence of live birth—as opposed to egg laying—is extremely rare and has only been found in a few fossils of dolphin-like reptiles called ichthyosaurs and marine lizards known as mosasaurs, Long said. The new fossil captures a long-extinct placoderm, a primitive, shark-like armored fish. Dinosaurs of the Sea Often called the "dinosaurs of the sea," placoderms were the ruling class of marine creatures for 70 million years—in the middle of the Paleozoic period—until their extinction about 360 million years ago. Paleontologists believe they are the most primitive jawed vertebrates, even predating sharks. The newfound mother fish measures 10 inches (25 centimeters) long, but other placoderms can grow to 20 feet (6 meters)—"some gargantuan in size," Long said. Much of the fish's soft tissue has been preserved in a three-dimensional state, making the fossil "basically an exact replica of the living animal," said study co-author Kate Trinajstic, a paleontologist at the University of Western Australia. "The material was so well preserved that we were able to pick up subtle details," Trinajstic said. Such details helped the scientists determine that the prehistoric mother and baby are a new species of ptyctodont, a type of placoderm that has plates around the head and neck rather than the extensive body armor of its relatives. They named the species Materpiscis attenboroughi—a combination of "mother fish" and a nod to world-renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough. Attenborough's 1979 TV series Life on Earth first brought to light the scientific value of the Gogo area in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The area is the site of an ancient barrier reef that once teemed with marine life. Fossils in the Gogo are so immaculately preserved because the reef became devoid of oxygen, which quickly killed the fish and the scavengers that would otherwise devour them, Trinajstic said. Rapid burial and a stable tectonic continent made for near-perfect fossil preservation conditions. A description of the fossil is published in this week's issue of the journal Nature. Evolutionary Innovation Michael Lee, an evolutionary biologist at the South Australian Museum, was not involved in the new research. "Live-bearing and maternal nourishment of embryos is a very important evolutionary innovation, which we ourselves exhibit," Lee said. "The evidence that the included individual is an embryo [rather than ingested prey] is very strong—it's the same species, the right size to be an embryo, in the correct location within the body, and has what appear to be umbilical structures." Live birth "might be preserved more commonly than we thought. Now that we know what to look for, it might be noticed more often," he added. In fact, a reevaluation of a fossil found in 1986 reveals that it is a second placoderm fossil with three embryos nestled inside the mother. Study author Long had found the second specimen, a Gogonasus fossil, on an expedition to Gogo funded by a National Geographic Society grant. (National Geographic News is part of the National Geographic Society). At the time, Long thought the embyros were scales. "There are still lots of things to discover," Long said. "Gogo is giving us a picture not just of reproduction, but of the whole lifestyle of these creatures."

....Well that worked out well for you.

....Darn right you'll pay! The standard fee of course being a cold beer at the end of the day.

....As someone who has tinkered with rods for a few or more decades I'd say...."don't bother, don't do it, forget it."

....Bars

....Yeah yeah, what Joey said. I'll swap you for some of dem der jigs.

....So how do I go bout placing an order?

....I'm certain you'd never be left on the docks if'n you want to go out. In fact I'm sure I could fit you in my boat.

....Ah....what's best served with white grapes and white wine.

....Fishing must be keep'n ya busy.

....Yea I've heard that Raf, I don't get but hey, to each there own.

....For those who may have missed it....RAF! http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.p...mp;#entry198682 Scroll down to the last post, TJ's.

....Thank you very much Chuck and Sinker. Weather permitting back tomorrow.

....Wow, your very own private brookie paradise for four days. I'm jealous. Have a great time Doug.

....According to a map I have there is a public boat launch in or near Island Grove. Can anyone tell me if this a useable ramp with available parking. Thanks.

Uranium Producer Warns of Lake Ontario Pollution May 22, 2008 IAN AUSTEN / nytimes.com OTTAWA — Cameco, the world’s largest uranium producer, has told the Canadian nuclear regulator that its refinery might have leaked uranium, arsenic and fluorides into Lake Ontario. The plant at Port Hope, Ontario, across the lake from Rochester and down the shore from Toronto, first refined uranium for the Manhattan Project during World War II. It has been temporarily closed since July to remove contaminated soil. A spokesman for Cameco, Lyle Krahn, said Wednesday that a computer model created for the cleanup, which is several months behind schedule, indicated that the radioactive and toxic materials have been polluting a harbor adjacent to the factory. The harbor leads directly to the lake. The company notified the regulatory agency, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, about the finding at a meeting last week and now plans drilling tests to confirm the contamination and to measure its extent. “We’re anticipating that material may have been entering the harbor,” Mr. Krahn said, adding that Cameco did not know how long it would take to confirm any possible pollution. A spokesman for the agency, Aurèle Gervais, said: “The Port Hope UF6 plant matter has been ongoing for some time and the harbor issue is a recent development,” using the chemical formula for uranium hexafluoride. In a background paper prepared for the agency’s commissioners last week, its staff concluded that the potential remained for continued water pollution from the plant. Cameco in general and the aging Port Hope refinery, which transforms mined uranium into forms suitable for electrical power reactors, have long been targets of environmental groups and the regulatory agency. After a flood last year closed one of the company’s mines, which produces about 10 percent of the world’s uranium, Linda J. Keen, then the head of the regulatory agency, said her commissioners and staff had a “lack of confidence” in Cameco and its management. Gordon Edwards, the president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, an environmental group in Montreal, said that contamination of the lake had been assumed, given the plant’s age, history and location. “There’s a long history of contamination at Port Hope,” he said. “The whole siting of this refinery is absurd. It’s right in the center of town, it’s on flood plain and right on the lakefront.” The plant was opened in the 1930s by Eldorado Mining and Refining to process radium and has undergone several cleanups. The most recent effort began in July when a construction project at the factory uncovered soil contamination that led to the plant’s closing. At the time, the company said that the shutdown and cleanup would take about two months. Mr. Krahn said the 18 million-Canadian-dollar project, which involves removing soil under the plant and constructing a leakproof floor, will be finished by the third quarter. If drilling confirms lake pollution, Mr. Krahn said that Cameco did not expect that would delay the plant’s reopening.

....It' invisible to everyone but you and I GCD.

....I guess I could make time to be there. Might be entertaining.

Tories extend gun ownership amnesty; No Prosecution (Saskatoon Star Phoenix) OTTAWA - The Harper government has extended the two-year-old amnesty that protects firearms owners from prosecution if they fail to register their rifles and shotguns. The Cabinet approved a directive on May 8 that extends the amnesty to May, 2009, virtually guaranteeing the Conservatives will not have to risk defeat of a bill scrapping the controversial registry before the next federal election. A senior Liberal MP who once was in charge of the registry as a solicitor-general says the essentially inactive registry, now under RCMP management, has become a bigger waste of money under the current government than it was under the Liberals. Prince Edward Island MP Wayne Easter pointed to a published report last month that the government has foregone $56.5-million in fees through the amnesty and a separate waiver for licence-renewal fees over the next three years while the registry is expected to cost $35.9 million. "They're wasting far more money now," he said. "All they are doing is playing political games. They're not implementing the law the way it was supposed to be implemented, and they're not getting rid of it either." The Conservative government first introduced the amnesty on May 17, 2006, to protect individuals, according to the Cabinet order, "from incurring criminal liability under the Criminal Code as a result of the illegal possession of unregistered non-restricted firearms." The previous day, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser had tabled a follow-up report on the gun registry after her first explosive expose in 2002 ignited a firestorm, confirming the registry had cost taxpayers $946-million from its inception in 1995 to 2005. Fraser's second report found the Canada Firearms Centre had made "satisfactory progress" implementing her 2002 recommendations on financial reporting, but the audit also found accounting errors that resulted in the Department of Justice under-reporting the centre's cost by $60-million over two years. Ms. Fraser also found weaknesses in the centre's management of firearms information and contracting problems.