Spiel

Conservationists take on Hamilton Port Authority Kate Harries, January 24, 2008 [/color=red]The Globe and Mail[/color] HAMILTON -- Unknown to all but a few steelworkers who fed the snapping turtles on their lunch break, nature has regenerated a blighted industrial property in the shadow of Hamilton's mills. "It's a gem," Jim Howlett, a member of the Hamilton Conservation Authority board, says of Harris Inlet. But the hidden jewel now faces extinction from a different quarter. The Hamilton Port Authority, local conservationists say, has used its federal status to shut down public comment on plans for a new shipping berth and storage facility on the site. The fight is calling into question the apparent disconnect between the city and its port. The port authority, which has already begun filling in the front of the 42-hectare Pier 22 property with dredged sediment, did not consult Hamiltonians when it did an environmental screening of the project last year. It did seek comment from other agencies, including the conservation authority. But it determined that no public input was necessary because of the location's industrial character - then approved its own environmental report on the grounds that it is a federal agency defined as a "responsible authority" under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. Questions about the commercial need for an expansion of Hamilton's harbour facilities were referred to port environmental manager Marilyn Baxter, who e-mailed a section of the screening report. According to the port authority's report, the "site upgrades" will improve efficiency, although "the long-term use and specific nature of the future cargo handling facilities on this site is unknown at this time." The conservation authority voted last month to intervene to save Harris Inlet. "The port authority is using discretionary powers to say that because nobody knows that it's there, we don't have to consult the public," Mr. Howlett says. "It appears that it's legal. Well, the law is an ass. The legislation needs to change." Groups such as Environment Hamilton and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper are also calling for a curb on the port authority's powers "They see themselves as this sort of special federal creature that only really needs to follow federal rules," said Waterkeeper president Mark Mattson, who points to similar tensions over a disregard for local priorities in Toronto and Oshawa. The authorities should follow local rules in matters that aren't federally regulated, Mr. Mattson argues. Hamilton City Councillor Chad Collins agrees. "It's not 1950 any more," he said. "It's important for the port authority and the federal government to recognize that the rules should apply to them as they do to other public agencies and private organizations." Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger says that when he headed the port authority between 2001 and 2004, "we tried to work with all the local agencies as if we were required to comply with their policies. ... It certainly sounds to me that that kind of approach has fallen off the rails." Tony Valeri, the port authority's interim CEO, said in an interview that it is "always open to consultation." He said the agency does plan to preserve two "nature pockets" around two ponds at the rear of the site. Ms. Baxter said the port authority board will decide today whether to approve a plan that would involve filling in the large pond identified by the Fisheries Department, while preserving and naturalizing the channel that runs through it. The Royal Botanical Gardens has been approached for possible compensation habitat to be provided in Cootes Paradise, in the west harbour. That's not acceptable, says Mr. Howlett, who opposes any reduction of ecological resources in the polluted east harbour. On the issue of accountability, Mr. Valeri, a former Liberal cabinet minister who lost his Hamilton East-Stoney Creek seat to an NDP challenger in 2006, pointed out that his agency must address any issues raised by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans or Environment Canada. "We couldn't just move forward without dealing with those issues." On the slag-filled land of Harris Inlet, a colony of black-crowned night heron nest every year, beavers build dams and coyotes raise their pups. Mr. Howlett visited it last year, and says he was astonished by the spontaneous resurgence of wildlife in an area shaped by man-made fill. "We could see hundreds of fish - largemouth bass, long-nosed gar, these are fish we want," he says. In contrast, in nearby polluted waters "we have invasive species - roughy, zebra mussels, gobie, carp. ... If we want native species to spawn, we've got to work with what we've got."

Wildlife officials propose drop in yellow perch limit Steve Pollick / Sunday, January 27, 2008 toledoblade.com A reduction of the sportfishing creel limit for yellow perch in western Lake Erie from 30 to 25 a day and closure of the western basin to commercial trapnetting of yellow perch is under consideration by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The proposals are necessary now, fisheries managers contend, because of an anticipated, further reduction in Ohio's perch catch-quota for 2008 and because anglers in the basin exceeded their share of the quota by more than 20 percent in 2007. Ohio's daily sport creel limit of 30 yellow perch would remain in effect in the central basin of the lake, or roughly east of Huron. The reduction and closure could be in force for just one fishing season, the state said, but consideration of the plan now is necessary because of the time-lag in rules-making procedures. The Lake Erie Committee of the Ann Arbor-based Great Lakes Fishery Commission is set to consider lowering the lakewide yellow perch quotas on March 18. The committee consists of fisheries representatives of Ohio, Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York. If enacted the new restrictions would take effect for the commercial trapnetting season opener on May 1. The creel reduction for sport catching would take effect July 1, which is well ahead of the major perch fishing activity in the western basin, which usually cranks up in August and continues until late fall. The proposals come on the heels of a contentious but newly enacted Amended Senate Bill 77, which took effect Oct. 10 and was aimed at ironing out some issues with commercial catch-reporting and monitoring after a perch net-industry racketeering scandal. A task force, formed under the law to recommend ways to implement it, completed its work in late fall but the Strickland administration has not signed off on it. "It couldn't have come at a worse time," said Jim Marshall, assistant chief of the wildlife division, on the prospect of a reduced perch lakewide quota and a need for more restrictions. Marshall said he expects a quota reduction for the western basin of about 20 percent on March 18 from the GLFC. That means the proposals must be presented to the rules-making Ohio Wildlife Council on Feb. 6. The Council will have to decide the issue at its April 2 meeting, after district and statewide open houses and a hearing, to complete the rules process in time for a July 1 effective date. "If it looks like it's going to be better news in March, we could change," Marshal said. But he advised, "we are sensitive about the management of this basin." That, he added, "is where the vast majority of sport fishing pressure occurs." It appears that Ohio anglers overfished the perch quota for the western basin in 2007 by about 20 percent, likely because of a long stretch of favorable fall weather allowed them to keep fishing. "It's very important that we comply [with quotas], because we have the same expectations of the other states and Ontario," Marshall stated. "Probably the silver lining to all this is the 2007 year-class [of yellow perch] looked pretty decent, so we are hoping that this should be short-term - a one-year deal." Roger Knight, Lake Erie program manager for the wildlife division, echoed the concerns. "The best science says that the stocks are declining, quotas will be lower, and we have to accommodate it." He said that the last of the data has not been compiled, but it is likely that the 2007 catch-quota for basin, 833,000 pounds, was exceeded by 20 percent, with the excess coming from the sport angling sector. "We're going to take one million pounds," Knight stated. Commercial trapnetters were "just under" their allotted share of 216,000 pounds and sport fishing alone took some 800,000 pounds of perch. "So the overage was the sport fishing. If we had not gone to 30 [creel limit] in '07, from 40, we would have been way over." Knight acknowledged that sport fishing pressure "is so weather-driven. The fishing took off in the fall and we were over." The perch fishery still is riding on the back of the massive 2003 year-class, with some help from the solid 2001 year-class and a few fish from other good years, 1999 and 1996. A minor contribution is coming now from a fair 2005 year-class, but a decent 2007 class will not be entering the sport fishery at a minimum until 2009 and generally not until 2010. Knight said that managers are unsure about the why of the perch declines. "We don't know." He said, however, that perch reproduction and survival tends to be better during periods of higher lake levels, in contrast to the current low-level regime. Invasive species also may have an impact, including forage competition principally from the invasive white bass. Walleye compete with perch to a lesser degree. Even pollutants and farm and urban runoff in the plume from the Maumee River may have an effect on reproduction. So may global climate change, which affects lake temperature and winter ice cover among other things, the biologist said. "Also, despite what we do as humans, it could be a random cycle." None of which may be much comfort to fishermen of all stripes. With more management maneuvering room afforded by Senate Bill 77, state fisheries administrators are trying to make some changes that may be unpalatable to netters - who state lawmakers in shaping the bill indicated - that they want to keep in business in any event. A buyout of netters, for example, was summarily nixed. "We're trying to move the [commercial] fishing to where the stocks [and quotas] are healthiest," Knight said of the plan to temporarily close the western basin to perch trapnets. That would divert pressure to the larger central basin, where the quota had some stock available in 2007. Lake Erie basically has four distinct yellow perch stocks - west, west-central, east-central, and east. The latter lies beyond Ohio's border, so is not at issue. The two central stocks split around Fairport Harbor, but only the west stock appears in direct jeopardy from fishing pressure. The wildlife division in the late 1980s established a policy granting priority to sport fishing over the remaining commercial fishery, which now includes only 18 trapnet licenses owned by 12 individuals, plus some seine licenses. Deadly gillnets were banned in the early 1980s, as was commercial taking of walleye in Ohio waters, unlike Ontario. But the policy was superseded in practice by a provision in a law that emerged from a 1974 fisheries task force that agreed to use a "rolling five-year-average" on allotting catches to commercial and sport interests. The quota system for allocating catch actually was not instituted until 1996. Until then, such rules as commercial size minimums on perch [now 8 1/2 inches] controlled the fisheries such that netters would not have been exceeding quotas. "When the yellow perch stocks bottomed out in the early 90s, there was a total 'buy-in' to strict adherence to quotas," Knight said. When the quotas initially were set up for 1996, 70 percent of the perch catch was allocated to sport anglers and 30 percent to netters, reflecting the two fisheries' performances in the prior five years. For the next 10 years, however, the commercial net-share grew to 40 percent and the sport share fell to 60 percent based on the legal requirement to use the rolling five-year average. Netters are not nearly as weather-dependent as sport anglers for their fishing, plus "they get paid for all the pounds they catch," Knight said. In short, the rolling five-year average created an incentive for netters to catch all of the quota every year "almost at all costs." Catching less than quota would mean a lower allotment in the next year as the rolling average catches up with a subquota year. Senate Bill 77, however, did away with the rolling five-year-average as the basis for commercial allocations so now, Knight said, "we have more flexibility to address the problem." Which in turn has enabled the proposed net-closure for the western basin. Some initial reactions to the division's proposals have been less than enthusiastic. "I don't believe it. Why would they do it?" asked Rick Ferguson, who runs Al Szuch Live Bait on Corduroy Road in Jerusalem Township. His shop and Butch and Denny's Bait down the road are two of the major perch-cleaning businesses in the area. "Thirty [perch a day] was a great idea," said Ferguson. "Our numbers now are no different fishwise," he added, referring to the state contention about over-quota perch catches by sport anglers in 2007. "The way fuel prices are going, who is going to go out for 25 fish?" Ferguson asked. As it is, he added, anglers are more careful about what they keep in regard to size because of the 30-limit, and often that has meant they do not even keep 30 as it is." Frank Reynolds, a veteran commercial fisherman from Oregon, was among netters who attended a state information session on the proposals on Friday. "Everybody is pretty well disgusted with the whole proposition," he said, accusing the state of "doing nothing to control the sport fishery." He complained that state law enforcement of sport angling limits and licensing is nothing today like it was 30 or 40 years ago, when he claims more on-lake enforcement and checks of sport boats occurred. Later he added, "we're not happy at all with them or their management philosophy or policy." He said that netters could help, for example, with cutting down on numbers of such competitive invaders as white perch, but the wildlife division will not cooperate by setting cooperative rules that netters can live with. Reynolds, who already is leading a federal lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 77, vowed that additional suits are in the works. He noted that Ontario commercial netters are equally upset with the GLFC's quotas on Lake Erie and are pursuing lawsuits on the Ontario side of the lake as well.

Angler Releases Probable World Record Catfish January 23, 2008 chattanoogan.com A TWRA Fisheries Biologist recently distributed this e-mail to his counterparts across the state. "Attached are a couple of photos of a monster blue catfish caught near Greenville, Mississippi by an elderly man who let the fish go after his wife took the pictures. The weight of the catfish is unknown, though some catfish anglers guessed it to be at least 150 pounds. It looks like 200 pounds to me. For sure it would have been a new world record."

Get ready for second annual ice fishing derby Al and Lesley Last Beacon Star Friday, January 25, 2008 Come join us in the McKellar Conservation Association’s (MCA) Second Annual Family Ice Fishing Derby being held on March 8. Last year’s derby had 72 anglers, both young and not-so-young, competing for prizes and enjoying the outdoors while fishing any inland lake in and around the McKellar area. Last year each junior angler walked away with at least one prize. This year’s derby will follow the same format as our first ice fishing derby. For adult anglers, prizes will be awarded to the three heaviest fish caught in each of the classes: pike, whitefish/cisco, and crappie. For junior anglers 14 years of age and younger, prizes will be awarded for the heaviest in each of the classes: pike, crappie and perch. There will be door prizes, including one aimed specifically for women. Weigh-ins will be held at the McKellar Community Centre between 6 and 7 p.m. followed by a meal. The registration cost includes the meal. Those wishing to participate by attending the meal only – as some had last year – and to share in the family fun with the anglers, can purchase the meal at the door, although we encourage you to purchase it earlier as seating is limited. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. and consists of freshly made coleslaw, dinner rolls with butter, oven roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, mixed variety vegetables, mashed potatoes, baked beans, dessert, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The prize ceremony will be hosted by MCA member Mike Corson and will begin immediately after the meal. To register, please send a cheque payable to MCA (McKellar Conservation Association) for $25 per adult, $10 dollars per child and $10 per person for the meal only. Here is the address: 5 Maplewood Dr., RR#1, C-12, Parry Sound, Ont. P2A 2W7. Should you choose to register in person, you may do so at Steve and Ann Bradley’s home at Manitouwabing Taxidermy, 6 Catherine St., McKellar

Snowmobiler falls through ice Jan 24, 2008 innisfiljournal.com South Simcoe Police are warning everyone to stay off Lake Simcoe ice after a snowmobiler sank in about 20 feet of frigid water about 100 metres from shore this afternoon (Thursday). South Simcoe Police were called to Big Bay Point in Innisfil at about 12:30 p.m. to help a man who broke through thin ice while operating his snowmobile. Fortunately, the 40-year-old Sharon man was able to swim to firmer ice and pull himself out of the water and roll to safety. He then walked to a nearby cottage for assistance. He was wet and cold when police arrived but did not require medical attention. Police are issuing a warning to all persons including ice fisherman, to stay off the ice on Lake Simcoe since it is still unsafe.

Chamber promotes Great Lakes petition Jan 23, 2008 meafordexpress.com Scott Woodhouse photo / In 1987, "The Sisters," a local landmark at Memorial Park, were barely out of the water. Now you can walk to them and not get your feet wet. Meaford Chamber of Commerce President Rod MacAlpine holds a petition from the Georgian Bay Association demanding the government act on low water levels in the Upper Great Lakes. It's time to fix the "hole in the bucket" before Lake Huron and Georgian Bay water levels become an environmental catastrophe beyond repair. The Meaford and District Chamber of Commerce is supporting and distributing a petition from the Georgian Bay Association (GBA) demanding the federal government take action on the "alarming downtrend in upper Great lakes water levels." "I'm concerned about the health of the Bay for the sake of the town, not just shoreline property owners," said Chamber of Commerce Ivan Franklin, who brought the petition to the chamber's executive. "I believe this is something we should be fighting for," he added. "We need to continue to put pressure on politicians at all levels." Franklin voiced frustration about promises of more studies from governments on both sides of the border. "They continue to try to find out why water levels are dropping - the answer is simple - there is too much water flowing out and not enough coming in," he said, in an interview this week. Franklin noted the Georgian Bay Association has done a lot of work in bringing the matter to the forefront and he agrees with their stand on the St. Clair River problem/solution. A study commissioned by the Georgian Bay Association stated that dredging of the river had caused increased erosion and increased outflow from Lake Huron as a result. "They believe that rather than spending $17 million on another study, the money would be better spent on mitigation measures that would control the outflow from Lake Huron. "In fact, there was an order 20 years ago to do just that but it was never acted on," he said. "Municipalities need to band together and force this issue because the costs to our communities will be enormous," he said, referring to a recent article in which the Mayor of the Town of the Blue Mountains said it would cost millions of dollars to extend their water intake pipes to deeper water if levels continue to drop. The GBA has been lobbying for action for the past few years over concerns that the Upper Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron, are experiencing an alarming downtrend in water level, which has continued unabated and has now reached a record low. The primary source of water flow into Lake Huron is from Lake Superior, which is also at an 80 year low, states the petition, and therefore it is unrealistic to expect substantially more water from lake Superior to remedy the low water problem in Lake Huron. According to the petition, water loss from Lake Huron through the St. Clair River has increased threefold to 2.5 billion gallons a day, the equivalent of 10 million tons of water or a block of water one square mile in area and 12 feet high. "Unless this hole in the bucket is fixed very soon, the problem will get worse and there will be no possible recovery," sates the petition, adding the non-renewable resource is being irreparably squandered. "The impact on millions of boaters, shippers, anglers, property owners, beach visitors and the businesses they patronize, will be devastating." The GBA petition calls on the Government of Canada to take action immediately by constructing proper mitigation structures in the St. Clair River as well as cover material to protect further erosion near the Bluewater Bridge. The petition is available for signing at the Chamber of Commerce office on Trowbridge St. For more information, visit the GBA website. Related Story

Love Canal settlement money benefits Salmon River hatchery and fishing along the river, among other Lake Ontario-related projects David Figura January 25, 2008 syracuse.com New York State will renovate boat launches and marinas, repair critical fish spawning habitat and renovate the Salmon River Hatchery in Almar as part of a $12 million restoration of Lake Ontario fisheries and its tributaries, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis announced Thursday. The revitalization plan is being funded with money from the 2006 settlement of the state's natural resources damages lawsuit against Occidental Chemical Corp. dealing with pollution that devastated sportfishing in Lake Ontario and the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers. DEC, as trustee of New York's natural resources, developed the restoration plan with public input. In all, the plan will fund 42 projects along Lake Ontario from Niagara to St. Lawrence counties that will enhance fish habitat and research, promote angler outreach and improve public fishing access. "These projects will reconnect New Yorkers to fishing spots - old and new - and boost their catch, while improving the health of the Lake Ontario fishery,'' said Grannis, who three decades ago came to Niagara Falls as a New York State assemblyman to help investigate the Love Canal toxic waste disaster. "It's good news for the fish. It's good news for anglers. And it's good news for the communities in the Lake Ontario region." The $12 million resolution is one of the largest in the nation for a natural resources damages claim based on recreational fishing losses. The settlement represents the final claim in a lawsuit the state filed against Occidental's predecessor, Hooker Chemical, in 1983. It addressed damages to the fishery caused by the discharge of dangerous chemicals from the company's main plant in Niagara Falls and from other sites and facilities either owned or operated by Occidental. DEC began soliciting ideas for the spending plan in early 2007, holding a series of public meetings across the Lake Ontario region. Approximately 150 proposals were considered and 77 were advanced to a panel that scored the ideas. Of those, 42 were selected: 25 to improve access, 14 to enhance habitat and resources and three to promote fishing in the region. Local highlights: The restoration plan includes funding for other notable system-wide projects designed to improve research and boost the fishery. -- Stream bank improvements to an 18-mile stretch of the Salmon River (Oswego County), one of the most extensively fished waterways in the state. Over time, there has been a general build up material in certain channels, creating pools and eroding banks. The grant aims to alleviate problems and take angler traffic away from the more susceptible points. ($500,000) -- Upgrades to the renowned state-run Salmon River Fish Hatchery in Oswego County. A comprehensive study will evaluate water supply and hatchery practices and develop a plan to improve trout and salmon production at the facility. ($2.2 million) -- A new automated fish marking trailer that will be used to mark Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Lake Trout, and possibly other species. The technology, widely used in the Pacific Northwest, will allow DEC to mark and track upwards of 2.5 million fish annually - significantly improving DEC's ability to monitor and study species in Lake Ontario and its tributaries. ($1.5 million) -- Sea Lamprey control barriers. This grant will be matched by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to construct "low-head barriers" that block Sea Lamprey migration and spawning in Lake Ontario tributaries. Sea lamreys, a parasite that attach to a host fish, have contributed to the decline of sportfish, especially lake trout. ($60,000) -- Walleye spawning habitat fund. DEC staff will use this grant to assess tributaries (including the Oswego River, Little Sandy Creek, Black River and Oswegatchie River) to determine the presence of Walleye and spawning habitat to help improve fish production. ($200,000) In Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, hatchery and habitat improvements will help rebuild walleye, northern pike and muskellunge populations and boost the area as a prime fishing destination. Because access to waterways is key to attracting anglers, the upgrades will enhance fishing for years to come. The improvements will help the local economy, especially the motels, restaurants, tackle shops and guide services that rely on a vibrant fishery. Highlights: -- Hatchery improvements at the Cape Vincent Fisheries Station (Jefferson County) to help launch stocking programs for walleye, northern pike and muskellunge. In recent years, the village of Cape Vincent and the Lake Ontario Fisheries Coalition have begun repairs at the former federal fish hatchery. DEC, which now owns the facility, anticipates that these stocking programs could provide measurable improvements to Lake Ontario sportfisheries. ($1.4 million) A separate project will create interpretive displays of the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence fishery for the aquarium/visitors center at the hatchery. ($40,000) -- Renovations and a modern boat launch for Golden's Marina (Lyme, Jefferson County). A boat launch will be constructed on the isthmus to Point Peninsula in the town of Lyme. The marina has been dredged, but a property survey and construction design are needed. ($300,000) - Northern pike spawning marsh rehabilitation. Historic pike spawning grounds have been wrecked by the proliferation of Typha (cattails), especially over the last 15 years. DEC surveys have documented a decline in northern pike over that period. Part of the project involves using a special excavator to cut channels in Typha mats and outlet ditches in the Eastern Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River area. ($200,000) A separate project will repair a water control structure at Cranberry Creek (near Alexandria Bay, Jefferson County), also to improve northern pike spawning grounds ($50,000). Another will fund a research experiment to transplant and grow vegetation and construct breakwaters in shallow marsh habitats ($45,000). -- Lindsey and Stoney creeks (Jefferson County) angler parking areas. Two five-car parking areas will be built (exact spots to be determined) with footpaths to these Lake Ontario tributaries ($20,000). -- Fish Island access site (Dexter, Jefferson County). This project will provide floating docks, as well as lighting and boat-ramp improvements. ($45,000) -- Mud Bay boat launch (Lyme, Jefferson County). This project will include a launch site for small boats only and parking for 10 cars and trailers. ($100,000) -- Ogdensburg Hatchery upgrades (Lisbon, St. Lawrence County). This project calls for the construction and lining of two additional one-acre ponds to increase walleye production. ($100,000). -- Morristown boat launch improvements (St. Lawrence County). During fall or low-water conditions, the village boat launch is too short to launch boats safely. This project will lengthen the launch and improve docking. ($50,000) -- Chaumont Bay launch sites and ice-fishing access. Exact sites to be determined. ($500,000) (Note: several selected projects hinge on factors such as land acquisition. If a project proves unworkable, it might be replaced with the next highest-scoring proposal that did not make the initial cut.) -- Fisheries Promotion Assistance. This grant will be used to develop a new "I Love NY Great Lakes Fishing" brochure to be distributed at sportfishing tournaments, fairs and other public events. While some counties typically promote local fishing sites, currently there is no promotion for the Great Lakes Region as a whole. Approximately 40 percent of the anglers who fish Lake Ontario and the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers are from out of state. ($100,000)

BY MIKE HOLTZCLAW January 24, 2008 dailypress.com (photos available) VIRGINIA BEACH - A Chesapeake fisherman hauled in a 73-pound striped bass on Wednesday, easily the biggest ever caught in Virginia and one of the biggest ever registered in the United States. Fred Barnes, 63, caught the bass while fishing off a boat from the Virginia Beach Fishing Center. He was near the 4A buoy around Cape Henry when he reeled it in. The previous state record was 68 pounds, 1 ounce. John Crowling, general manager of the Virginia Beach Fishing Center, registered the fish at 73 pounds, 52 inches in length and 31½ inches in girth. When Crowling attempted to research national records, he found only larger striped bass ever registered in the U.S. – a 78-pounder caught in New Jersey and a 76-pounder caught in New York. "This one might be the third-biggest ever registered in the U.S., and after this one, the weights drop way off into the high 60s," he said. "You could tell when you first saw the fish that it was just about perfect. It's a very long fish, and it's girth is very big. The food supply out here off Rudee Inlet is so good that the fish are just staying here." Crowling said Barnes does not plan to mount the fish. Instead, he said Barnes had agreed to keep the fish on ice for a few days so that it can be studied by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Then he plans to fillet it.

....Good job Pete. I'm heading into day five myself with no "puffs", cold turkey thus far. No problemo!

Wildlife federation head charged with overfishing Wednesday, January 23 2008 thecanadianpress.com MONTREAL–The president of Quebec's wildlife federation, who vowed to make fishermen more responsible, has quit before his arraignment on charges he allegedly exceeded the catch limit when reeling in speckled trout. Alain Gagnon is also charged with obstructing a provincial wildlife officer in the performance of his duties in the July 2007 incident. Gagnon allegedly tossed the fish back into the water when confronted by wildlife officials. There is a 20-fish limit when catching speckled trout. "After 20 years of involvement at the heart of the federation, Mr. Gagnon has quit his post, saying he is doing it in the best interests of the organization he has led as a volunteer for three years," federation spokeswoman Genevieve Clavet said in a statement today. There is no mention of Gagnon's charges in the statement and Clavet said there would be no further comment. The Federation quebecoise de la faune said it would elect a new president when it meets in April. Gagnon, 53, was re-elected president in April 2007 and said one of his priorities was to encourage fishermen to be responsible. Documents filed at the provincial courthouse in Roberval, where Gagnon is to be arraigned tomorrow, say he was sport fishing on Lac Pimitshikamau, which is part of the Rat River, when he was allegedly found in possession of the quantity of fish. Both charges against Gagnon carry a maximum fine of $100,000, the documents say. Chantal Drapeau, a spokeswoman for the provincial Natural Resources and Wildlife Department, confirmed Gagnon had been given a summons to appear in court on the charges but was reluctant to comment further because the matter is before the courts. "You'll understand that Mr. Gagnon has not yet been arraigned at the courthouse so we won't be giving any more information in this case," she said. "We will be following the administrative inquiry." If Gagnon is found guilty, Drapeau said the fine could vary depending on how many extra fish were caught. Pierre Barnoti, executive director of the Montreal branch of the SPCA, said he was surprised by the news about Gagnon. "Mr. Gagnon, being in the position that he's in, is called to respect an even higher standard than the common person because of what he represents," Barnoti said before the resignation was announced. "I don't want to pronounce myself because he hasn't been found guilty but if he is found guilty it would be a terrible thing for a person of such responsibility to be so irresponsible."

....Clamato and beer. All the goodness I need, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Local students helping boost Atlantic salmon stocks By Caitlin den Boer January 22, 2008 The Trentonian Quinte area students will be giving Mother Nature a helping hand this year as they boost Ontario’s Atlantic salmon population. On Friday, 100 Atlantic salmon eggs were dropped off at Prince Charles public school in Quinte West and V.P. Carswell elementary. C.M.L. Snider school in Wellington and Massassaga-Rednersville public school are also part of the salmon restoration program, which was launched in 2006. The program, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, works with Gr. 4 and 6 students in the greater Toronto area and now as far east as Trenton. “In our first year we had 24 schools in Ontario involved, this year we have 47,” said Earl Martin, who will oversee the program at Prince Charles. The salmon eggs, which are farmed at Harwood Hatchery, will spend the remaining winter months in the classrooms of the involved schools before being released into the Cobourg Brook in Ganaraska in May. “Survival rates will vary,” said Chris Robinson, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters biologist and Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program Coordinator. “We’ve had anywhere from one to 80 or 90 left over. The biggest problem is merely overfeeding them (salmon).” Since April 2006, the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program has stocked almost 700,000 Atlantic salmon into the Credit River, Duffins Creek, and Cobourg Brook. For more information on the restoration program please visit, www.bringbackthesalmon

Anglers found safe on Beebe Lake January 22 2008 thesudburystar.com Two Greater Sudbury men out ice fishing on a remote lake north of Webbwood on the weekend were located safe and sound Sunday morning after activating their emergency locator transmitter. The two men, who flew to Beebe Lake on Saturday, were unable to take off from the lake after the plane's skis becoming frozen in the ice. They were located by a Royal Command Centre Trenton search and rescue helicopter and given assistance to free the plane.

'Spring melt in January'; Record January thaw prompts response to rising lake levels

'Spring melt in January'; Record January thaw prompts response to rising lake levels By Colin McKim Wednesday January 23 2008 orilliapacket.com With Lake Simcoe close to brimming over because of a record January thaw, Parks Canada has had to open sluice gates downstream to draw the big lake back down to normal winter levels. This emergency outflow has created strong currents in the canal between Lake Couchiching and Lock 42 that have swept away the ice and will make the three-kilometre stretch unsafe for snowmobiling the rest of the winter, even if it does freeze over again. "I'm not sure we've ever experienced the lake so high this time of year," said Dave Ness, water control engineer with the Trent-Severn Waterway. "It's basically a spring melt in January." Every fall, the TSW opens sluice gates at locks along the Severn River to draw the water in lakes Simcoe and Couchiching down 20 centimetres to create capacity for the spring runoff. But so much water flooded into the basin in January that Lake Simcoe is only two centimetres from the maximum. If this excess water was not drained away between now and the spring thaw, Lake Simcoe could overflow dikes and spill into parts of the Holland Marsh that are below lake level, said Ness. Flooding in the Black River water- shed north and east of Lake Couchi- ching would also be severe if the two lakes were not drawn down again, he pointed out. The three-kilometre canal between Lake Couchiching and Lock 42 is typ- ically iced over in January, Ness said, and it is fairly safe for snowmobiling most winters. But the current caused in the canal by opening the discharge valves at Lock 42 eats away at the underside of the ice and makes it unsafe. The TSW sent out an information bulletin Monday advising people to stay well clear of the channel above and below the lock. Ness said the water will be running through the canal to Lock 42 for the balance of the winter, so if ice reappears it will not be safe for walking or snowmobiling. The unexpected flow through the canal has already washed away several docks and a canoe, said one area resident. Jim Partridge, president of the Orillia and District Snowmobile Club, said there are no designated trails that cross the canal between Washago and Lock 42. "Our major trail to the north is on the east side of Lake Couchiching," said Partridge. "It doesn't affect us."

ENVIRONMENT / Clock is ticking for conservation dream Development, funding threaten 50-year plan to fill in `missing links' along our waterways Wednesday, January 23, 2008 Phinjo Gombu / Staff Reporter TheStar.com Brian Denney likes to think his job is about building infrastructure, only it's the green kind. He's in charge of protecting and nurturing one of the GTA's largest tracts of publicly owned river valleys and conservation areas. Denney compares the network of waterways that stretch from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine to the roads, pipes and power lines found in the urban environment. In their own way, both create the foundations for a great city. And it's vital not to forget that. "We want this city to become more dense," says Denney, CAO of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, best known for managing publicly accessible conservation areas and trails. "But it's really important that, as part of the city-building process, we have a green infrastructure layer that we are working to achieve, along with other aspects of urban infrastructure." But it's not easy, and time is running out. The authority first drew up a wish list of lands it would like to acquire back in the 1960s – all part of a vision to knit together continuous ribbons of green, flowing from the Oak Ridges Moraine to Lake Ontario, that would preserve waterways, provide conduits for wildlife and allow amenities such as a continuous trail system. The plan has been updated regularly, but the dream is only half complete. Acquiring the missing links – some 16,000 hectares – along water systems such as the Humber River, Highland Creek, Rouge River and Duffins Creek is going to be a long slog. That's because the authority has no money of its own to buy private land, such as the parcels it covets along the Humber near Highway 401. In recent years, it has received modest but encouraging support from an unlikely source – cash-strapped municipalities (Toronto, York, Durham and Peel regions) that came forward with funds to buy small but significant parcels. In Toronto's case, the money has come from something called the Source Water Protection Acquisition Program. Other regions simply have dug into reserve funds. One parcel was the two-hectare Boyer property, which the authority acquired last month for about $285,000 provided by Peel and Toronto. It's situated at the headwaters of the Humber near Glen Haffy. But the authority's larger dream will remain unfulfilled unless senior governments step in to make it happen. Municipalities have contributed up to $3 million a year – just not good enough to fulfil a long-term vision. "If we had $20 million a year for land acquisition over the space of the next two decades, most of this stuff is doable," says Denney wistfully. "This is not a billion-dollar problem." The immense area he's referring to covers nine watersheds, stretching from Etobicoke Creek in the west to Duffins Creek in the east, and encompasses municipalities that are home to more than 3 million people – one-fourth of Ontario's population and Canada's most densely populated region. Councillor Glen De Baeremaeker, an environmental activist who champions a stable fund for the TRCA, says it's a race against time – especially because the agency is often competing for the land with developers. This is especially true in the northern headwaters, where developers and other private interests are staking claims, although strategic purchases are also needed in more heavily urbanized areas to the south. What's desperately needed is a stable pot of money. That kind of funding would allow the body to move quickly and even approach private property owners to negotiate pre-emptive sales. As it is, opportunities can be lost by the time funding is put together. Even sellers who would prefer to see land preserved don't want to wait a year or more as the authority scrambles to find the money. "The government had zero muscle before, and now we have a teeny-weeny muscle," says Baeremaeker, in reference to budding municipal funding. "Land acquisition for green space is no different from any other public policy issue," says a philosophical Denney. "You make the most progress when the federal government, the provincial government and the municipal government are all aligned toward the same goal." Denney says the conservation authority's most significant growth took place in the years immediately after Hurricane Hazel, the 1954 storm that killed 81 people in Ontario and left thousands homeless. Much of the land the body owns today was bought or expropriated in an effort to keep development out of areas vulnerable to flooding. The province did give the authority a one-time grant of about 1,335 hectares in the Rouge River Valley, near the Toronto Zoo, in 2004. But in general there's been "less alignment" with the conservation authority's goals since the post-hurricane era, says Denney. He praises the province for stepping in to protect the Oak Ridges Moraine and the new Greenbelt by freezing development. But much of the protected land still remains privately owned, and unless the authority or some other preservation-minded body acquires it, a change of government could mean it could get built upon one day. In recent years, as concerns about flooding receded, the authority also has seen its primary focus of flood control and dam-building evolve to address broader environmental concerns. Denney says environmentally conscious municipal politicians have begun to walk the walk with their budgets, and that gives him hope other levels of government will step up. "It's about air quality, aesthetics, wildlife in the city. It's about nice places to walk, all coming together in a green space system," says Denney. "It's about maintaining some aspects of the natural system that are unique to this part of the world ... at the same time that we are building a big city."

Botulism takes fatal toll on thousands of Great Lakes birds Botulism and the infamous zebra mussel are blamed for killing birds - from gulls to loons - by the thousands By James Janega | Tribune reporter January 16, 2008 Rentrop counted 80 carcasses on a remote mile of beach near Cross Village, just a fraction of the estimated thousands of dead mergansers, gulls, loons and other birds whose migration last autumn ended in deadly poisoning from Type E botulism on Lake Michigan. The mounting toll on migrating birds has stoked fears among researchers and ecologists that blame for the deaths lies with invasive populations of zebra mussels and round gobies -- which arrived in ballast tanks in the 1980s and 1990s -- spreading over the Great Lakes and effectively creating a new food chain. Zebra mussels and their deep-water kin, quagga mussels, filter naturally occurring botulism and other toxins from the water. Gobies eat the mussels, and birds, in turn, eat the gobies. Scientists theorize this new food chain is concentrating botulism and other toxins and passing them up to predators. The theory is the subject of a handful of scientific papers and upcoming research proposals. Whatever the mechanism of transmitting the botulism, scientists in 1999 counted 311 birds in Lake Erie that appeared to die of it. The next year they counted 8,000, and the toll has remained in the thousands in the Great Lakes every year since. And instead of fading quickly as outbreaks did in decades past, the toxin has spread -- first through Lakes Erie and Ontario, then Huron. In 2006, Lake Michigan was the most recent lake to be affected and by last autumn was one of the hardest hit. In spreadsheets, scientists have noted the fatal effects of the annual outbreaks on more than 50 species of birds throughout the Great Lakes, from bald eagles to lowly pigeons. The list names 16 species of ducks, four types of grebes and six types of gulls. It includes double-crested cormorant and four of Lake Michigan's tiny piping plovers, a bird so threatened its nests get protection from police tape and fences at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text). The deaths of many hundreds of loons have focused new urgency on the now-annual die-offs that occur from summer to fall. Loons live in small numbers, are slow to reproduce and are a symbol of northern wilderness. The die-off that ended in November claimed an estimated 3,500 to 8,500 birds -- including the loons and plovers -- over hundreds of miles of beach in seven northern Michigan counties. It spread from an estimated 2,900 birds in 2006 along just 14 miles of shoreline at Sleeping Bear Dunes, said dunes biologist Ken Hyde. The die-off also sparked preparations for a sprawling and macabre bird count in 2008 that will involve scores of volunteers combing hundreds of miles of Lake Michigan beaches over the summer and fall -- to add up, bury and haul off what are expected to be thousands more poisoned birds and fish. "We wish we weren't dealing with this," said Mark Breederland, who as extension educator for the Michigan Sea Grant research program is organizing the upcoming response. "We've got enough challenges on Lake Michigan, but it's here. It's upon us." The heightened threat to Lake Michigan became clear over the summer, when shore birds began dying, possibly of picking maggots off infected fish carcasses that washed ashore. Then came autumn. "We were getting so many loons," said Thomas Cooley, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources biologist who performed necropsies on the birds. It takes 10 or 12 of the big birds to cover a laboratory table, he explained. "When you have two or three tables covered with those, it's pretty sobering to look at that." Among the birds found dead was one of the most-studied loons in Michigan, a venerable male with four boldly colored tags on his legs and a name: C-3. Each year since 1993, he had been observed at an Upper Peninsula pond in the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, said Damon McCormick, a biologist at Common Coast Research and Conservation who studied the bird. Researchers knew C-3 had spent much of his life with the same female loon on a secluded pond in a corner of the refuge and that for unexplained reasons, he had recently left her for another loon on a neighboring pond in the refuge. They knew that he stayed behind at the new pond a few weeks this year to supervise one late blooming chick as other loons began their fall migration, which may have timed his migration perfectly to a botulism plume and indirectly spelled his doom. To their knowledge, C-3 had raised more than 15 chicks over the years, and only once let a chick drown -- when its leg got caught on a submerged log. For a loon, made him a good father, researchers said. The loon's body was found Nov. 1 by an old friend, of sorts, on a deserted, sandy crescent of Lake Michigan's north shore. Biologist and Common Coast co-director Joe Kaplan had handled C-3 "four or five" times in 14 years, most recently in 2006. Kaplan was on his last day of surveying bird carnage along the shore when he discovered the body. "I remember specifically walking up to this bird," Kaplan said. "There are thousands of thousands of birds that died on that lake, and here's a bird that had a known history. I had a relationship with this bird. It's an element of familiarity that you didn't want to find." Adult loons return to their northern nesting grounds by early spring about 93 percent of the time, McCormick said. This year, researchers will be watching for them anxiously. A decline in adult population would almost certainly spell a decline among loons. "We expect to see all our birds," McCormick said. "But based on finding the C-3 male, there's a lot more trepidation of what we'll find this spring."

Forecast for steelies is a bit cloudy Fishing /By Will Elliott 01/20/08 buffalonews.com Seasons change. Fishing seasons have their peak periods. Rainbow/steelhead trout season remains open throughout the year in Great Lakes waters. But in the lower Niagara River, “steelie” season gets fully under way after waterfowl seasons end in mid-January and river waters begin to clear. Boaters and shore casters have some wind protection in the lower river’s deep escarpment. Powerful currents level waves. But water clarity depends wholly upon water conditions up current. A good ice covering on Lake Erie assures lower river steelie anglers better trout tallies. Not so, so far this steelie season. Tuesday morning, I joined a staunch trio of steelie specialists trying to hammer a few steelheads. Capt. Frank Campbell did chartering chores for Bill Hilts Jr., a Niagara County fisheries promoter, Capt. Bruce Blakelock of Riverside Sport Fishing and me for a few drifts along the not-so-straight strait known as the lower river. Conditions looked good Monday, but by Tuesday a modest stain had moved into lower river waters. Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker Charters, the only other charter boater on the river that morning, had clients and had netted one steelie. Pierleoni had boated eight trout the day before, but a solid stain — not chocolate milk, but milky — made things less than visible for feeding fish. Campbell went with both live minnows and smaller egg sacks to get their attention. Both Campbell and Blakelock had clients do fairly well before the latest round of discolored water. “We had eight [steelies] in less than two hours, when the water was clearer last week,” Campbell said, as we bumped drift rigs along bottom near shore in Devil’s Hole. Pierleoni’s people hooked another trout about an hour later, but our totals included just a couple of hits and the start of a running count of lost sinkers, leaders and hooks. Campbell moved us down river and, on the second drift past Artpark, Campbell set up tight with shore and Blakelock finally locked into a nice, brightly colored steelie that fell somewhere between the five- and six-pound mark. After a quick group photo, the steelie went back in the water, we went back to hooking another fish, and we ended with that one silvery steelie and an uncertain count on the lost tackle items. Cell conversations with other charter captains confirmed Campbell’s read that the steelie run has begun. Lake trout numbers have dwindled, but lower river waters are solid with steelies. Fishing will improve as water clarity gets better. “They [fishermen] are doing better each day,” said Nick Custodi at Village Hardware Bait Shop in Lewiston. Custodi has sold crawlers, grubs and assorted live baits, but starting this year he has installed tanks for baitfish at his shop next to Clark’s Restaurant. Custodi’s bait and tackle operation will be set up for the Roger Tobey Memorial Winter Steelhead Tournament, which the Niagara River Anglers Association (NRAA) stages each year in mid-February. This year, NRAA officials will be set up for registrations and weigh-ins at Lewiston Landing on the morning of Feb. 16 for a tournament that can see any entrant take one of the top three prizes. Steelhead fishing conditions — in general throughout the winter and specifically during the tournament — change each year. Campbell did not bring in a steelie from heavily stained waters during the 2006 contest. In 2007, his two clients took first place and had another steelie weighing more than the second-place finisher. Boaters who have winterized their vessels can book charters with any of about a dozen charter options. Here is a brief listing of captains who regularly fish for steelies in the lower river during the winter: Cinelli’s Niagara Guide Service, Chris Cinelli, 479-2812 or Joe Cinelli, 773-7910; Great Lakes Charter Service, Phil Rowan, 759-1127; Sparky’s Charters, Mark McGranahan, 418-6632 ( www.sparkyscharters.com); Ernie’s Guide Service, Ernie Calandrelli, 609-3064; Fish Hook Charters, Eric Elenfeldt, 694-6995; Hawg Master Charters, Jim Taylor, (800) 464-0103; Niagara Region Charters, Campbell, 284-8546; Niagara River Guide Service, John DeLorenzo, 297-9424; Riverside Sport Fishing, Blakelock, 754-4101 ( www.niagarafish.com); Roy’s Fish Niagara Guide, Roy Larson, 692-1438; Thrillseeker Sportfishing, Pierleoni, 778-7536; or Thumbs Up Guide Service, Joe Fonzi, 438-2366. Hilts provides a fishing update for the lower river on the Niagara County Fishing Hotline at (877) 325-5787. This hotline also supplies a copy of the Greater Niagara Hot Spot Fishing Map, which provides a listing of fishing sites and charter captains and other useful fishing information for areas in Erie and Niagara Counties

....Well I'd say they are both very lucky to have you for a father Roy. Best wishes to the three of you.

Municipalities asked to pay more for conservation; Conservation Authority sets lower budget but asks 15-member communities to pay 12 per cent more By Don Crosby owensoundsuntimes.com While the overall budget for Saugeen Conservation is down this year, the share its 15 member municipalities are being asked to pay is up by $121,268 - slightly more than 12 per cent - to $1,209,628. The proposed total budget is $4.19 million, down from $4.5 million in 2007. Programs paid for by local taxes include some administration, environmental planning, flood control structures and community relations. Directors accepted a consultant's report that recommended a six per cent increase in salaries, including some pay equity. The total impact of wages on the budget amounts to about $75,000 phased in over two years. To offset the wage increases directors agreed to cut some discretionary spending. "Reasonable compensation for staff comes first," said general manager Jim Coffey. The board rejected suggestions by some directors to reduce staff or cut programs to save money. Brockton representative Dan Gieruszak wants a review of how successful the authority is at offering its programs. "Our strategic plan is 15 years old so we don't know if we are answering the requirements of the many municipalities that we serve to make sure we are spending our resources appropriately," he said. Minto representative Don Ross asked directors to consider raising planning fees and drawing on reserves to decrease the levy on municipalities. Chair Doug Freiburger said he thought the budget should be easy for municipalities to approve, once they consider what they are getting for their money. "What do we hear about today? Climate change, environmental footprint, things that everybody is speaking to. That's our business . . . we help take care of water, land and air. That's what the population today wants . . . I think if any (directors) would talk to their ratepayers, they would applaud them in their choice to accept this budget." Freiburger, who represents Saugeen Shores on the board, was re-elected as chair for the third consecutive year. Ron Hewitt of Kincardine was acclaimed first vice-chair and Dan Gieruszack was voted in as second vice-chair. Anne Eadie of Huron Kinloss was selected as this year's past-president, something that is done when the incumbent chair is re-elected and there is no past president on the board.

Racism cited in angler attacks Georgina Jan 16, 2008 yorkregion.com Chinese community groups have asked the Crown attorney to consider “extensive evidence” that racism motivated a series of attacks on recreational angler last summer. So far, York Regional Police have laid charges in five of six alleged assaults, which mostly involved Asian Canadians fishing in Lake Simcoe. The organizations hope to provide victim impact statements if any of the three accused are convicted. If a judge decides racism was a factor, it might mean the difference between a conditional sentence and jail, said lawyer Peter Lindsay. “The main thing is that if a crime was motivated by hate, we want to send the message that this sort of crime won’t be tolerated,” said Lindsay, who represents the community groups. “We can’t allow people pushing other people into rivers in the middle of the night, just because they’re Asian.” A pretrial hearing for two accused in Newmarket was postponed yesterday because a court officer had a death in the family. Nicholas Perry, 19, and Trevor Middleton, 20, are charged with assault. They’re accused of pushing two anglers into Lake Simcoe in the early hours of Sept. 16. That some locals have been calling this “nipper tipping” – a variation on cow tipping, using a derogatory slang word for Asians – seems to prove hate was a factor, lawyer and activist Avvy Go said. “The phrase ... suggests they are targeting certain fishermen because of their race,” she said, adding it’s part of a pattern rather than isolated incidents. The Ontario Human Rights Commission ended the first phase of its inquiry into the attacks last month. Middleton is also charged with criminal negligence, after he allegedly ran a car of anglers off the road on the same night, leaving one man in a coma. The father of the victim, Shayne Berwick, says the four months since that night have been agonizing as he and his wife take turns at the hospital so someone is always at their 23-year-old son’s side. “Sometimes he can open his eyes,” said Colin Berwick. “We think he knows where he is.” Torstar News Service

U.S. Energy Company to Face Prosecution for Cross-Border Pollution in Canada: Citizen Prosecution Brought for Mercury Contamination of St. Clair Watershed by Waterkeeper Alliance January 17, 2008 waterkeeper.ca SARNIA, ONTARIO, (January 17, 2008) - A Canadian Court has given the green light for the prosecution of a U.S. energy company. On Wednesday, the Superior Court of Justice in Sarnia, Ontario issued an order directing a lower court to summon DTE Energy to face charges for poisoning the St. Clair River with dangerous amounts of mercury. Michigan's DTE Energy Company is being charged for its role in polluting the St. Clair River with mercury. Scott Edwards, a Canadian citizen, filed charges last year alleging that DTE Energy's coal-fired energy complex on the banks of the St. Clair River has been violating Canada's Fisheries Act for two years. Detroit Edison, a wholly owned subsidiary of DTE, operates the St. Clair/Belle River coal-fired power plant complex in eastern Michigan. Monitoring data show that these facilities emit significant amounts of mercury each year, with more than half landing locally in Canada and the St. Clair watershed. When the mercury enters the St. Clair River, it spreads throughout the food chain, harmfully altering fish habitat and rendering fish unsafe for human consumption, which is a violation of Canadian fisheries law. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin; a single gram of mercury per year is enough to contaminate a 25-acre lake to the point that fish are unsafe to eat. Currently, both the Canadian and U.S. sides of the St. Clair are subject to highly restrictive fish consumption advisories because of elevated levels of mercury. Native populations along the Canadian side of the river have had their commercial fishing rights stripped away because of the devastating neurological effects on developing fetuses and young children that can result from eating mercury-contaminated fish. Edwards launched the private prosecution in March of 2007. "DTE has acted with a blatant disregard for the health and welfare of Canadian citizens and Canadian law," states Edwards. "My hope is that this prosecution will result in significant reductions in DTE Energy's mercury emissions and a cleaner and safer St. Clair River." Private prosecutions allow any Canadian citizen to independently prosecute offences in the criminal courts, and potential fines under the Fisheries Act can be up to $1-million a day. "What makes this even more egregious," adds Edwards, "is that DTE could stop poisoning local residents with mercury tomorrow if it wanted to." A U.S Department of Energy-sponsored test of pollution control technology in 2004 reduced mercury emissions at the St. Clair plant by 94%. At the conclusion of the 30-day test, DTE Energy stopped using the mercury control technology and today continues its mercury emissions unabated.

Brunswick Names Marine Veteran Marlow As Director Product Integrity and Government Affairs Jan. 09, 2008 - LAKE FOREST, IL. fishingworld.com ... Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) announced that David C. Marlow has been named director of product integrity and government affairs, reporting to Brunswick Vice President and General Counsel Lloyd C. Chatfield II. Marlow, 47, joined the company in 1987 and has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility, including director of product integrity for the Brunswick Boat Group. In this new role, Marlow will coordinate Brunswick’s global product regulatory, safety and legislative affairs, with an emphasis on issues related to the marine industry, although he will work with all Brunswick operations, including non-marine businesses. He will be based in Knoxville, Tenn. "Dave is the right person to lead this ongoing effort," commented Chatfield. "His knowledge, expertise and 21 years of experience with Sea Ray and the Brunswick Boat Group, as well as his affiliations with numerous industry associations, will be invaluable as he develops this new role. We look forward to his continuing contributions." Marlow has a business management degree from Miami’s Barry University and currently serves on the Board of Directors for ABYC (American Boat & Yacht Council) and IMCI (International Marine Certification Institute). He also chairs NMMA’s (National Marine Manufacturers Association’s) Risk Management Council and ABYC’s Technical Board. About Brunswick Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to instill "Genuine Ingenuity" in all its leading consumer brands, including Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Teignbridge propellers; MotoTron electronic controls; Albemarle, Arvor, Baja, Bayliner, Bermuda, Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts, Crestliner, Harris, Hatteras, Kayot, Laguna, Lowe, Lund, Maxum, Meridian, Örnvik, Palmetto, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Savage, Sea Boss, Sea Pro, Sea Ray, Sealine, Triton, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land ’N’ Sea, Kellogg Marine, Diversified Marine and Benrock parts and accessories distributors; IDS dealer management systems; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and ParaBody fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick billiards tables; and Dynamo, Tornado and Valley pool tables, Air Hockey and foosball tables.

....Congratualations Mike, I'm sure you're loving being a Dad.

Fishing Line By Will Elliott buffalonews.com Lake Simcoe Boaters could access the lake at Orillia and head out to troll for lake trout before the Sunday freeze. Much of that midlake open water was still visible at midweek. Solid, green ice held along the Pefferlaw/Port Bolster shoreline. Steve Barber at Steve’s Fish Huts has huts out over 16- to 20-foot depths on ice measuring 6 inches and more in places. Check with Barber on current conditions at (888) 525-3474. Randy Carleton at Randy's Fish Huts in Port Bolster has been heading deeper to set his huts. "Right now, huts are set up over 25-26 feet along Round Shoal," Carleton said. Catches are mixed, with some midsized and jumbos showing among what locals call "runners," runt-sized ringbacks that are put back. Cooks Bay has seen a hefty run of runners, with better sizes coming from deeper drop-offs (15- to 20-feet) off Keswick. At all ice sites, the "J" or 'Jack" Hooks have gotten major mention. J/Jack Hooks are basically a small, bent willow-leaf spinner blade with a bead brazed onto a hook shank at one end and an eye or split ring as a connector at its head. Colors vary. Most have a red, yellow or green finish on one side or on its head on a silver or gold/copper body. This lure can be tipped with small grubs or larger minnows, but, when the fish bite is on, an ice angler adept at giving it the right drop and twitch can "jack" in perch at a fast pace. Perch schools tend to move through in intervals, so being able to get fish in and then to quickly get the lure back down to feeding fish can up the bucket count by the end of the day or outing. Lake Simcoe lake trout and whitefish seasons opened Jan. 1. Anglers can keep two trout at Simcoe; most of the Southwestern Ontario region allows for 25 whitefish. On Simcoe, the limit is set at two. Anglers have seen a resurgence of lake herring, a species that had dominated Simcoe ice catches decades ago. Currently, that species remains protected. No herring can be kept. Fines for possession of herring have been set at $120 each.