dec-03

[tom mayher]

Lake Superior is 18 inches down and Lake Michigan is 40 inches down, which is a 30 year low for that lake.----- EACH inch corresponds to 372 million gallons of water. The newer marinas and ramps along Lake Michigan were constructed when the water was high for several decades and they have to dredge deep enough to float their boats. Also the launching ramps had to be worked on so that boats could be launched. Freighters will be caring less cargo next year and the cost of electricity will go up because of the need to dredge to get sufficient cooling water. The previous low was in the 1960’s, back then I use to get out of my small boat and eat my lunch on Gull Island Shoal, for many years small boats can run over the same pile of rocks.

Last summer there were 78 boats entered in the Redneck Carp Tournament in Bath Illinois. No fishing rods allowed, only hand nets and clubs. Three hours later they returned with astaggering1,804 carp that weighed from 5 to 20 pounds. Willie Schraeder’s boat netted 48 carp and won $1,000 for first place.

in the late 1800s the Illinois River was considered to be one of the largest inland commercial fisheries in the world. This fishery employed thousands of people along its entire length. Now the Asian Carp makes up about 67% of the bio mass of the river. Illinois Fish buyers now pay 16 cents for Big Head Carp and 8 cents a pound for Silver Carp. Reportedly many commercial jobs have been lost due to the low return for their effort of netting carp. Illinois Fishery managers believe a way to control the carp is to find more markets. That might be a tough sell now a days with the high cost of fuel and everything else.

The first is reported to have been 2 years behind schedule and the new barrier is already 3 years late.

Research with electric barriers find that that do a good job with big fish but have little effect on minnows.

LOTS OF LUCK

An old article from the Chicago Tribune--AN ELECTRIC BARRIER IS BEING USED TO STOP THEM, BUT IF WE CAN’T STOP THEM, WE CAN EAT THEM