Public meeting set for Dec. 1 in Ashland on Lake Superior fisheries management

ASHLAND, Wis. - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is inviting anglers, commercial fishers, conservation stakeholders and interested citizens to attend a public meeting on Dec. 1 at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland to discuss Lake Superior fisheries management plans including the lake trout harvest outlook for 2015.

For the coming year, lake trout population assessments show lower numbers of fish will meet the minimum size range of 15 inches, although models indicate that relatively strong lake trout reproduction in 2008 and 2009 should result in higher fish numbers and harvest quotas beginning in 2016. Public input is being sought to identify local fisheries issues, opportunities and challenges. The meeting aims to ensure all aspects of the fishery are considered and increase awareness of the resource.

DNR is interested in exploring management options with the public and welcomes diverse viewpoints from stakeholders. The department will use the public comments it gathers as well as the latest scientific findings in working to sustain and enhance the fishery.

For the 2015 season, DNR anticipates reduced limits that will affect commercial, recreational and tribal anglers. A temporary rule will be proposed to cover the season for commercial and recreational anglers while long-term sustainability is discussed among stakeholders.

The Dec. 1 public meeting in Ashland will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, 29270 County Highway G, Ashland, WI 54806. (Agenda [PDF]) In addition to collecting comments at the meeting, citizens may provide feedback by mailing Terry L. Margenau, Lake Superior fisheries supervisor, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 589, 141 S. Third St., Bayfield, WI 54814; or emailing Terry.margenau@wisconsin.gov.

2015 KIDS FISHING CLINIC

WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF SPORT FISHING ORGANIZATIONS

2015 KIDS FISHING CLINIC

 

Holly Glainyk

Waukesha County Parks Program Specialist

515 West Moreland Blvd Rm. AC230

Waukesha, WI. 53188

Dear Holly:

We have begun the planning for our 2015 Kids Fishing Clinics. We are planning on holding the clinics as listed below at your parks. Flyers for these clinics will be made available to your office as soon as we are able to complete the planning for them. Please contact me as soon as possible if there is any problem in reserving the parks for these dates. .

The Kids Fishing Clinics are being held this year on February 14th, and April 11th. We are planning on conducting the WCSFO Clinics on February 14^th at Menomonee and April 11^th at Muskego, Menomonee, and Foxbrook Parks in Waukesha County. The clinics will start at 9:00 AM and end at 3:00 PM.

The contact people for this years clinics are as follows:

Feb. 14, 2015 Menomonee Park Brenda Rosin Schaff 414-467-6658 Badger Fishermans League

Apr. 11, 2015 Muskego Park Jean Tackes 262-246-1993 Womens Hunting & Sporting Assoc.

Apr. 11, 2015 Menomonee Park Don Camplin 262-392-4183 Wisconsin Houseoutdoorsmen

Apr. 11, 2015 Foxbrook Park Dave Schmitt 262-781-8993 Wern Valley Sportsmen

The instructors teaching the clinics have completed the DNR Angler Certification course and have been certified. I hope as in the past we can have the Park entrance fees waived for the clinics. As you know part of our clinics are class room activities and I would request that an appropriate building for these activities also be reserved at each park.

Thank you again for your support and cooperation in helping to make the Kids Fishing Clinics a success. If you have any questions you can contact me at : # 414-321-0869

Sincerely: Ron Gray, Secretary

Kids Fishing Clinic

 

cc:

Brenda Rosin Schaff, Kids Fishing Clinics Coordinator

Matt Coffaro, DNR Liaison

Ted Lind, WCSFO

John Durben, WCSFO

Jean Tackes, Women’s Hunting & Sporting Assoc.

Douglas Doughty, Wisconsin House Outdoorsmen

Don Camplin, Wisconsin House Outdoorsmen

Dave Schmidt, Wern Valley Sportsmen

Letter Concerning Boat Transfer @ Rapide Croche Navigational Lock

Click Here for pdf copy

Deadline nears for those seeking to serve on DNR fish work groups

Volunteers who want to join five citizen-agency work groups that will discuss how the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources manages fish have until Wednesday, Nov. 19, to apply.

There will be individual work groups for bass, catfish, panfish and walleye, and one that will focus on both northern pike and muskellunge.

Each group of 10 to 15 people will include volunteers and DNR staff who meet two to three times per year to discuss new research, population and harvest trends, and fisheries management. Volunteers may apply to one of the five groups and citizens can nominate themselves.

Participants will be selected by the DNR and can serve a term of either two or three years. Meetings average four to six hours including travel time. The groups are advisory and do not make decisions on policy or fish management.

Go online for more information or an application form.

No Asian carp environmental DNA found after additional testing in Lower Fox River

MADISON, Wis. -- Additional tests for Asian carp environmental DNA in the Lower Fox River have come back negative, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials said.

Bob Wakeman, aquatic invasive species coordinator for DNR, said the additional tests were requested after one out of 200 sample collected in June and July from the Lower Fox River tested positive for silver carp. The latest round of testing - by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - included collecting 200 additional samples from the Lower Fox River on two days of sampling in the weeks following the initial results.

"We're pleased that the results came back negative and it's a good indication there are no live silver carp in the river," Wakeman said. "We're particularly grateful to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their work in carrying out the water sampling and analysis. Through continued monitoring and the preventive efforts of Wisconsin anglers, waterfowl hunters, recreational boaters and commercial partners, we hope to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan."

Asian carp pose significant ecological and economic threats to the Great Lakes region and its fishery because they eat voraciously and compete directly with valuable native fish for food. Asian carp species including bighead and silver carp were introduced into the southern United States in the 1970s.

The tests for eDNA are extremely sensitive and can detect genetic material shed in mucus or excrement from fish as well as from birds that have eaten the fish elsewhere. Contaminated bilge water also can carry traces of the fish and the latest negative results suggest the source of eDNA from the summer sampling originated from a temporary source.

While the genetic fingerprints are clear enough to identify specific invasive carp species, the eDNA testing program relies on multiple positive samples over time to indicate the likelihood of live fish. The single positive result among 1,950 samples from Wisconsin tributaries to Lake Michigan in June and July followed by the negative results returned this week recalls a similar situation in 2013. Then, a single positive sample from the Sturgeon Bay area was followed by all negative results.

In addition to the federal eDNA monitoring, DNR fisheries team members conduct a variety of netting, electroshocking and trawling operations in state waters. To date, these efforts have not captured any Asian carp in any waters of the Lower Fox River, Green Bay or Lake Michigan.

DNR encourages anglers and others to review Asian carp identification materials, to report any sightings of Asian carp and to make sure that bait buckets don't inadvertently contain the fish because young Asian carp resemble popular bait species. Photo identification tools and more information on Asian carp can be found on DNR's website, dnr.wi.gov, by searching "Asian carp."

Public invited to weigh in on Lake Superior fisheries management at Ashland meeting Dec. 1

Lake trout harvest outlook, fish population data among topics on agenda

ASHLAND, Wis. -- Anglers, commercial fishers, conservation stakeholders and interested citizens are encouraged to attend a public meeting hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Dec. 1 at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland to discuss Lake Superior fisheries management plans including the lake trout harvest outlook for 2015.

For the coming year, lake trout population assessments show lower numbers of fish will meet the minimum size range of 15 inches, although models indicate that relatively strong lake trout reproduction in 2008 and 2009 should result in higher fish numbers and harvest quotas beginning in 2016. Public input is being sought to identify local fisheries issues and discuss management objectives as well as opportunities and challenges. The meeting aims to ensure all aspects of the fishery are considered and increase awareness of the resource.

"We look forward to exploring management options with the public and we welcome diverse viewpoints from stakeholders," said Bill Cosh, DNR spokesman. "We appreciate the vital role lake trout play in the region's economy as well as Lake Superior's ecology and we will use the public comments and latest scientific findings in our continuing efforts to sustain and enhance the fishery."

For the 2015 season, DNR anticipates reduced limits that will affect commercial, recreational and tribal anglers. A temporary rule will be proposed to cover the season for commercial and recreational anglers while long-term sustainability is discussed among stakeholders.

The Dec. 1 public meeting in Ashland will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center (exit DNR), 29270 County Highway G, Ashland, WI 54806.

For more information about the Lake Superior fishery, visit dnr.wi.gov and search "fishing Lake Superior."

River Talk to Focus on Wisconsin Point

By Marie Zhuikov
The next monthly River Talk is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. at the Red Mug (916 Hammond Ave., Superior, Wis.). Bob Miller, a Lake Superior Ojibway tribal member, will present, “What’s the Point? Ojibway History and the Unique Value of Wisconsin Point.”

Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) have teamed up to offer this series of science café-type evening talks about the St. Louis River Estuary. These informal “River Talks” are held monthly through May. Grab a mug of coffee or maybe a glass of beer and join us! 

Check the Lake Superior NERR website for details about upcoming talks. If you miss a talk, visit the Wisconsin Sea Grant’s “Great Lakes Takes” blog for a summary of the discussion.

Minutes from 2014 Fall Meeting (October 18)

Attached are the minutes from our 2014 WCSFO Fall Meeting.

CLICK HERE to review them