Great Lakes Commercial Fishing Numbers, Early Gypsy Moths & a Super-Efficient Home

Temporarily adopting the persona of “The Catfish.” 

Try these on, from Friday Edition, 9 a.m. Eastern, Delta College, Q-90.1 FM, Public Broadcasting, NPR, Excellent.

Flying Caterpillars of Defoliage

The Gypsy moths are hatching, and it’s much earlier than expected.

Staffers with the Bay County Gypsy Moth Suppression Program say they’e found have a few gypsy moth egg masses that are now hatching.

Officials say it’s the earliest time in the year that staffers have noted hatchings throughout the county.

Courtesy Bay County Gypsy Moth program

The population is still “extremely low,” but you should keep an eye out for tiny, 1/8th-inch caterpillars crawling around your neighborhood.

When these caterpillars hatch, they climb to the highest point they can reach and wait for the wind to blow them to a new area, and food.

Gypsy moth caterpillars feed on trees. They can defoliate large trees in a few weeks, invade yards and recreational areas, and become a general nuisance to people living in infested areas, officials say.

If you live in Bay County and feel the gypsy moth population on your property is increasing or have questions concerning invasive insects, you can call the Gypsy Moth program at (989) 895-4195 to make sure your area is surveyed.

A Year of Energy for $857?!

A Saginaw County homeowner has been awarded – again – for energy savings.

Connie Rynalski of Saginaw Township first saved on energy costs at her home, through various efficiency measures. Then, she was awarded an Earth Day prize of $3,000 for going above and beyond in her energy-saving efforts.

The award came from Cobblestone Homes, a Freeland-based homebuilder which conducted an Energy Challenge among almost 100 of its homeowners.

They were challenged to save the most in utility usage compared to energy use projections during a 12-month period.

Rynalski beat the energy projections for her home by the highest amount, paying $857 for an entire year of energy costs, including heating. That’s compared to more than $3,000 for a typical, 1,900-square-foot home.

Cobblestone Homes has partnered with the Dow Chemical Co. in recent years to build Michigan’s first Net-Zero Energy Homes in Midland and Bay counties.

New Commercial Fishery Assessment on the Great Lakes

How much is Lake Huron worth?

From the GLMRIS assessment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a report on the valuation of commercial fisheries in the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins.

The Commercial Fisheries Baseline Economic Assessment is part of Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study.

The report summarizes the latest annual harvesting data from state-licensed and tribal commercial fishing operations. The data will be used to help forecast impacts from potential aquatic invasives like the Asian carp.

The report says the average commercial harvest level in the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes is estimated at 19.3 million pounds of fish, with an associated average value of $22.5 million.

The report lists Lake Huron’s commercial harvest level at 3.5 million pounds, with an associated value of $4.6 million.

Lake Huron contributes 18.3 percent to the total commercial harvest of fish on the Great Lakes and 20.2 percent to the total value of Great Lakes fisheries.

The lake has seen a decline in commercial harvest levels since 1989. The maximum harvest level in the 1990s was 5.3 million pounds, accounting for almost 21 percent of the total commercial fishing harvests on the Great Lakes.

The top harvest level since year 2000 has been about 4.7 million pounds, or about 25 percent of all commercial fish harvesting in the Great Lakes.

The report examined data from 1989 to 2009.

The study plans to release an assessment later this year on recreational fishing.

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Catfish by Denise Chan

Researchers Breed Arctic Cod, for the First Time, As Sea Ice Melts

This one’s a little beyond the Great Lakes, but interesting nonetheless …

Photos and video courtesy Vancouver Aquarium.

Biologists at the Vancouver Aquarium have announced a milestone: They’ve successfully hatched and reared Arctic cod, in a lab. It’s the first time in North America, and probably the world.

This one is important for many reasons, the Canadian researchers say:

Not only are Arctic cod a keystone species, playing a big part in the food chain, but sea ice is melting faster in the Arctic than scientists had predicted (and those predictions were pretty grim).

Arctic cod, termed as “at risk” by Environment Canada, live nine months of the year under the ice. Less ice, possibly less time to live, so it’s important to study how climate changes will impact these creatures.

But since these cod live most of their lives under the ice, they’re not the easiest species to study, from the cost of accessing their remote natural habitats to the challenging weather conditions under which they have to be studied. See some b-roll below.

How many hatchlings? The biologists say they’ve reared several hundred cod to the juvenile stage, working over six months. The process has all been documented and promises to have beneficial research implications.

“Rearing Arctic cod is a delicate and intensive process, and the early development stages are critical to the livelihood of the cod,” says Danny Kent, curator at the Vancouver Aquarium.“The Arctic cod larvae and eggs are extremely fragile and require meticulous and constant expert care to thrive. Successfully bringing the larvae to the juvenile stage could be a stepping stone to future research on this very important species.”

Arctic cod live in parts of Northern Canada, including the Beaufort Sea, the Arctic Archipelago, Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay, and along the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. They’re called a key species because they’re a primary food source for narwhals, belugas and ringed seals — which polar bears, and Inuit communities, depend upon for sustenance.

Arctic cod are kind of a “canary in the cold mine” for the Arctic ecosystem, you might say.

“Scientists are seeing increasing ocean temperatures, even in the Arctic,” according to John Nightingale, president and CEO of the Vancouver Aquarium.

“What we don’t know today is how this change will impact key species like the Arctic cod. Successfully rearing Arctic cod at the Aquarium means scientists can study aspects of their lives that previously were difficult, if not, impossible to study.”

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Be Aware of Michigan Fishing Proposals, and a Poll on Littering

A queen snake (large) and western lesser siren (inset). Via Michigan DNR/Jim Harding.

As heard on the April 13, 2012, Environment Report,

part of Friday Edition at 9 a.m. Fridays on Delta College radio, Q-90.1 FM

Trout, Pike and Queen Snakes

What do you think of fishing regulation proposals?

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to know. The DNR is planning a public meeting and comment session on Monday, April 23.

The meeting is from 7-9 p.m., at the Bay City State Recreation Area in Bangor Township.

DNR officials plan to discuss several statewide fishing regulation proposals.

Those include:

• Brook trout daily possession limits for Upper Peninsula streams
• Northern pike size and possession limits
• Size and possession limits for muskellunge
• And, prohibiting the recreational take of a newly listed species of special concern. Those are, the queen snake and a long, eel-like salamander called the western lesser siren.

More specific information on the proposals will be available at the meeting, to be held in the park’s Visitor Center.

You also can study up at the DNR web site at michigan.gov/fishing.

The meeting, again, is from 7-9 p.m. on Monday, April 23, at the Bay City state park in Bangor Township.

Green Becoming the ‘New Normal’ 

Earth Day is coming up, on April 22, and people are finally starting to get the drift of sustainability.

A new survey by the Shelton Group says being eco-friendly is becoming more common among Americans.

Those surveyed say getting caught throwing trash out of the car window is more embarrassing to them than getting caught cheating on their taxes.

The national poll also found that unfriendly behaviors, like driving a gas guzzler, are becoming socially unacceptable these days.

Other things that people surveyed said they would more embarrassed to be caught doing than littering include:

• Smoking cigarettes
• Not using a seatbelt
• Not recycling plastic bottles
• and, letting the water run while brushing their teeth.

The researchers say they think being green will eventually become the new normal, because the percentages have reached a tipping point.

One more item worth mentioning: Those surveyed were asked what would encourage them adopt eco-friendly behaviors.

The top responses included penalties, fees, rewards, incentives, and education.

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Beach Cleaning, River Restoring & Asian Carp Stopping

Lots of ‘ings’ on this edition of The Environment Report. Heard Fridays @ 9 AM on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College:

Photo by z287marc

Friday, March 2, 2012 (audio):
1 

Beach boosters are planning another wellness event for June at the Bay City State Recreation Area.

This year’s Beach Wellness event, on June 23 at the Bay City state park, will include a run and walk, volleyball tournament and classic car cruise.

The event is a fundraiser to help keep the shoreline clean at the Bay City state park.

There will be 10K and 5K runs, a 5K walk; and a kids quarter-mile run.

The tournament will feature four-person volleyball teams competing on the public beach at the Bay City state park.

The sixth annual Beach Wellness event is being organized by the Save Our Shoreline property owners group.

Registrations are now being taken by members of Save Our Shoreline.

2

Efforts to restore rivers in Northern Michigan are being highlighted by a nonprofit Grayling group.

The group, called Huron Pines, has published a new website that show a variety of river restoration accomplishments in Northern Michigan.

On the website, you can search for road and stream crossings, and streambank erosion sites by watershed and county.

The group says many accomplishments listed at the site have involved completing BMPs, or Best Management Practices, at problem sites.

These practices involve methods that reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients, chemicals and other pollutants from the land to the water.

Examples are tree and shrub plantings, and culvert or bridge replacements at road and stream crossings.

The website address is www.northernmichiganstreams.org.

3

National Geographic recently featured a familiar fish as its Freshwater Species of the week.

It was the Asian carp, which comes in varieties like silver and bighead.

So far, only a few of the carp have been found in the Great Lakes, and efforts are ongoing to keep them from an becoming established species in the lakes.

The Obama administration has committed more than $50 million to a 2012  Asian Carp Control Strategy.

That includes increased efforts to monitor and catch carp iin rivers that connect to the Great Lakes.

Officials also will be testing scent-based lures, an acoustic water gun and improved electric barriers.

The U.S. government has already spent more than $100 million on keeping the bighead and silver Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.

Just this week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition by Michigan and other states to install nets in Chicago area rivers and speed up a study on a permanent separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.

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Saginaw Bay Watershed Confab, Bucks for Dredging & Flaming Fish

From the Feb. 10, 2012, edition of the Environment Report, as heard at 9 a.m. Fridays on Delta College public radio, Q 90.1 FM …

Great Lakes Czar and More

Photo by the great 8

Environmental leaders from across the Saginaw Bay watershed are meeting next month at Saginaw Valley State University.

The event is the Saginaw Bay Watershed Conference, to be held Friday, March 16, at Curtiss Hall on the campus of SVSU.

Leaders will meet to hear about and discuss current and future projects planned to address water quality in the basin. That includes the delisting of the Saginaw River and Bay as a federal Area of Concern.

A keynote address is to be given by Great Lakes czar Cameron Davis, who serves as senior advisor to U.S. EPA chief Lisa Jackson.

State climatologist Jeff Andresen, a geography professor at Michigan State University, also is to discuss projected impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes.

The latest research information regarding beach muck in Saginaw Bay will be presented by federal scientist Craig Stow.

The conference is receiving government funding support through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The cost to attend is $25, which includes lunch.

Dig It: More Money

The Saginaw River is due to receive almost $2.7 million for dredging projects.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing additional funds for navigational dredging projects.

The extra funds total $9 million, and will pay for projects in the Saginaw River, Holland Harbor, St. Joseph Harbor, Manistee Harbor and the St. Marys River.

The additional money is for projects throughout the Great Lakes basin that support economic development and job creation.

According to U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, the funding also will help sustain Michigan harbors that were threatened with closure.

Fish Won’t Catch Fire

A federal study to be published by the Journal of Great Lakes Research found male walleye contain three times more flame retardant chemicals than females in the Saginaw River and Bay.

According to Great Lakes Echo, the flame retardant chemicals have been used in plastics, foams and fabrics since the 1970s. Animal tests suggest they can damage the liver, thyroid and brain.

The Echo report says male walleye use the Saginaw River for feeding and habitat, while females mostly stay out in the bay.

The river was found to have much higher levels of flame retardants than the bay. In the river, the chemicals are ingested by small fish eaten by walleye.

Researchers believe the chemicals are draining from landfills and other waste sites and sticking in the river sediment.

See also: New Flame Retardants as Bad as Old Flame Retardants

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Mystery Genes in Great Lakes Beach Sand & Fixing Fishing Guides

As heard at 9 a.m. Eastern, Fridays on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College …

Speak Up on DNR Fishing and Hunting Guides

Photo by Anthony D'Onofrio

The state Department of Natural Resources is working on improved fishing guides and hunting digests for 2013.

But first, they’re asking for public input in an effort to make the guides more useful.

So if you’ve ever struggled to understand or make sense of a fishing or hunting guide from the DNR, here’s your chance to speak up.

Feedback is being gathered over the next several months from focus groups and surveys, according to Michigan United Conservation Clubs.

The surveys must be completed by Feb. 3.

The results will help identify discussion topics for focus groups to be held in late February and March.

For more information, see the Hunting and Trapping Digest survey, and the Fishing Guide survey.
…

This E. Coli Attaches to Your Intestines

Central Michigan University researchers have found mysterious genes in the sands of Great Lakes beaches.

The genes are from disease-causing E. coli bacteria, which can make people sick and lead to beach closings.

E. coli is a common indicator bacteria used by health departments to test beach waters.

But here’s something more uncommon: The E. coli pathogens found at seven beaches contained genes that can attach to a person’s intestinal wall and secrete toxins.

Those were found in sand at public beaches along Lake St. Clair, and Lake Huron. Researchers speculate that the bacteria could be using these “attachment genes” to survive in the sand.

The scientists say more study is needed to assess the health implications of these findings.

You can reach more in the Journal of Great Lakes Research.

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Happy Fish, Environmental Citizenship & the Michigan Envirothon

The Michigan Environment Report, as heard @ 9 a.m. Eastern on Fridays @ Q-90.1 FM …

Photo by Jon Evans

Fish Passage

Fish are moving again in a Northeast Michigan trout stream.

Ten road-stream crossings over Silver Creek, a stream that flows into a tributary of Lake Huron, were recently improved by the Huron Pines conservation group.

The new culverts allow fish and other aquatic critters to move throughout the creek.

The old crossings either blocked the natural movement of fish or contributed to sediment runoff, and covered prime fish spawning areas.

The Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition calls the Silver Creek Project a success story.

The $600,000 project was also involved state, federal and private agencies. Huron Pines is headquartered in Grayling.

Patience is a Virtue

Are you a good environmental citizen?

If you’re patient, persistent and confident, the answer is yes.

Michigan State University researchers have been studying the character traits of good problem solves and deliberators.

They say that when people are talking about tough issues, like climate change and sustainability, certain virtues help discussions go more smoothly.

To be a good environmental citizen, then, you should possess virtues that make people feel included and engaged, while producing results.

That includes 14 traits, such as friendliness, empathy, courage, temperance, sincerity, humility, self-confidence, and patience.

The problem, say the researchers, is that educational system isn’t preparing people to deal with environmental issues that are sure to be increasingly discussed in years to come.

Teams Needed

The Envirothon is on.

The 2012 Canon Envirothon competition is looking for participants from Great Lakes states.

According to Great Lakes Echo, teams will compete in outdoor challenges that test their understanding of soils, land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and current environmental issues.

Students also can conduct volunteer projects and give presentations about their experiences.

The Michigan Envirothon program is planning regional competitions during March throughout the state, including one in Grayling and another in Lapeer.

A state competition is planned for May at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie.
The national competition is held in Pennsylvania in July.

For more information, see the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts website at macd.org

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Mich Enviro Report: First Time Campers Program, Fish Advisory & Beetles

A mostly critter contribution to Friday Edition, Delta College Q-90.1 FM, for July 15, 2011 …

1.

Here’s a deal that’s hard to resist.

Travel Michigan, the state Department of Natural Resources and Gander Mountain have launched a “First Time Campers” program.

For $20, you get to use all the gear, guides and good times you can handle for a two-night stay. Show up at a state park, and a park representative will walk you through the process of setting up camp.

The gear provided includes a tent, tarp, two camp chairs, flashlight, lantern, stove, four hot dog or marshmellow cookers and two fishing poles.

Almost 20 state parks are participating in the program. Those include the Bay City Recreation Area, Hartwick Pines, Port Crescent State Park, Sleeper State Park.

To sign up for the First Time Campers program, you need to contact each park directly.

2.

If you catch any fish as a First Time Camper, make sure to follow the state’s latest fish advisory guide.

The 2011-2012 guide (pdf) has been released by the Michigan Department of Community Health. The update includes nine changes to advisories, two that were relaxed and seven that were expanded.

Advisories in the guides are based on toxic chemicals found in fish. Some types of fish from some locations can be harmful to eat if eaten too often, due to levels of mercury, dioxin, and PCBs..

The guide is available online at michigan.gov/eatsafefish and includes information on fish from Michigan rivers and lakes. The state website also includes tips for choosing fish at the supermarket and restaurants.

3.

The Khapra (cap-ra) beetle, from India, may be the next invasive pest to wreak havoc in Michigan.

A few of the beetles were found recently by U.S. Customs agents at border crossings in Detroit and Port Huron, according to The Detroit News.

The beetle is a threat to the state’s agricultural industry, officials say. It feeds on any dried plant or animal matter, but prefers grains like wheat, barley, corn and rice.

Much like the emerald ash borer has wiped out million of trees throughout the state, the Khapra beetle could wipe out soybean, wheat and corp crops, officials say.

For now, border agents are keeping an eye out for the bugs, and no infestations have been reported.

— Photo by Larry Page

Friday Edition: Great Lakes Report, Lasers & Poisoned Perch

Thanks to all who listen to the Environment Report, on Friday mornings on Delta College’s Q-90.1 FM.

I’m going to start posting the text from my radio spots, in case listeners are looking for more info. Without further delay, here’s what aired on Nov. 12:

1.
What’s the state of the Great Lakes?  

Getting better, but still in need of help.

Outgoing Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm says the state is working to protect and restore the lakes. She released an annual State of the Great Lakes Report this week that focuses on efforts in the four lakes that border Michigan — Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior.

So far, more than 80 million dollars has been awarded to more than 140 projects in Michigan under the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the report says.

Projects in the Lake Huron basin include improvements to the Frankenmuth dam to open up more areas for fish spawning, an international study of Great Lakes water levels, and efforts to detect and treat nonnative plants called phragmites along the shoreline.

Find the State of the Great Lakes report at michigan.gov/dnregreatlakes

2.
It’s too cold to go swimming at the beach. But better beach monitoring, with lasers, could be coming to Michigan.

A low-powered laser testing method has been developed by Purdue University.

The laser shines through samples of E. coli bacteria to determine the origin of the bacteria, which comes from human and animal waste.

In Saginaw Bay, there has been finger pointing about E. coli found in dead algae, or beach muck, along the shoreline. Some people believe the source is human sewage. Others believe large farms deserve more of the blame.

The laser method can allow for faster and less expensive E. coli testing results, to warn beach-goers about contaminated water, according to state officials.

It also can help county health departments determine the source of bacteria linked to ongoing beach closures.

The technology is still in the testing stages.

But the federal government is releasing tougher standards for beach bacteria in 2012, and the laser could help counties meet the new requirements, state officials say.

3.
How do toxic substances affect yellow perch in the Great Lakes?

Scientists plan to poison a number of perch to find out.

The study, by Michigan State and University of Michigan researchers, is on the causes and effects of toxic substances on perch. It will focus on exposure to mercury, which is released to the environment by sources like coal-fired power plants in the Lake Huron basin.

Fish in the study will be given low doses of mercury and other pollutants. As the levels of poison are increased, scientists will examine the effects on fish hormone levels.

The testing results will help assess potential threats to perch and other aquatic life from pollution in the Great Lakes, MSU researchers say.

— Photo via nps.gov