Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meeting

Attached is the formal announcement of the Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee Meeting to be held on Wednesday April 11, 2012 at the Ram Center located along Higgins Lake.   The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and be completed by 3 p.m.  The meeting will focus on the presentations for the Spring Workshops and for details see the attached agenda and meeting notice but a brief list of items to be discussed at the meeting include:

1) A discussion how several native species are flourishing by taking advantage of the invasives.

2) An overview of the expanding walleye fishery in Lake Huron with highlights from Thunder Bay.

3) A review of the status of the baitfish in Lake Huron and related research projects for 2012.

4) Cormorant management in Thunder Bay and the potential of increased cormorant monitoring in Saginaw Bay.

5) A volunteer’s perspective of assisting with cormorant management.

6) Updates since the fall Advisory Meeting on the Atlantic salmon and cisco projects.

7) A discussion of the splake fishery in the Les Cheneaux Islands area.

8) A progress report of updating the lake trout harvest limits and regulations for 2012 in Zone MH-1 ( Rogers City to Drummond Island).

9) Management and Law Enforcement Updates.

10) Overall, the goal is to fine-tune and adapt the above presentations for the Sea Grant Spring Workshops being held at Cedarville, April 23, 2012; Alpena April 24, 201 andPort Huron May 9, 2012.

Fishing Improves in Lake Huron

The following is an excerpt from a DNR report dated December 9, 2011:

The fishing during 2010 was excellent in many regions of Lake Huron. What is not widely known is that after the alewife crashed in 2003 and the salmon fishery declined, fishing in much of the Lake is currently as good as it was during the peak nearly 10 years ago. The species found in the catch have been changing but the resulting diverse fishery has been very good. In 2010, rainbow trout (steelhead) became a very important component of the fishery in much of Lake Huron. Since the loss of alewife, there has been much less baitfish in the mid waters for the salmon and trout to eat but the fish are beginning to adapt. Research has shown that the successful rainbow trout has learned to feed on the surface for terrestrial insects, in the mid waters for smelt and on the bottom for goby. Lake trout, which is also becoming a very important part of the catch, developed similar feeding habits by swimming back and forth from the bottom to the surface searching for food. The walleye fishery in Saginaw Bay has recovered and fishing is excellent not only in the Bay but at many ports to the north and south including Thunder Bay which has developed into a high-quality reliable spring and summer fishery. Chinook salmon continue to be important in the catch in the north from Alpena to the Straits and along with rainbow trout, lake trout, walleye, Coho salmon, brown trout, catfish and Atlantic salmon they make up an excellent diverse fishery throughout the Lake. During last season when all the catch rates from the fish mentioned above are considered together, the fishing in 2010 was comparable to the best years at several locations.

Why did the Alewife Crash and Food Web Change Dramatically in 2003?

The food web starts with energy from the sun, which is absorbed by tiny one-cell plants known as algae or phytoplankton. Very small animals about 1/100 to ½ inch in length that are known as zooplankton eat the algae and become food for small fish like smelt and goby which are eaten by larger fish like trout and salmon. Generally, lakes with more algae produce more food for fish. When the zebra and quagga mussels were introduced during the 1990s, they eventually spread to the deep waters of Lake Huron where they efficiently filtered the mid waters and consumed much of the algae. As a result, the zooplankton numbers decreased dramatically causing the alewife and smelt to
decline to record low levels because of lack of food. Since the mussels trapped the food as they filtered the water, the area around the mussels on the bottom became rich with nutrients and bottom dwelling fish like goby survived very well. After the food web changed, there was much less food in the mid waters but there was still a concentration of food on the surface as terrestrial insects and an increase in food on the bottom. Lake Huron is beginning to produce more baitfish with a large number of bottom feeding goby, resurgence of emerald shiners and smelt consistently producing good year classes.

Editor's note:  Overall, fishing has improved significantly, especially in the area of Lake Huron near Rogers City.  Thanks to Frank Krist and the Great Lakes Fisheries for the above information. 

Business-to-Business Online Network

The following is a posting from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC):

The Request for Proposal (RFP) for a business-to-business online network application, which will be branded under the Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC) economic gardening initiative, has been issued. This project will result in a directory of Michigan businesses and a procurement marketplace where Michigan businesses may post procurement opportunities available for other Michigan businesses and, conversely, the participating businesses may themselves look for and find opportunities posted by other companies. Company participants may also use the system as a business-oriented social network whereby companies can communicate between each other directly and as self-designated groups or clusters.

The RFP can be found at the following link:  http://www.michiganadvantage.org/Public-Notices-Requests-for-Proposals/Pure-Michigan-Business-to-Business-(B2B)-Connect-Request-for-Proposal/

Thank you,

Mandy Rossman  /  Partner Relationship Manager
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
desk: (313) 456-3034 / cell: (517) 862-7324  /  fax: (313) 456-3021

email: rossmanm@michigan.org

Export-Import Bank Coming to Michigan

The Detroit Free Press reported:

"The U.S. Export-Import Bank said Tuesday that it plans to establish a full-time presence in Detroit and three other cities, making it easier for small businesses to access its services.

The bank's Detroit presence could help increase exports from Michigan, which was the eighth-largest exporter among the 50 states last year. The Brookings Institution and Public Sector Consultants prepared a report for Business Leaders for Michigan that calls for boosting exports, among other things."

Presque Isle County has several enterprises that could potentially benefit from increased exports.  Among those are:  Cadillac Products, Moran Iron works, the timber industry, and of course, Carmeuse Lime and Stone Company.  I encourage local business leaders to explore the opportunity for growth and expansion of their business through exports.  We have a lot of natural resources and local talent to put to work for the good of all.