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Lake Erie Steelhead Fishing

Grants Awarded To Enhance Access, Habitat, Tourism Along Lake Erie
Lucas, Ottawa, Erie, Cuyahoga and Lake Counties to directly benefit
Sandusky, OH -(FishNLand.com)- Ten organizations and government entities will receive grant funding for projects that will contribute more than $1 million in improvements to Lake Erie Watershed communities and resources.

The Coastal Management Assistance Grants, awarded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Office of Coastal Management, will help fund a green infrastructure feasibility study, a lakefront revitalization plan, interactive educational exhibits that highlight Lake Erie-related industries and promote tourism and efforts to improve beach quality. Each project selected for funding addresses at least one of the Ohio Coastal Management Program’s funding categories, including the protection and restoration of Lake Erie coastal resources, promotion of sustainable land use and community planning, coastal resource management education and outreach, and research and data collection.

The Office of Coastal Management dedicates a portion of its federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funding to the Coastal Management Assistance Grant program. This year, Coastal Management Assistance Grants will provide $359,168 to enhance Lake Erie communities and resources.

Projects from eight local entities and two state entities – the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Lake Soil and Water Conservation District, Lake County Port Authority, Cleveland Metroparks, the Great Lakes Historical Society in Vermilion, Sandusky Area Maritime Association, Put-in-Bay Township Park District, city of Oregon, ODNR Division of Soil and Water Conservation, and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission – will receive funding this year (see editor’s note). Grant-funded projects require a match of at least 50 percent of the project’s total cost.

Applications and guidelines for the next round of grants to be awarded in 2010 will be available in September 2009 online or by contacting the Office of Coastal Management at coastal@dnr.state.oh.us or 419-626-7980.

The ODNR Office of Coastal Management works to achieve a balance between use and preservation of Lake Erie’s coastal resources, in collaboration with its partners, by effectively administering the Ohio Coastal Management Program.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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“Weakened” Hurricane Systems Harm Boats Far Inland, Too

5 Tips to Prepare for 2009 Season

ALEXANDRIA, Va., -(FishNLand.com)- Historically, whenever a hurricane comes ashore along the Gulf or Atlantic coasts that’s where the most damage is found.  But even though a tropical storm system weakens significantly as it moves over land, it will often continue to carry a significant punch over a wide area inland – possibly hundreds of miles from landfall.  With the start of the 2009 hurricane season June 1, BoatUS says inland boat owners should take these storms seriously and make preparations, even though the system may no longer be classified as a hurricane.

“Hurricane Ike, which ravaged the Texas coast last year, is a good example,” said BoatUS Marine Insurance Technical Director Bob Adriance. “Though it was officially downgraded to a tropical depression soon after coming ashore, a combination of unrelenting wind and heavy rain continued to damage boats all the way up into Canada.  One-fourth of the Ike claims filed with BoatUS Marine Insurance came from outside Texas – including states such as Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.  As they move inland, these storm systems have been known to dangerously swell creeks and rivers, sweeping entire marinas downriver,” added Adriance.

Here are some tips from BoatUS to help inland boaters prepare for this 2009 hurricane season which continues through November 30:

1. Know the storm-worthiness of your marina, and be prepared to respond by removing your boat to high ground.  Some marinas and private slips or docks on rivers are  vulnerable to flash flooding.  While freshwater lakes do not have a problem with wind-driven storm surge, rains can quickly raise lake levels and those dockage facilities in exposed locations can also get hit hard by wind and wave action.
2. Boats in the water at a marina or private dock should have extra lines with chafe protection added.  Fenders and fender boards may also help.
3. Clear cockpit scuppers (deck drains) of any debris so rainwater will drain freely.  Make sure your batteries are fully charged and your bilge pump is operating properly.
4. Remove “windage” items like cockpit biminis, dodgers and sails.  These items are easily damaged in high winds.  They also add undue strain to mooring or dock lines.  If your boat is in a covered slip, lower and secure antennae and outriggers.
5. For boats on moorings, ensure all ground tackle is in top condition and chafe protection is added to prevent a breakaway.

Boaters can get some free hurricane preparation help, including a hurricane preparation worksheet, an in-depth Guide to Preparing Boats and Marinas for Hurricanes, and checklists for what to do before and after a hurricane strikes, go to the BoatUS “Hurricane Resource Center” at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes.  The web site also helps boaters monitor incoming storms with up-to-the-minute storm tracking tools with live satellite imagery.

About BoatUS:
BoatUS – Boat Owners Association of The United States – is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 600,000 members with government representation, programs and money saving services.  For membership information visit BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.

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Potentially Toxic Algal Species Confirmed in South Texas

Austin, Texas -(FishNLand.com)- Since January 2009, a microscopic alga most often found in north and west Texas has been confirmed at four south Texas sites: Corpus Christi, Kingsville, McAllen, and Jim Hogg County. All four occurrences caused fish kills in private ponds and investigations by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Kills and Spills Team have found no evidence that public waters were affected.
The organism, Prymnesium parvum or golden alga, is a naturally-occurring species that was first confirmed in Texas’ Pecos River in 1985, marking the first record in the Western Hemisphere. Since then, golden alga has been found to occur in inland waters of an additional 15 states. Prior to 1985, this species was mostly known from brackish European waters.

Sometimes the algae reproduce very rapidly, resulting in what is referred to as a bloom. Golden alga blooms can give the water a yellow or copper color and cause foaming along shorelines. Under certain environmental conditions, golden alga produces toxins that affect gill-breathing organisms such as fish, clams and mussels. There is no evidence that these toxins harm other wildlife, livestock or humans.

Fish can escape a toxic bloom by retreating into an area that receives fresh, flowing water, such as a cove or inlet. Since 2001 golden alga has caused seasonal fish kills in the upper reaches of the Canadian, Red, Brazos, Colorado, and Rio Grande river basins. The lower Brazos River experienced two fish kills in 2006; before this event most fish kills had largely taken place west of Interstate Highway 35.

It remains unknown why golden alga blooms have been restricted to freshwater in the U.S., while they are a coastal concern in places such as Europe, the Mediterranean, and New Zealand. Due to its wide salinity tolerance, there is concern that golden alga might one day threaten Texas’ bays and estuaries and cause fish kills similar to those caused by red tides.

TPWD is coordinating efforts to monitor fish kills caused by toxic golden alga, to research golden alga for better understanding and management, and to manage the recreational fisheries of Texas with river authorities, state agencies and university researchers. Studies have resulted in control methods for golden alga in ponds and small reservoirs; however these methods are not economically or ecologically feasible for application to larger water bodies.

Golden alga does not thrive in waters with salinity below approximately 1.5 parts per thousand. Pond owners might reduce the chances of a bloom, and any resulting threat to surrounding water bodies, by avoiding the filling or topping of ponds with salty ground or surface water.

TPWD has neither the authority nor the resources to treat private ponds. More information about golden alga, including treatment options for private waters, can be found on the TPWD Web site.

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