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U-M divers retrieve 8,900-year-old piece of wood from Lake Huron
Annarbor.com (12/12)
University of Michigan researchers announced they have found a 5 1/2 foot long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old in Lake Huron.
Possible lost world found in Lake Huron
The Montreal Gazette (1/9)
The recovery of a mysterious wooden pole at the bottom of Lake Huron is fuelling excitement among U.S. and Canadian researchers that they have found more evidence of a "lost world" of North American caribou hunters from nearly 10,000 years ago.
New GLIER director has lots of fish stories
The Windsor Star (1/9)
Dan Heath begins was recently chosen for a five-year appointment as director of the prestigious Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor starting in May 2012.
Lake Superior research facility arrives in the Twin Ports
WDIO - Duluth, MN (1/9)
The Twin Ports is now home to a unique research facility, studying the water flows into Lake Superior, and it's expected to change the way residents here live on the lake.
COMMENTARY: Learn about your environment: You can help improve water quality
Erie Time-News (1/9)
When the quality of our water and productivity of our land are compromised, everyone loses. Whether or not you live near or far from a stream or Great Lake, you can help protect our valuable ecosystem and economy.
Educators can now schedule hands-on field trips on Lake Erie
Beacon.net (12/19)
Educators from across the region can still register their fourth through 12th grade students for a 2012 Lake Erie Science Field Trip at Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
The fishery
The history of fishing on the lakes
What's in your landing net? (common catches)
Non-native and endangered species
The Record Book
State/provincial fishing laws, consumption advisories
Reeling in some additional references
The fishery
In the Great Lakes region you'll find the largest continuous mass of freshwater in the world. In fact, these lakes, shared by the United States and Canada, have supported one of the world's largest freshwater fisheries for more than 100 years.
The Great Lakes fishery consists of a blend of native and introduced species, some of which are regularly restocked. Common catches include lake trout, salmon, walleye, perch, white fish, smallmouth bass, steelhead and brown trout. The greatest commercial fishing harvests were recorded in 1889 and 1899 at about 147 million pounds (67,000 metric tons). Since then, the fishery has been threatened on three fronts: overfishing, pollution and non-native invasive species. Recent years have seen a major resurgence as walleye fisheries recover in Lake Erie, trout populations become more self-sustaining in Lake Superior, and new salmon fisheries develop in Lake Ontario. Fishery researchers estimate that 25 percent to 40 percent of the salmon and trout populations in lakes Michigan, Huron and Ontario are now self-reproducing, crediting improved habitat, water quality and stream conditions.
Each of the Great Lakes has its own mainstay species. In Lake Superior, the largest of the lakes, lake herring, rainbow smelt, lake whitefish and yellow perch are of commercial importance. In Lake Huron, lake whitefish is the primary catch, while yellow perch, salmon and walleye support the fisheries in lakes Erie and Michigan. Erie remains the most productive of the Great Lakes. The Lake Ontario fishery has declined somewhat due to pollution; in past years the main species harvested were the American eel, yellow perch, bullheads, sunfish and rock bass. Today, salmon, trout and smallmouth bass fishing in Lake Ontario is said to be the "best in years." Yellow perch remains a primary catch in all of the Great Lakes.
The region's inland waters offer many fishing opportunities, as well. Blue-ribbon trout streams attract fly fishing enthusiasts, and lakes offer a variety of fish, including crappie, bluegill, perch, pike and large- and small-mouth bass. The commercial and sport fishery on the Great Lakes is collectively valued at more than $4 billion annually and supports thousands of jobs, including many in the processing and packaging industries.
Related site: GLIN Fish and Fisheries of the Great Lakes RegionPhoto: Great Lakes angler, courtesy Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council.
